(.'ONTlajL ol- hACTEKlAL insEA.SL.s l'41 



finally discovering that tho samo night nurse t«'nfU'<l tlie infect*'*! (^as«»s 

 and new infections in a distant ward) ceaswd completely when the 

 nurses began disinfecting their hands after attending «'aeli ease. 

 IIoi.T, Xe>r York- Mr,l}r„l .1, ,„,•>,<, I. WA. LXXXI (1005), j.. .'.-!1 



Men detaile<I as hospital oi'derlics wcpf, after tlii-y had jici'fi >niifd 

 the dutv of cmiitving liedpans, seen to go dii-('cily to tln-ir iiiral> 

 without washing their hands, and even U) distrihute food to tln-ir 

 comrades.^ — ('iiaimn, \k TJl* 



Thus, at one of the Huest hospitals in this country, with separate 

 wards for scarlet fever and diphtlieria, a considerahh' iiiunber of cases 

 have arisen in the general wards. The germs were supposed to he air- 

 l)<)nu% as it was said there was no other possible a\eiiue of infection. 

 When T saw the head nurse lick her finger to facilitate turning the bed- 

 side charts of dijththeria ]>atieuts, [ suspected that the jirinciph-s i>f 

 medical ase]tsis liad not been entirely mastered. — -Cii mmx. p. Iti.'i 



The superintendent of another hospital invited another visitor and 

 mj'^self to eat ice cream from the same spoon with himstdf, whi(di .spoon 

 was then rei»laGed in the freezer which was to supi)ly the wards. 1 w as 

 mo.st of all impressed with the fact that at the International Congress on 

 Tuberculosis in 1008 a large number <jf the readers of ]»apers moistened 

 tiieir fingers with their tongnes when turning tiie pages, and in each of 

 the sections only one drinking glass was provided foi* all the sjieakers; 

 and this continued for a day or two without ]>rotest. — ('iiai-in. p. Iti.' 



The followino' observations were iiia<le l)y tlie autlioi- 

 ill lOl."). 



1. Stopped to bny candy in order to ol)serve "home manufacture"; 

 saw elderly man molding nut drops lick off his fingers and go on mold- 

 ing. Threw candy away. 



2. Asked for pound of ]»reserved ginger at a fine confectionery store ; 

 waitress clawed it t)nt of tray with liand>. I 'aid for it and threw it 

 away. 



;i. Called for glass of milk .at railway-station lunch counter; swarthy 

 foreigner removed cap from (piart jar, put his dirty hand (tv(n- bottle, 

 turned it bottom up and shook it violently, scra|ted jialm of hand on 

 mouth of jar, and pourefl out tin* glass. lie was tohl to driidc it 

 himself. 



1 From a description of an army typhoid ejtiileuiic. 



