Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-02-04
DOES POVERTY CAUSE CRIME?
By H. Addington Bruce

~ special significance to all men who shave
Il is report by two New York physicians,
~ DrS. Douglas Summers and D. W. Cady,
published in the Journal of the American Med
ical Association. This report shows co1clu-
Sively thai users of cheap horsehair shaving
brushes still run the risk of contracting the
deadly disease known as anthrax.
AS narrated by them, Drs. Summers and Cady,
Who are connected with Bellevue hospital, were
prompted to make a bacterologic study of
shaving brushes because of the experience of a
young man recently patient in Bellevue.
When first seen at the hospital this young
man had badly swollen chin, the swelling ex-
tending around an ugly, browniSh-colored pus-
tule This, it appeared, had developed follow
ing the use of new shaving brush a week
previously The brush was of the horSehar
variety, and bacteriologic examination revealed
the presence in it of several kinds of disease
germs, including some germs of an anthrax-lke
appearance.
That these actually were anthrax bacli was
soon demonstrated A culture made from
them being injected into the skin of a guinea
pig, the pig died within less than two days.
NecropSy showed changes in its organism typi-
cal of the destructive action of anthrax germs,
and large colonies of these germs were grown
from cultures of the guinea pigs blood
Taking hint from these findings, Drs. Sym
merS and Cady proceeded to purchase, from
storekeepers and street peddlers, forty-one
horSehair shaving brushes costing from 10 to
IS cents, each. All were subjected to labora-
tory teStings, with this result:
"Virulent anthrax bacilli were isolated in
three instances, or 7.3 per cent. In thrty-two
brushes or 70 per cent, bacili were grown that
presented features closely resembling those of
the anthrax bacillus, but guinea-pig incubation
was attended by uniformly negative results.
From the remaining six brushes no suspicious
colonies developed"
Quite evidently, despite the repeated warn
ings of public health authorities, manufacturers
of horSehair shaving brushes by no means uni
versally comply with the requirement to dsin-
feet thoroughly the briStles used by them.
1t may be, of course that anthrax bacIi are
so resistant that disinfection methods sufficinq
to kill them would render horSehair bristles
unfit for use in the Manufacture of shaving
brushes. In which case either the making of
horSehair brushes should be absolutely forbid
den-aS it has been in New York since the first
OF the year-or there should be bacteriologic
examination of every batch of horsehair bris-
ties intended for brushes, and destruction of
all branches in which any anthrax germs are
found.
Meanwhile all users of shaving brushes
should, in self-defense refrain from buyinp
horSehair brushes.
Other brushes are more expensive, so far as
monetary cost is concerned But, most de-
cidedly, this consideration should not outweigh
In buyers minds the risk that may be involved
in use of horSehair brush made under the
present conditions revealed through the re-
searches made by Drs. Summers and. Cady.
Copyright 1922, by The Associated NeWspa.
perS)