Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1906-01-24
THE POISONOUS KISS.
STARTLING THEORY ADVANCED
By GERMAN SCIENTIST.
Tells Of Terrible Death Lurking In
the Most Innocent Oscillation
Bacteria Found in the
Mouth.
'Is Che Kiss Of pretty woman poison-

10 Inc KISS oI q pretty woman poison
ous?"
1t is brutal question, and the answer
thereto, as vouchsafed by Prof. w. d.
Miller Of the University RI Berlin, is
equally brutal. For, declares that
learned saVant, the kiss OF beautiful
woman may and does, under certain cir
cumstances, bring quicker and more
horrible death than the bite Of 4 SER
pent.
Such was the startling, not to say
sensational, announcement made by
Pror. Miller in lecture delivered be-
fore the students of Wesleyan college,
In Middletown, Conn, the other day.
Prof. Miller is now sojourning in this
country, and is lecturing before vari-
Gus colleges and universities upon the
subject Of which he is acknowledged
abroad to be the greatest exponent
the bacteria Of the mouth. Prof. Mil
Ter has made 4 special study of this
particular form of bacteria, and ne
knows whereof he speaks. In his lee
ture Prof. Miller recounted remark
able experiment which he made upon
beautiful girl in Berlin. An arrow
dipped in saliva from her mouth, he
discovered, would send its victim into
death throes more terrible than one
dipped in the venom OF an asp or any
other of the deadly reptiles. He told
OF more than dozen experiments he
had thus made upon pigeons, guinea
pigs and dogs, all Of which had proved
fatal.
The result Of these experiments with
the poisonous saliva of his patients
mouth made him curious to examine
the toxin properties Of other mouths,
with the result, as already stated, that
he found large percentage Of mouths
to be similarly death-dealing.
II the word of Prof. Miller is to be
relied upon, there may be a terrible
death lurking In the most innocent
kiss, since OSCILLATION would seem to |
be the most likely way that these
death-dealing bacteria could be trans
nitted from one subject to another.
As a precautiOn he urges that dentists |
should use the utmost care in putting |
their fingers into the mouths Of their |
patients. He also urges fathers and
mothers to see that their children do
not chew their fingers, and suggests
the sdvisability Of wearing white cot
ton mtttens the better to protect the
small and tender hands from the dan
gerous bacteria.
Science has for the last decade said /
much against the primitive instinct Of /
kissing, but nothing that has thus far
been eaid carries quite so much weight
as the utteranoes Of Prof. Miller, who,
by reason Of his fame as a bacteriolo-
gist, is entitled to and receives the
homage of physicians and scientists
in two hemispheres. 1t would be diff
cult, however, to find any New York
physician who would risk his profess
sional popularity sufficiently to con-
denim the good, old-fashioned habit Of
kissing, nor could any one of them be
found who would be willing to go on
record as seriously opposed to kissing.
"The kiss Of anybody might be poi
sonous," declared DR.. Thomas Oar
lington, president of the board OF
health, ''but why the kiss Of pretty
girl should be especially singled out
and put under the ban do not know.
II Prof. Miller has been quoted right,
he referred particularly to the kiss Of
a pretty girl, and that is all nonsense,
to be sure.
Science has for many years recog-
nized the presence of bacteria in the
mouth, which, IL they found their way
deep into the tissues, would, and do,
cause poisoning. But to be-. introduced
that deep into the tissues or into the
circulation It would be necessary for
the infected person to bite his victim,
or her victim, as Prof Miller chooses
the pronoun. Long before bacteria
were recognized in the human system;
In fact, long before the word had ever I
been coined, or the idea conveyed by it
had entered the scientific brain, man
kind had discovered the deadliness that
turks in the bite of the human being.
Hence we have had. as all civilized
races do have, very stringent laws
against the man or woman guilty OF
mayhem, because the crime Of may
hem originally referred to the specific
injury to the person caused by his adj
Versary biting him, an injury which
was SO frequently followed by poison
ng and subsequent horrible death.
rhe trainers Of laws Of all nations
have wisely made the crime of may
lem punishable by extraordinarily
ong sentences OF imprisonment, or,
Is in olden times, Of severe punish
nent, III not the death penalty"
Was He BusvP