The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-06-18
All City Commissioners Ex-
press Themselves Favor
ably Toward Proposal
LANE WANTS TO
FIND OUT THE COST
Fountains Need Closer Supervision,
He Says-CannOt Guard Public
Health Too Closely Thinks
President Exum

Every one of the city commissioners Is
favorable to the idea of establishing the
office of soda fountain inspector in the
city health department. City Bacteriolo-
gist Duncan stated yesterday that he also
was in favor of the move.
II am favorably inclined to the idea. .
said Judge Lane head of the health de-
partment and to whom will fall the initia-
tive in preparing an ordinance or resolu-
ton authorizing the employment of such
an official. IT do not know how costly
the move will be, however. and want TO
investigate this phase of the matter be-
fore [ do anything further. There is no
doubt but what the soda fountains need
closer supervision under an expert than
they are receiving. We will either have
to guard ourselves from germs in every
way possible or not at all. There is no
use in tanking tubercular cows to avoid
tuberculosis If we allow a loop hole some
where else by which we can contract 1t
from some other source. I will confer
with officials of the health department.
in a day or two in regard to the mat
ter"
Agitation in Other States
"The proposition certainly is food for
thought" said DIR. Duncan. Il thorough
ly agree that something ought to be done.
4 could not say as to whether or not
other cities have such an official. but
l do know that there is agitation in other
states in this regard. There is no doubt
but what expert on sanitation t.
look after the soda fountains and the
bakeries and restaurants of the city would
prove an extremely valuable official in
guarding public health DR.. Duncan
then referred to few paragraphs In
the 1912 report of the state board of
health of Florida, which strongly recon-
mended close supervision of soda foun-
tains, telling of the danger of spreading
disease through them and of remedial
measures.
Guard Public Health
81 could not advance any opinion on
the matter because l do not know any
thing about 1t at the present time,' said
Mr. Exum. Il agree, however, that the
soda fountains should be looked after
and if the employment of an expert to
do this is necessary | am in favor of IT..
We cannot guard public health too close
ly 1t Is the most valuable asset of any
community and I can readily see how a
soda fountain lily kept could be great
danger to public health
lued 1o uOOu
"The idea of a health expert to super
wise the soda fountains of the city, said
Mr.. Weatherly, 'is good. 1t is very inn
portant to the health of the community
that such places be right The matter
should come up through Judge Lane and
when he makes any recommendation on
1t | shall be heartily in favor of 1t. We
haven't any money to throw away In
more salaries, but when public health is
at stake it is a matter of more than
the ordinary Importance"
The part of the report of the Florida
state board of health, officially approved
February II, 1913, as referred to by Mr..
Duncan in regard to unsantary soda
fountain conditions, Is as follows
Conditions in Florida
"By direction of the state health officer
we have conducted series of expert
ments on drinking glasses used by the
various soda fountains in the city. Gull
lures were taken from the rim of these
glasses by means of sterile cotton swabs
These swabs were planted on Loeffler S
blood serum media and incubated for q
hours at 81 degrees centigrade.
almost without exception these cul-
lures showed a very profuse bacterial
growth Nearly all kinds of organisms
We're found, from the ordinary air or
ganisms" to organisms which in their
mOrphOlOBy resemble the u1pnther1a ba-
cillus. At one period during an outbread
of the so-called summer colds we founc
a very high percentage of glasses show.
ing the micrococcus catarrhalis. This was
not so pronounced at. other times wher
the epidemic of colds had abated.
'At two soda fountains where specia
effort was made to properly clean tn,
glasses good results were shown in thai
the cultures were negative for all inn
portant organisms; these two were w
d. Jones fountain on East Bay street
and j. f. Boone's fountain on Forsyth
street, The strisin gthing In other places
was this That glasses which had beer
cleaned and set aside ready for the mex
patron were, in all places except those
mentioned filthy from the standpoint OF
bacterial examination. MANY of then
showed very, very profuse bacteria
growth. Some showed a large number
of organisms which were morphologi-
cally similar to the diphtheria bacillus
The efforts at cleaning were INSULT
cient except in the places mentioned be
cause glasses which were swapped i'm
mediatel yafter the patron had used Il
and after the glass had heen rinsed by
the ordinary methods employed at the
soda fountains gave equally profuse bac
teria growth and in some places ever
more profuse after the rinsing process:
than before This work will be pushed
with greater vigor during the coming veal
and large variety Of tests made O
various utensils.
deductions suggested by this worl