ENTRANCE OF BACTERIA THROUGH THE MOUTH 239 



Food served hot is free from danger. Food and liquids 

 should be specially guarded from contamination in the 

 sick room, especially in cases of typhoid fever. The 

 utensils used by the sick patient should never be used by 

 other inmates of the house. Those who have anything to 

 do with nursing the patient or handling soiled bedding 

 should be especially careful that nothing has an oppor- 

 tunity of getting into their mouths. Contagion in these 

 diseases may be carried by the fingers ; for if a person 

 touches the patient he is likely to have his fingers con- 

 taminated with infectious material, and should he subse- 

 quently place his fingers in his mouth, infection would be 

 very likely to follow. If one guards everything that goes 

 into the mouth, the chance of infection is slight. It is a 

 significant fact that in cases of typhoid and cholera — the 

 most typical diseases of this sort — nurses and doctors 

 rarely take the disease from their patients. They have 

 learned the method of infection, and guard themselves 

 by keeping infectious material from their mouths. 



Breathing. Some diseases undoubtedly enter the body 

 with the breath. Fortunately the diseases thus contracted 

 are few. Foremost among them stands tuberculosis. 

 Diphtheria is probably contracted in the same way, and 

 possibly the grippe, whooping cough, and measles, although 

 in regard to the last two we know almost nothing. There 

 is no means of protecting ourselves against this method of 

 infection except to keep away from individuals suffering 

 from the diseases. As already mentioned, the bacteria 

 that pass into the air fill the space in the immediate 

 vicinity of the patient, but do not disseminate themselves 

 to a very great distance. Hence persons in the immediate 



