The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1916-08-24
POSTAGE STAMPS
FULL OF GERMS
Scientists Find Them Carriers of
Bacteria and Source of
Danger.
ONLY TWO IN FIFTY CLEAN
Experts Suggest That Public Moisten-
ers Be Maintained Wherever
Stamps Are Sold-Danger-
GUS to Lick Them.

Philadelphia. - Two Philadelphia
scientists, DR.. Robert A. Kelly and
Philip d. McMaster, have been carry
ing on an investigation in the Nc
Manus laboratory of pathology of the
University Of Pennsylvania to deter
mine whether or not postage stamps
are germ carriers. Their experiments
have been completed and the results
were published in the Medical Record.
The answer to the query is EYES,"
They learned that out of so stamps
tested In several ways 48 yielded bac-
terra. On the other hand, with the
possible exception Of two cases, none
of the germs isolated could cause dis
ease.
This does not mean, however, that
care should not be exercised in ham
ding stamps, for 1t Is just as easy
for them to be impregnated with dis
ease germs as with those that are
harmless, the experimenters say. Here
is part Of their report:
'The purpose of this study was to
determine the normal bacterial flora
of postage stamps, that is, to get some
idea of the general character of bac-
terra found on stamps, with especial
emphasis in the search for tubercle
bacilli, or the bacillus tetani, the colon
group, and diphtherial forms.
"The literature on this subject is
surprisingly meager, and but little rec
ord is made of the bacteria of stamps.
The subject is usually approached
from the viewpoint of the spread Of
infection by the postal service as a
whole, the infection by letters, and the
fumigation of letters, and but little
record is made of infection by stamps,
or Of the bacteria of stamps.
Stamps From Fifty Sources.
"In order to determine this so
stamps were bought in various stores
In Philadelphia, including the central
office, branch stores, almost all the
large department stores, and some of
the small general stores. Most of the
stamps were bought from sheets and a
few (three) from stamp books. The
character of the place was noted, it's
general cleanliness, the clerk and his
appearance, and whether the stamps
We're placed on the counter with the
change, or not. In almost all cases
they were presented with the glue
side up, showing that the precepts of
public hygiene have had that much
effect.
"The majority of the stamps showed
one or more organisms, but In no
single instance were they found to be
pathogenic in type. This does not
exclude the fact that under favorable
conditions certain pathogenic types
which would resist drying to certain
extent, might be carried on a postage
stamp. On the other hand the work
proves the stamp to be q carrier of or
ganisms, and these could be readily
transferred from one individual to an
other. This would only be of import
ance where the organism was patho-
genie.
A Dangerous Drug Store.
'We have in mind drug store
where one of the members of the
druggists family had advanced tuber-
culosis. His sputum contained many
bacilli, he had a hacking cough and
was in the habit of protecting his
mouth with his hand while coughing.
During busy times he often served
customers and not infrequently dis
pensed stamps to children, who would
Immediately moisten them with their
mouths and paste them to letters. A
single exposure in this case might
prove negative, but the constant ex-
posure in some cases would undoubt-
edly end in infection"
These conclusions were reached by
the Investigators:
"a study of fifty stamps obtained
from as many different sources, clean,
dirty, and Indifferent, showed bacteria
in every instance except two.