The Washington times., 1919-09-21
ByRene Bache.

BY ltefle 0Gcfles
~ VERY new shaving brush carries the
possibility Of injecting its owner
with dangerous disease "dnthrax"
-ullsss It bears the name or trademark
6 some reputable manufacturer
you shave yourself, look for the name
or mark Of the brushmaker. and if It is not
there bon the brush thoroughly FOR three
hours II you 60 to q barber. see that he
takes similar precautions.
By these precautions you may save
yourself from a serious disease. which has
already claimed a large numberof victims.
The surgeon-General Of the United
States Army and the United States Public
Health Service have found that many rs-
cent outbreaks Of anthrax were due to
shaving with brushes made with infected
bristles imported without proper treatment
from the diseasesidden Orient
But in every case where anthrax was
traced to a shaving brush It was also
found that the bruah did not bear the
name Of any manufacturer This may BE-
explained BY the fact that a Manufacturer
Of standing wopld not eknoWingly put
dangerous article On the market and also
that be would not fnn the risk of,having
a case Of infection traced to hts name.
UnfQrtunstc csftn caDiusroial rcon.
dstion6 haze lsd % sr number oi
shaving brushes without names on them
being placed on the marks, recently. and
therefore & Sc desirable that everybody
should Be on lis gusrd egainst a very real
danger that unquestonably exists. The
o. S. Public Health Service has instructed
local health authorities that they sh5lll
= disinfeot all brushes found m the market
fnot bearing makers name or trade marx
Since the shortage Of labor caused By
the war and ths g-aat rise "a the price Of
ashavss7 many more men Fave been shaw.
ing themselves than bsfors. They should
all pay sttehtion @ tie facts IN this aFti-
ele that have been brought ont BY the
public health authorities
Anthrax Is primarily E disease Of
horses, cattle and sheep, but Is easily
caught by maN. when Il anects the skin
it Is very painful, disagresable and quite
dangerous. but when the affection reaches
othe interior oi the body q g usually fatal,
sIt Sc sometimes calied malignant pustuie'
because Il begins on the face with
ptmple.
The American army has been having
.quite a lot Of trouble with anthrax. Not
slong after our forces had begun % be
lmobilized and sent abroad 70 night,
anthrax appeared on the faces and neClg
of a number Of doughbOys. The hrgt case
developed on board Of g transport bound
for France. A soldier exhibited 20 TIE
ships doctor pimple on his neck, or what
he said had been q pimple. It had turned
eint0 a nasty little sore, painful, and With
swelling around g. The doctor recognized
1t as anthrax right away.
Not long afterWard fourteen other cases
sof the disease developed among the troops
overseas, the puBtules appearing in eYgFV
instance on the face or bearded paTt Of
the neck Five Of tla men died.
Suspicion at once directed itself 70 the
shaving brushes used By these men, be-
cause there had already been similar out
breaks Of anthrax trouble tn the British
army on an even larger scale, and Il had
been traced TO that source.
The shaving brushes that belonged 20
the sufferers were subjected to bacteFiO-
logical examination, and six Of them
yielded anthrax spores" Proof was thus
made complete,
In the United States, the first case oc-
CURED at Camp Taylor, ia April 1918.
No Eases in the navy we're reported.
Since the above date a number Of cases
have appeared among civilians IN this
country, and the Public Health Service
SAYS that all Of them are undoubtedly 10
be attributed TO shaving-brlsn infection.
Agents Of the Public Health Service bought
a number OF shaving brushes in the open
market and found them infected with
anthrax.
The Public Health Service states: Doubt
less there are now on the market many
shaving brushes that are potentially dan
Eerous Any such brush on the market
that does not bear the name or trademark
of the manufacturer is TO be regarded with
suspicion"
All the cases among soldiers have been
traced 10 brushes made wholly or partly Of
horsehair. The latter would seem, then, q,
be the more dangerous material; and for
very good reasons which, viii presently be
made clear. In the British army the same
conclusion was reached.
Perhaps you think that this danger could
be avoided by buying q shaving brush of
badger hair? But how are you going b tell
whether ID Is badger hair or noti You
can't Before The war, the badger hair
used By American manufacturers came
from Russia. since 1914 the supply from