HOME AND FARM MAGAZINE SECTION
Notes on Health and Sanitation
6
MONF.V DISEASE DISTRIBUTOR.
AMONG the numerous evil3 for
which money has long been held
responsible is Included that of trans
mitting disease. On general princi
ples it seems that an old, begrimed,
greasy bill must be loaded with dead
ly disease germs, particularly when
we remember the questionable com
pany it keeps during its peregrina
tions. And yet some exhaustive in
vestigations made recently prove that
even very dirty money is not an un
desirable commodity, at least from a
sanitary standpoint.
".Theoretically," runs the report of
this investigation, "dirty money, espe
cially paper currency, handled by all
kinds of people and by people suf
fering from or in close contact with
contagious diseases, should transmit
disease; but it has not been found to
do so. Bank men and Treasury De
partment men who handle large
amounts of gold and dirty money do
not contract disease. This does not
excuse the disgusting practice of
putting coins in the mouth, or of wet
ting the fingers with the tongue in
counting bills."
Apparently, then, the diseases that
money engenders are of a moraj,
rather than of bacterial nature.
It is true, however, that many
kinds of bacteria are found on bills;
and also on stairways, balustrades
and car straps. But fortunatelySuch
bacteria are of the harmless variety
almost without exception.
Sugar in the Antarctic.
Sir Ernest Shackleton, the antarc
tic explorer, has recently reported
some interesting things about foods
and diseases observed in the Antarc
tic. He has this to say:
"To show you how valuable sugar
is to the explorer, there was an oc
casion when we marched 321 miles,
drawing laden sledges, in 14 days and
a half. Every two hours we each
took two or three lumps of sugar.
Within 10 minutes of eating them we
could feel the heat go through our
bodies. The highest temperature of
that march was 62 degrees below
zero.
" 'Catching cold' is almost un
known in the polar regions. The
only time we ever suffered from colds
was just after we had opened a bale
of English clothes to serve them out
for Winter wear. The germs, ap
parently, were lying dormant among
the clothing. They 'woke up' on be
ing heated. The men whose duties
took them into the open recovered
in a day. The others suffered for
four or five days."
Contagion From Body Eruptions.
Since the skin eruptions of certain
diseases such as smallpox transmit
the contagion, it is a natural as
sumption that most of the other erup
tive diseases are also transmitted in
this manner. Such does not appear
to be the case, however.
Thus the desquamated skin of
scarlet fever during the "peeling"
process has long been supposed to
be peculiarly infective; and the fine
scales from the eruption of measles
were also strongly suspected. But
it seems pretty clearly determined
now that the infections of these two
diseases are only transmitted
through the discharges from the
membranes of the nose and throat,
and suppurating ears.
The discovery that diseases are
transmitted almost exclusively by di
rect contagion makes it certain that
clothing and baggage are rarely, it
ever, agents of such transmission.
The only reason for fumigating such
objects, therefore, is on the supposi
tion that they may have come in
contact with some of the secretions
of infected persons.
Poisoning From Cheap Dentistry.
Besides being responsible for un
necessary extractions, improper
treatment, and disfigurements, In
competent and unscrupulous dentists
are responsible also for a still more
dangerous condition, copper poison
ing. This poisoning may be caused
by bridge work or crowns made of
gold and copper alloy of inferior
quality.
There appears to be no danger
when the alloy contains the usual
percentage of gold. But when the
amount of gold is small there is
danger of copper poisoning in a
chronic form, which Is a serious con
dition not readily detected. Profes
sor Erich Hamack, of Germany, has
Just reported cases of this type of
poisoning which resulted from the
absorption of copper from bridge
work made of an alloy which "was
only eight carat fine." When this
cheap bridge work wag moved, the
symptoms of poisoning quickly disappeared.
FMU'R AND APPENDICITIS.
A FEW years ago when the epi
demic of appendicitis started In
America, later to become almost as
prevalent in Europe, all manner of
things were suggested as causing the
Infection. None of these was satis
factory; and the actual cause of this
prolonged epidemic is still puzzling
the surgeons. Recently attention has
been called to the fact that the ap
pendicitis epidemic began just after
the Introduction ot "new process"
flour in America that is, flour made
with steel rollers instead of the old
fashioned millstones. And that as
this new American flour made Its
way into Europe, appendicitis became
increasingly prevalent there.
