COZSrVIGT LABOR FOR ROAD WORK. 187 



Unfortunately the same care in the selection of the cooks is not 

 used at all camps, and in many cases convicts are sent to the road 

 camps with no physical examinations whatsoever. From this mis- 

 cellaneous assortment of men, the superintendent of the camp must 

 select his cook and kitchen force, and it is almost inevitable that, at 

 times, he should choose diseased individuals who prove a menace to 

 the health of the entire camp. 



Competent physicians always should examine all persons engaged 

 in cooking and handling the food, and particular attention should 

 be directed to the possibility of their being typhoid carriers or 

 sufferers from tuberculosis. Both of these diseases may be trans- 

 mitted readily in the food, and many cases are on record which 

 show the terrible consequences which may follow the employment 

 of such persons about the food. Individuals who apparently have 

 recovered entirely from a recent attack of typhoid fever, and others 

 who have the disease in a very mild form, may show no physical 

 signs of illness and yet harbor the disease germs in their bodies 

 and be a dangerous source of food contamination. A recent out- 

 break of 93 cases of typhoid fever was traced to food contami- 

 nated during preparation by a woman who had quite recovered from 

 an attack of typhoid fever. It is known that certain persons may 

 harbor the germs in their bodies for years after the disease is over, 

 and this condition can be detected only by proper medical examina- 

 tion. 



Personal cleanliness is a matter of the greatest importance in the 

 case of those who come in contact with the food, but this is a some- 

 what variable condition in convict camps, and depends largely upon 

 the officers in charge of the camp. In many camps the cooks and 

 others employed about the kitchen and dining room are reasonably 

 clean, and water, soap and towels are in evidence, with signs of being 

 used, but at other camps the men and their surroundings are dis- 

 gustingly dirty and it is useless to inquire when and where they wash. 

 ■ It should be the duty of every officer in charge of a camp to instruct 

 cooks, helpers, and waiters as to cleanUness of their persons and 

 clothing, and to see that adequate faciUties are provided for their 

 cleanliness. The necessity for washing the hands after visiting the 

 toilet is not understood in all cases and should be strongly em- 

 phasized. 



It would be well if every camp kitchen could have the sign found 

 in some weU-managed food factories: "When you leave the room 

 for any purpose, wash your hands before you return to work." 



A bath should be taken daily, especially in warm weather. 



Cooks, helpers, and waiters should not be permitted to wear their 

 ordinary clothing when at work in the kitchen and dining room. It 

 is a conmion custom to use the yardmen as waiters during meal 



