Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-11-14
This and That
By Charles L. Trdcepell.

Withholding ones sneese is said by
scientists to be better than letting 1t 20
right In friends face, or SIR aneert
face, either. for that matter.
This ought to come AZ bad news to
all persons who believe just the opposite.
that sneesing openly Is good" for the
sneezer.
The investigators say no" They de-
clare that swallowing ones sneeze keeps
germs and infective matter out of the
nasal passages and from being blown
back into various canals. etc.
This far offsets the physical satisfac-
ton of sneese. Many persons inter-
ested In the common cold have believed
this all along. Perhaps there is no one
VINO does not know some person who
invariably makes a practice Of catching
his own sneezes, and this person seldom
has many colds.
the method of swallowing a sneeze is
not hard to solve, there being some per-
sonal way of doing 1t in each individual
case
1t may be believed that If this prac.
tice were as universal as open sneeyinR
there would be fewer colds transferred
from one to another, and hence at the
END OF winter many hours would be
saved, many dollars and less suffering
All around
No doubt those who now swallow their
sneeses do 1t mostly out OF delicacy.
Their good instincts should be swelled
BY the knowledge that there is science in
their actions, too.
The new age of science has given us
faith in the findings of scientific men
which with many persons seems to
have become as hxed 4 faith As any
which they possess.
Often our faith is shaken, especially
IN findings as to the common cold. Was
1t not just few years ago that doctors
had their patients sitting for hours in
chlorine gas chambers? Today you could
not find such chamber anywhere.
There seems to be great deal of con-
fusion about shots" and oral cold
vaccines. Some proclaim them helpful,
others say they are hokum. The per-
sonal experience here perhaps is best.
There can be little doubt that these
injections and vaccines by mouth help
many to overcome the effects of the
secondary invaders" as various germs
are called.
1t Is realized by most persons that
the human mouth and throat are perfect
culture mediums for various of the
steptococcus and staphlococcus germs,
some Of which do terrible things in the
human system, but which seem to be
able to live and flourish in these places
without causing much trouble until
cold comes along Then they are Ac-
tivated into new life The purpose OF
swallowing or otherwise receiving dead
germs In cultures is to activate the
body into forming more antibodies, as
they are called, against such invaders.
n
The use of artificial sunshine. or sun
lamps, has given help to many cold suf-
ferers. There is one effect of such radi-
ations which cannot be sneezed at, and
that is that many persons are made
much more cheerful and happy by them.
Perhaps this is no more than should
be expected, but this effect has been
overlooked by many who sneer at arti-
fetal sunlight on general principles.
There can be little question that the
campaign to induce people not to sneeze
openly in public has not been given the
support 1t deserves. There are some
persons who seem unable to throw of
attacks from other peoples germs. A
cold in their own families may be ham
died very well, but when they get them
fro mstrangers they suffer much damage.
They are subjected to something new
IN the germ Or virus line, and it is no
wonder that they have no antibodies on
tap to handle the strangers. This is the
real danger of promiscuous sneezing. and
in these days of universal woe ana suf-
fering every decent person ought to
think twice before offering strange
germs to those who are not able to COPE
with them. The old idea that & rersor,
was "hnicky" II he objected to heine
sneesed on has paused out Of the picture.
ana In tts stead w have the more up.to-
the-minute feeling that to sneesA openly
y both harmful to the sneeser ana the
| one 6ne4Aed upon.