The question has been raised,
therefore, as to whether this new
kind of flour is responsible for the
epidemic, and if so, In what way?
A writer in the Medical Record
has recently offered an explanation.
Since in the process of making the
flour by the new method, minute par
ticles of steel must Inevitably get
Into it, he suggests that possibly these
particles lodge in the appendix occa
sionally, or in Its Immediate vicinity,
and form foci of Infections which re
sult in appendicitis.
It should be understood, of course,
that the case against the steel roll
has not been proven, and is offered
only as a tentative suggestion. Never
theless it Is a fact that the popularity
of steel-rolled flour and appendicitis
developed at about the same time.
Cause of "Gift Spots."
Most persons know that the little
white spots found In the fingernails
are known as "gift spots." But the
cause of these familiar little glftlets
is often a mystery.
In some Instances these spots ap
pear to be congenital, and have no
significance whatever so far as can
be ascertained. In other cases the
spots make their appearance after
severe illnesses, such as typhoid
fever, malaria, or certain types ot
nervous diseases. .
Many cawes appear to be caused by
assiduous manicuring, where the
cuticle knife Is used rather too freely.
In such cases the spots disappear
when the severe manicuring Is dis
continued and sufficient time is given
the nails to grow out.
However, there are certain cases
that cannot be accounted for on the
score of severe illness or manicuring
cases In which the spots make
their appearance, and persist, with
out any apparent cause, in nails that
have been free from them hitherto.
But It is strongly suspected that In
these Instances the spots are an in
dication of a rheumatic or gouty
tendency, as the spots sometimes
disappear when the underlying con
dition Is treated.
A Case of Superherolsm. .
William Mitchell, an Englishman,
was drowned recently in the Thames,
while attempting to save a fellow
countryman. The British- Medical
Journal calls his act one of super
heroism, and for this reason:
Mitchell was a consumptive who
had been undergoing treatment for
several months, this treatment con
sisting of having nitrogen gas pumped
into his thorax a painful, tedious
operation. He had undergone 11 of
these treatments, the last one just
before he took the fatal plunge.
It was not a case of a doomed man
risking a life already forfeited, how
ever, but quite the contrary. For
Mitchell had just been told by his
physician that no more treatments
were necessary that his tubercu
losis had been conquered. He had
left the doctor's office, therefore,
with a new and hopeful outlook on
life, although he was still so weak
that he could not make any unusual
exertion without shortness of breath.
Yet he did not hesitate to plunge to
the aid of a drowning man an act
which he must have known meant
certain death.
WE ARE SO SURE
OF THE
QUALITY
OF
Gold Shield.
Coffee
That we ask you to give Gold Shield a
trial, feeling that you will then insist
on Gold Shield when
buying coffee.
SCHWABACHER BROS.
& CO., Inc.
Importers and Router, of Coffee
Seattle, Wash.
Mid-Winter Term Opened
Monday, January 4, 1915
New CiaspesWill Start Next Week
ENROLL NOW
UNITS BUSINESS COLLEGE
TILFORD BLIMJ.
A, T. LINK, I'HI.Vt ir.tl,
Telephone Main S0S3.
PORTXAN D, OHECOX
Boys and Girjs
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R. C FISKE
412 Panama Building, Portland, Oregon.
MR. A, R. GIBSOV, MBBY, MONT., HOLD 13 K1RSTINH TO 1IIH 'EIGHBORM. 11JS
pais: i nave punea nr ana lamararn stumps, Bome or
them 2 feet In diameter, with your S31 comulete outfit."
WK HAVE AN ARMY of agnu thrmitchout the North,
went doing the tame an Mr. Gibson. Better get your ap-
piiratuon in eariy it you want to te
of them
Live Agent
Wantrd Kverjr.
v here.
Apply Now.
Write at once to
A.M. KIKSTIN .,
824 Commercial St., Halem, Or.
Eastern Office, Escanaba, Mich.
m y
.illlllUIIIIIIIIII
.Sudan Grass Adaptable.
Sudan grass la by no means limited
to Texas, but may be grown success
fully all over this country from the
Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. Two
cuttings of hay may be had the same
season In Virginia. It does well In
Oregon, South Dakota, Minnesota and
Ohio, where tests have been made.
Alabama makes good report on Sudan
grass, and Kentucky plantings yielded
a fine stand and good seed crop. In
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terested In Sudan grass. In Califor
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DRAG SAWS
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