34 MAINE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. I913. 



DISEASE LADEN BREATH AND DIRTY HANDS. 



Perhaps the most important reason of all for the protection 

 of food is not the possibility of contamination through the 

 flies and the dust, hut through human beings. It is a disagree- 

 able fact that people cannot talk or laugh without spraying 

 from their mouths fine particles of sputum. These fine parti- 

 cles float in the air and fall upon the food's which may be 

 openly displayed. If the person in question happens to be 

 suffering from any form of throat or lung affection ranging 

 in severity from a slight cold to tuberculosis the germs of 

 these diseases are spread broadcast over whatever may be in 

 the vicinity. Physicians state that the germs of diphtheria 

 are sometimes retained in the throats of patients for several 

 weeks after apparent complete recovery. The danger from 

 "typhoid carriers" is now too well known to necessitate fur- 

 ther discussion of that subject in this connection. Of course 

 it can never be demonstrated how large a proportion of the 

 epidemics of colds, "grippes," tonsilitis, diphtheria and such 

 diseases have been brought about just exactly through these 

 means. That such ^epidemics are spread in this way, however, 

 is a fact beyond dispute. Aside from the contamination 

 through the spray from the mouths of people suffering from 

 diseases the exposure of foods unprotected is likely to lead to 

 the handling of these foods by shoppers and prospective cus- 

 tomers. An investigation a short time ago revealed the as- 

 tonishing fact that out of every hundred people taken at ran- 

 dom in towns and cities, upon the hands of from five to ten 

 would be found the colon bacillus. Now this organism may 

 not of itself be harmful, but its source is the intestines of man 

 and other animals, particularly man. Its presence upon the 

 hands indicates fecal matter. It can be there from no other 

 source. This investigation demonstrated the difficulty of keep- 

 ing the hands absolutely clean, and further the importance of 

 protecting food from the possibility of handling by customers. 

 Such diseases as typhoid fever are spread only from con- 

 tamination through fecal matter. Other diseases may be 

 spread by the same means. The practice of handling various 

 cuts of meat in the market, to determine their quality, the han- 

 dling of bread in the bakery and the store in order to ascer- 



