PURE AND IMPURE FOODS. 



" What a Man Eats JHe A." 



Edited by C. F. Langworthy, Ph.D. 



Author of "On Citraconic, Itaconic and Mesaconic Acids,'' " 1 ish as Food,'' etc. 



DANGERS 07 FL1E3 AND DUST. 



The spread of disease by flies and dust, 

 and the precautions which should be ob- 

 served in picnic grounds, where large num- 

 bers of people gather during the summer, 

 are noted in a recent number of the Sani- 

 tarian. The following statements occur: 



"We now know that flies sometimes carry 

 disease germs, and for that reason all foods 

 and all eating stalls should be properly 

 screened. Probably the protection to food 

 afforded by glass cases and refrigerators is 

 the only right way, for the little fruit flies 

 will readily crawl through the meshes of 

 ordinary screens. 



"The water supply of picnic groves is 

 usually fair, for the springs and streams 

 supplying them are generally from a wild 

 and virgin upland. The water should be 

 examined from time to time by an expert, 

 especially during the picnic season, and all 

 the precautions should be taken which are 

 ro v/ell known and recommended for pub- 

 lic supplies elsewhere. 



"Dust is another element to be consid- 

 ered, not only on account of its unpleasant- 

 ness, but as a dangerous element in carry- 

 ing certain spores, especially those of tuber- 

 culosis. Dust can be so readily kept down 

 by sprinkling, and at so little expense, that 

 we have a right to demand its elimination." 



The danger of spreading disease by 

 means of flies is not limited to picnic 

 groves. It has been proved by experiment 

 that these insects can carry typhoid germs, 

 which they gather by crawling over infect- 

 ed material and feeding on it ; and it is 

 more than probable that other diseases are 

 sometimes transmitted in the same way. 

 All possible pains should be taken, there- 

 fore, to keep such insects away from food. 



Dust is also dangerous. Fruits and other 

 sticky foods are often kept in markets un- 

 der conditions which are far from sanitary. 

 The dust from the streets adheres to their 

 surface, and common cleanliness should 

 compel everyone to make sure that the food 

 is properly washed before it is used, espe- 

 cially in the case of something which is to 

 be eaten raw. Best of all would be meas- 

 ures which would insure the handling, sell- 

 ing, and marketing of these and all foods 

 under sanitary conditions. 



In regard to the dust nuisance, Dr. J. O. 

 Cobb, of the United States Public Health 

 and Marine Hospital Service, says : 



"In many of our great cities we have so- 

 cieties for the prevention of cruelty to chil- 

 dren and animals, for the suppression of 

 unnecessary noise, etc., but as far as I 



know, none that has attempted to reform 

 the dust nuisance. New York and several 

 other cities have tried various methods of 

 street cleaning to ascertain which raised 

 the least dust. Dividing one street up into 

 sections, under certain individuals who are 

 responsible to the inspectors, is the most 

 effective method and the least objectionable. 

 The individual broom method of sweeping 

 up the droppings immediately does away 

 with much use of water to sprinkle, and 

 prevents the pulverizing and drying. Using 

 the big street sweepers on wheels is alto- 

 gether wrong, unless the street is kept con- 

 stantly wet. Otherwise the act of sprink- 

 ling, followed immediately by the sweeper, 

 will stir up a cloud of dust. 



"Considering the dust raised by passing 

 street cars, vehicles, horses and people, and 

 the breathing of smoke and soot in cities like 

 Pittsburg, Chicago and Cincinnati, it is little 

 wonder that lung diseases comprise such a 

 vast proportion of all our diseases and 

 deaths. The pulmonary and bronchial 

 lymph glands are essentially scavengers 

 that stand guarding our bodies from bacte- 

 rial invasion. They are pushed to their 

 utmost capacity to perform this function ; 

 and to give them the extra burden of ar- 

 resting the foreign matter inhaled in dust 

 is disastrous. Removing the consumptive, 

 early in his disease, to a locality nearly free 

 from all kinds of dust, will give him the 

 best chance of recovery, principally because 

 we have relieved his bronchial glands of 

 this extra burden and have left them free 

 to combat and arrest the onslaught of the 

 tubercle bacillus. 



"Numerous experiments show that the 

 number of bacteria in dust at the street 

 level is many times greater than at the tops 

 of high buildings ; that the air in the city 

 contains a much greater proportion than 

 the air of the country ; and the air of the 

 mountains less than at the sea level. The 

 dust of certain portions of a city will show 

 a much greater bacterial content than other 

 sections." 



MARKETING BEANS. 

 Commercial bean-growing in the United 

 States had its beginning in Orleans county, 

 New York, about 1839, and for many years 

 this region was the chief source of the sup- 

 ply of dry beans found in the market. The 

 present production in the State approaches 

 2,000,000 bushels a year. New York prob- 

 ably still produces more than any other 

 State, though Michigan and California are 

 close seconds. 



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