The independent-reporter., 1910-07-14

zine, 1908, in an article entitled "The
Cup that Kills." was the story of 6
three-year-ol girl who is cursed fol
life with one of the most loathSomt
o. diseases, contracted from single
use of railroad drinking glass.
The human mouth Is a natural lurk
ing place for bacteria, both harmless
and dangerous. The warmth ant
moisture are conducive to their wei
fare, and not infrequently, decaye6
teeth afford natural breeding places.
Psychologists have conclusively
shown that considerable number oil
people in good health harbor in their
mouths virulent germs. 1t has been
estimated that nearly one per cent OF
we'll persons carry in their mouths
true diphtheria germs. The germs OF
tonsilitis, pneumonia, bronchitis and
the dreaded tuberculosis are harbor-
ed in the same way.
What does this mean? Simply that
the systems of these persons, being
in state of perfect health, are proof
against attack, but if these germs
gain entrance to the system of a
person whose body tissues are weak
ened and susceptible, serious, even
fatal, illness may result.
To prove this, Dr. Alvin Dawson
professor of biology in Lafayette Col
lege, requested ten boys to apply the
upper lip to pieces of fiat, clean glass
in the same way they would touch a
cup in drinking. These glass slips
were then given thorough micro
scopic examination, and they showed
oh hun ht.
man cells or minute bits of skin, and
seventy-five thousand bacteria, to
each sup. This from one application
to the lip.
Going a step further, Prof. Davi-
son took thin drinking glass, which
for nine days had been in common
use in a school. BY counting the
cells present on fifty different areas
on the glass he estimated that the
cup contained over 10000 cells or
bits of dead skin. Few of these
showed less than ten germs clinging
to them, and many as high as $50
while between the cells were thous-
ands of germs left by the smears OF
saliva deposited by the drinkers.
A cup which had been used In a
high school for several months with
out being washed was lined inside
with a thin brownish deposit. Under
the microscope this proved to be COM
posed of particles of mud, thousands
of bits of dead skin and millions of
bacteria, among which were scores
of germs corresponding in all details
to those of tuberculosis. Some of
this sediment was injected under the
skin of healthy guinea pig, and in
forty hours the animal died. A post
mortem examination revealed that
death was due to the presence of q
sufficient number of pneumonia germs
tc cause blood poisoning.
A second guinea pig inoculated
with the cup sediment developed tu-
berculosis. Careful inquiry proved
that several pupils in the schools
from which the cup was taken were
then sufferers from this dread dis
ease.
An outbreak of diphtheria among
twenty-four persons in Rochester, N.
Y, was traced Enthusiastically to a
common drinking cup which all the
sick had used DR.. Davison's inves-
legations showed that tonsilitis and
sore throat affect a larger number of
pupils in schools where the common
drinking cup is used than in schools
in which the sanitary drinking foun-
tain has been installed, or where the
individual drinking cup is required
Good HOUSEKEEPING