The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-04-12
State Board of Health Is InV0s-
tigating 1t.
Will Probably Order Its AbOl-
ishment in June.
COMPLAINTS ARE MANY
Travelling Men Say 1t Is Source
of Infection.
Tissue Paper Towels Are to Be
Substituted.

The roller towel, found in hotel
wash rooms, railway trains and sta
tions, in the washrooms of public
buildings and in the school houses
over the state may be abolished under
an order of the state board of health
and paper towels substituted for them.
DIR. s. j. Crumbine, secretary of the
state board of health, has started the
investigation into the germ carrying
qualities of the common roller towel
and the results of the investigation
will be laid before the state board at
its annual meeting in June. AT that
time the board may order the roller
towel abolished. At the last quarterly
meeting of the board the secretary
was instructed to make an inVestiga-
ton as to the dangers of the roller
towel and to report to the board at
the annual meeting.
The request for the investigation
came from the travelling men of the
state. One travelling man in central
Kansas lost an eye and the sight of
the other was seriously impaired by
infection from a loathsome disease,
caused by Wiping his face on a roller
towel in a hotel Mushroom after some
careless man, afflicted with the dis
ease had wiped his face on the same
towel. Other men are known to be
sufferers from different diseases and
tests maze snow l1dI lIi6 iHicCllOi
came from roller towels in public
Washrooms.
THE board of health removed the
common drinking cup from railroad
trains and stations and schools and
thus removed one of the greatest
sources of infection of diseases, but
ii did not remove another great source
of infection when it left the roller
towel said a physician who travels
for a life insurance company today.
Il believe that the roller towel in the
Mushrooms of trains. stations and ho-
tells is Just as dangerous as the COM
mon drinking cup. No one disputes
the wisdom of abolishing the cup and
7 really never understood why the
board left the roller towel.
"As 1t stands now a consumptive.
diphtheria, smallpox and many other
dangerous disease patients can go into
a train and spread his disease to every
man in that train simply by using the
towel that hangs in the Mushroom.
Formerly he could spread it by using
the drinking cup but one source was
removed and now the towel is left"
Paper Towels in Schools.
f. T. Fairchild, state superintend-
ent. has been doing some investigation
of the roller paper towel in the public
schools. Several schools over the state
have the paper towels installed as an
experiment and thus far they have
proved very successful. Several firms
make the towels the fixtures and the
first roll of one thousand towels cost
ing two or three dollars. One thous-
and towels cost from $3.50 to 81, ac-
cording to the weight and quality. Sew
cral firms make packages of towels
and one firm has invented a process of
putting soap into paper and sheet
of this soap paper and a towel are
wrapped into one bundle. The soap
and paper towels sell at retail at Is
to 20 cents dozen. There is sufficient
soap for one washing and the towels
dry the face and hands as well as an
ordinary cloth towel. The soap and
towel are then thrown away.
DR.. Crumbine is going to gather
roller towels in considerable quantities
from every possible place. hotels. rail-
way stations. trains and school houses.
and these will be examined to see if
they are carrying any disease germs.
The tests will be made by the state
bacterioloKists and when completed
they will show just what a towel con-
tains after ordinary usage in the vari-
Gus Mushrooms.
An order to abolish the common
roller towel will permit the railroads
and hotels to either put in individual
towels or the paper towels for the use
of their patrons. Some railroads and
hotels already have installed the paper
towels. One eastern hotel does not
have a cloth towel in the house and
never has had one.