Semi-weekly herald., 1911-06-22

the dust of the air; and anyone pre-
disposed to tuberculosis, is likely, on
breathing this air, to become infected
with consumption. This is also true
with la grippe, pneumonia, etc.
The social "droplet infection" is
another way tuberculosis is trans
mitted from man to man. Some tu-
berculous patients are careful as to
the proper disposition Of their ex-
pectoration ordinarily, but the drop
let's of sputum expelled in the acts Of
coughing and sneezing, have been al
lowed to dry and enter the atmosphere
without consideration. When cough
ing or sneezing, one should always
hold his handkerchief before his
mouth. Flugge and Latschenk DEM
onstrated the necessity of this precau-
tion in this way: They had tubercu-
ious patients sneeze and cough in ster-
ilized glass boxes, then they inocu-
lated animals with material scraped
from these boxes. AS result Of this
inoculation tuberculosis resulted in
the animals inoculated.
The careful, clean tuberculous pa
tient, is not dangerous to those with
whom he comes in contact. The mat
ter coughed up and sneezed out by
consumptives, however, is full Of liv-
ing germs, too small to be seen. These
germs are the cause of consumption,
and when breathed into weak lungs,
they set up the disease.
Sweeping with dry brooms, streets
or floors, where there is dry sputum,
aids in the spread of such diseases
az tuberculosis, la grippe, pneumonia,
etc. Careless splitting in public
places is also dangerous because flies
carry the infection. Tubercle bacilli
have been found in the dust coming
from the crumbled bodies of dead
flies. If splitting in public places were
abolished, epidemics of la grippe,
pneumonia, etc, would be less to be
feared and more easily controlled.
The tubercle bacilli retains its viru-
lence in the dry state for several
months. The writings and experiment
al work of Villemin, Weber, Koch, Ia
peiner, Cornet and others, confirm
this.
No one should touch food without
first washing the hands. Napkins
used by tuberculous patients should
be washed after each meal. 1t would
be better still to use paper napkins
and burn them after each meal.
The telephone call box or booth,
is an harbor of disease. The infec-
ton from this source is largely
through the droplets of sputum dried
upon the mouth piece. In the Ian
guage of the Lancet" July 27, 1907,
"Condensations from the breath of
previous users" In this way caller
after caller may thus either give or
receive infection.
Consumption is chiefly caused by
the filthy habit of splitting. Don't
spit where it is possible for the spu-
tum to dry, become reduced to pow
der and float in the air.
The sleeping car is another public
place where splitting is fraught with
special danger. In these cars the
spittoons are usually dry and not half |
filled with water, as all spittoons |
should be. Because of this fact and |
the further fact that the cars are or
thoroughly heated, and the air |
within them very dry, the sputum in |
them soon dries, is reduced to a pow
der, and in very short time floats in |
the air of the car.
Splitting on school Fairgrounds is |
fraught with disastrous results To the |
little ones. In this way many an in
rocent child contracts tuberculosis, la
grippe, pneumonia, etc.
While it is true that anti-spitting
laws are in vogue in many of our
cities, it is likewise true that they
should not be necessary. One should
awaken to a full realization of the
danger of splitting in public places.
He should have the welfare Of human
ity sufficiently at heart to refrain for
that reason alone.
Splitting in public places is dirty,
filthy habit, creates nuisance, and
spreads disease.