290 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLIX, No. 1264 



68. Grasped handle on trolley car. 



69. Opened door of bank. 



70. Grasped pen used by public. 



71. Received bills from cashier. 



72. Opened bank door. 



73. Opened toilet room door. 



74. Closed swinging doors. 



75. Touched flush handle. 



76. Opened swinging doors. 



77. Touched faucet. (Washed hands.) 



78. Opened toilet room door. 



79. Pressed handle on drinking fountain with 



hand. 



80. Handled toilet room door. 



81. Pressed toOet flush. 



82. Turned faucet handle. (Washed hands.) 



83. Opened toilet room door. 



84. Received newspaper. 



85. Received change from newsboy. 



86. Grasped car handle. 



87. Received change from conductor. (Put on 



gloves.) 



88. Opened restaurant door. 



89. Handled chair. 



90. 91, 92, 93. Handled knife, fork, spoon, tumb- 



ler. 

 94, 95, 96. Touched spoon, fork and tumbler to 

 mouth. 



97. Handled water pitcher. 



98. Touched napkin. 



99. Wiped mouth with napkin. 



100. Grasped chair. 



101. Used handkerchief to nose. 



102. Handled cake. 



103. Put cake in mouth. 



104. Grasped chair. 



105. Opened door. 



106. Used handkerchief to nose. 



107. Used toothpick, bringing hand to mouth. 



108. Opened door to house. 



109. Received paper from friend. 



110. Friend laughed boisterously within spray 



range. 



111. Used handkerchief to nose. 



112. Closed bathroom door. 

 . 113. Pressed toilet flush. 



114. Turned faucet handle. (Washed hands.) 



115. Opened bathroom door. 



116. 117. Shook handswith two people. 



118. Touched light chain. 



119. Passed candy to mouth with hands. 



The above. list shows 119 possibilities dur- 

 ing the course of a day for acquiring infected 



material either on the hands, mouth or nose. 

 We may sum up these incidents as follows : 



Touching hands to articles that were or might 

 have been touched by others immediately be- 

 fore 87 



Shaking hands 5 



Carrying to mouth articles possibly infected 

 by others 17 



Hand brought in contact with mouth directly. 2 



Hand brought in contact with nose indirectly 

 through handkerchief 7 



Chances of acquiring infection through laugh- 

 ing of others 1 



Chances of acquiring infection through sneez- 

 ing of others 



Chances of acquiring infection through cough- 

 ing of others .' 



Chances of acquiring infection through kissing. 



There were 92 opportunities for infecting 

 the hands directly with other hands or with 

 articles just handled by others. Mere infec- 

 tion of the hands is of course immaterial. It 

 is the carrying of the infected hand to the 

 mouth or nose, which constitutes the danger. 

 In the present instance the hand was brought 

 in contact with the mouth or nose, either 

 directly or through food, or through handling 

 a handkerchief 14 times, 7 times in the case 

 of the mouth and Y in the case of the nose. 

 This represents the experience of one to whom 

 keeping hands out of the mouth is second 

 nature. But what of the person who is un- 

 conscious of the hand to mouth habit ? There 

 is no question but that the hand travels to 

 the mouth more frequently with the average 

 individual. 



There were seven opportunities of infecting 

 the nose with the hand through the medium 

 of the handkerchief. The influence of weather 

 and climate on infection is suggested here by 

 the fact that the colder or more changeable 

 the weather the more frequently does the nose 

 require attention and the opportunities for in- 

 fecting the nose from the hand increase in 

 proportion. 



In making up this record of articles touched 

 by the hands, it shoiild be emphasized that 

 only those instances have been recorded which 

 offered the possibility of infection through 



