210 The Story of the Bacteria 



illness, or at least for some time after it is 

 fully established. 



The possibility of infection from any of 

 the diseases which we have been considering, 

 through dust and the spray of sneezing and 

 coughing, emphasizes the importance of 

 breathing through the nose and keeping the 

 mouth shut except when it is necessary to have 

 it open. 



Finally the outraged observer of contemp- 

 orary manners is sometimes tempted to regret 

 that the altruism of to-day may not sanction 

 the maintenance of mediaeval oubliettes, 

 into which the spitter in unseemly places, 

 the trailer of her skirts upon the streets, the 

 ministers in public upon our sidewalks to the 

 private exigencies of their dogs, might all 

 be quietly dropped together. 



