The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-05-26
BABY'S PAC|F|ER IS SOURCE OF DANGER Is An Easy Means for Adm,niS-
 tering Germs DON'T KISS BABYS MOUTH Doctors at Tuberculosis Exhibit En- phasize Importance of Protecting Infants, Who Are Unable to
 Care for Themselves.
DON'T KISS BABYS MOUTH

Tuberculosis exhibition The entire day will be devoted to the consideration of tuberculosis in the negro race. Ad- dresses will be given at 1 o'clock and at o'clock D. m.. with the stereopticon at hourly intervals. The special pro- gramme for the day will be as follows:
 10 a. m.-Lane school
 12 Noon-State's school
 p. m.-Trinity Baptist church.
 ? D. m.-High school.
 D. m.-Conference "The Negro and Tuberculoss'
 s p. m.-"Tuberculosis and the Negro ]"
 Tuberculosis in Its Relation to the Child" was discussed yesterday by Dr. Ross Snyder and Dr. Thomas D. Parke, with Dr. Kenneth Bradford as chairman. Dr. Snyder said that "our obligation to protect the child from this malady is all the more binding because the child is not in the least able to protect itself.
 ''The child cannot choose his associates. Ought we not to select carefully and wisely every associate we force the child to accept? l do not know how many tubercular nurses there are in Birming- ham, in daily attendance on children. I would very earnestly beg of you, who are parents, not to allow honesty to be the only requirement that you demand in one you are about to engage as a servant in your household. Especial care should be exercised in the selection of any ser want for the nursery. I would suggest that before employing a servant that will have the care of the child, the family Sho ha ;, spect and to examine the applicant Blood diseases and tuberculosis are so common among negroes that if the appli- cant happens to be 8 negro, which is very apt to be the case in this section of the country. the examination of her by physician is a demand of the child by virtue of right.
 Some of you will no doubt offer ob- jection to this plan; it's too troublesome, nurses are too hard to get anyway. etc. But you owe it to your baby if not to yourself.
 Another thing, after you have selected a nurse, take pains in instructing her. Explain to her why she must never kiss the baby and why she must not permit anyone else to do so. The germs of diphtheria and of tuberculosis not infre- quently turk in the throats of perfectly well adults, who on account of their health and robust constitutions are not infected. kiss from one of these can very easily carry the germs to a child's throat. The child being without great re- sisting force and of tender age, becomes infected and falls prey to the disease.
 "A baby never naturally likes to be kissed. The first lSissings that he gets he resents in no unmistakable language. After time, of course, he learns that this is an expressions of affection and he will gradually cultivate fondness for it. He would just as easily learn to like to have his back scratched-since the latter has far less danger in it it would be a far more sensible way of expressing love. The Iscariot is not alone as one who brought death with a kiss.
 ''If you must kiss your own baby-then kiss him not on the mouth, nor on his fingers, nor on his toes, but behind or on the ear, for he can't get the latter in his mouth
 "A device of the devil, and therefore an abomination unto the Lord, is the rub Der comforter, pacifier, as 1t is some- times called. The baby throws it on the floor. on the sidewalk on the street car floor, or some equally dangerous place, dozens of times a day. When picked up germs adhere to its moistened surface. Contamination enough! But the nurse wipes it on her dirty apron, or dress, or handkerchief before thrustng it back into poor baby's mouth
 Sometimes l see a mother pick from the floor one of these germ-laden com forters and wipe it off with her own lips. The oral cavity of the adult often swarms with germs and instead of wip- ing off dirt, such method of cleansing the comforter only wipes on germs.
 ''The truth of the matter is a pacifier simply cannot be kept clean. l hope every mother in this hall will go home with the determination to destroy-to burn up, any and all of these dangerous articles of amusement on the premises. If you just can't endure to hear the baby fret-if you just must have him idioticly sucking something, give him papa S razor or pistol-they are not nearly so dangerous"
 Motormen and Conductors.
 An entire army corps has been added to the battle line against tuberculosis. The Birmingham Railway, Light and Power company has requested the man. agement of the American Tuberculosis exhibition to arrange for several periods so that every conductor and every motor man may have q good chance for seeing the exhibits and learning how to prevent and how to cure the dread destroyer. With this great group of men fully n- formed about the disease, a distinct ad- vance has been made in the campaign of education. Both as street car employees and as private citizens the car men have many opportunities for influencing any movement in which they are interested and about which they are informed. The first of these special sessions will be held tomorrow at Il a. m., when an address will be made and a stereopticon demon- stration will be given. Any seats in "Fairyland' not occupied by the street car men will be available for any who ir, ot hat fpna