The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1920-02-06
HEALTH TALKS.
BY the County Health Officer

hotels and restaurants. The Healtl
Officer takes note of at least tn
following conditions about them
Their cleanliness and protection o
food from flies and oIher vermin ane
exposure of food to street dust, lies
and dogs on sidewalks. The dish
es. cups and spoons in which ice
cream and soda water are dis
pensed may, and very often are
contaminated with the mouth dis.
charges OF persons who use them
unless they are sterilized with boil.
ing water. All owners of ice cream
parlors and soda water fountains
are now required to sterilize used
utensils in boiling water before
they are used a second time. or to
use paper containers and spoons.
which are not to be used again. L
am personally a great believer in
the Individual paper containers
They are so nice. white and clean.
and most of those who have a ster-
ilizer at soda fountains do not use
them, and only set them up where
the public may read when they
come up to the fountain. POSI-
TIVELY STERILIZED." That
looks good to the public, but what
looks good is not always good.
Some of these sterilizers have not
been used since they were set up
and have been used for ornamental
and advertising purposes, and only
to get By the Health Department.
/ walked into a drug slore in this
town, and while taking a drink at
the fount said to the new boy, who
had bien operating the fount for
three OF four weeks. Is your ster-
ilizer working all right?" He said.
not knowing that was the County
Health Officer, Mister, l don't
know. 1t has not been used since
l came here.' Aud looked full
in the face of this very convincing
ornament-"POSITIVELY STER-
ILIZED," which should have been
busy all these weeks cleaning and
making safe glasses and spoons for
the protection of the public. This
fount was not using paper cups,
either-iust getting by on old reli-
able Positively Sterilized."
l intend going before our State
Board of Health at their next meet
ing and asking that the order rela-
tive to the use of sterilizers in soda
water fountains be rescinded and
all public service places of this kind
he required to use individual paper
containers and paper spoons. How
many people who patronize the
soda water fountains have seen the
sterilizers at work or their owners
taking out of them sterilized glasses
and spoons? / pause here for an
answer. Oh, the mockery of it all!
The same is true in a great many |
barber shops. Notwithstanding tho |
fact that the law requires fresh. |
clean towel for every customer and
that the barber wash his hands well
after each shave before shaving an
other customer. some will use the |
same face towel several times and
very few, in my judgment, wash
their hands and sterilize their razors
between customers, as required by
law, yet this is necessary to prevent
the spread OF syphilis. eczema ofva-
rious kinds. skin tuberculosis, can
Ger. etc.
There is a great need for educat-
ing the public regarding the santa
tion of food stores and the cleanli- I
ness of dishes in which food is
served in public places. A health
officer cannot enforce bigh sani-
tary standard in the sale of foods
and drinks until the average man
who sits on jury understands the
elementary principles of infections
from mouth to mouth and by flies.
Who wants to eat foods that have
been placed out on the sidewalks,
where street dust and dogs get
served first and the many people
with coughs and colds may spit on
the sidewalks and the spittle spat-
ter on the food? This practice must
stop now. Some people who know
they have consumption spit out on
the street, whore healthy. innocent
children play their games. This 10
: crime and any DAPa0n whn haaI