220 



t|ii('st('(l piiltlic ]il;i<('s ;is s(|Uiir('S. | il;i.\ i;i(iuii(ls and ('siK'(i;ill\- iiul)!ic schools. 

 A sniff of, or a ^ilaiicc at tlic accoiiiinodatioiis olTcrcd tlic )iuljlic in rail- 

 road stations or tlieatrt'S in uiany iiistaiucs is ai'LMiiiicnt cnoumdi against 

 conditions a'^ they exist abont us. 



Public toilets may be exchange places of disease germs. Evidence is 

 not lacking that epideniic disease frexiuentl.v spreads from these centers. 

 » )ccasional cases of venereal disease or even of intestinal disease may be 

 traced to toib^ts Trachoma and various infections are transmitted from 

 person to person l»y the common roller tovv'el. The indirect elfect of inade- 

 quate facilities and revolting toilets, making it impossible or undesirable for 

 people to free the bod.\' of its wastes, and hence affecting the resistance of 

 the body, is much more important than the direct transmission of disease 

 germs in this case. A nation's or a town's refinement, education and mor 

 ality may well be noted by the comfort, i)rivacy and inviting facilities it 

 offers to its inhabitants for the evacuations of the body. It is beyond the 

 scope of my ]»aper to indicate the dire effects resulting from improper func- 

 tioning and imi)roper attention to this important need. Suffice it to say 

 that many so-called functional diseases as liver and kidney trouble, fre- 

 (luent headaches, intestinal disoi'ders and other disorders are frequent 

 se(iuela> due to neglect of ridding the body of its wastes. The impairment 

 of the functioning of these vital organs tears down the general normal 

 barriers to infectious diseases and so indirectl.v, lack of suHicient and in- 

 viting ioih'ts is a causae of much sickness., suffering, and wni of death. 



The public drinking cup has been condemned because it affords an 

 ideal vehicle for the mutual exchange of saliva. l*eoi)le who will laugh 

 heartily at the joke when you su.g.gest "swapping gum" sei'i-ncly follow you 

 to the pulilic fountain ;ind mouth the cup dii'cctly after von and dozens of 

 others. In I'.tdit Kansas. .Alichii^an and Mississipi)i lirst adoi)red re.gulations 

 against the use of the common (lrinkin,g cup in schools and railroad trains, 

 and now sever.-il states, including Wisconsin, .Massachusetts and ("alifoniia 

 have legislated against this disc-.-isc distributor. 



As with toilets, liie problem of public (lriid<ing facilities invohcs a 

 i|uestion of dired transfer of disease virus and one of general liody condi- 

 tioning, it is a simple matter to denionstralc inonth epitheliai cells and 

 mouth streptococci on the edge of the public drinking cup. ;ind it is oluious 

 enough that disease gei'ms ;ire alwa\s potentially present and nia\ pass in 

 a few niinntes. or e\'en seconds Iroui the mouth of the iucipieutly sick oi 



