1
The Omaha Sunday Bee
Ma
.OAZENE PA(GE
Tqqp Dirty ifoda ruatain rm Jpreadin Direayeana E
)eath
V.
p
How Ohio Is Leading the Way in Wiping
Out a Graver Menace to Life and Health
Than Even the Common Drinking Cup
and Roller Towel and the Necessity
of Country- Wide Legislation
to Curb Criminal
fc't Mil fS)
it B4.
L-. Mm
Soda Fountains That Fall to Sterilize Their Clauses and Safeguard Their Patrons In Other Ways Which Health and Common Decency Demand
Are Continually Passing Deadly Germs from Mouth to Mouth. They Are Often, Science Believes, One of the Chief Causes of Epidemics of
Infantile Paralysis, Diphtheria, Typhoid Fever, Whooping Cough and Other Diseases. This Cartoon Illustrates in Striking Fashion the Peril.
A MAN walked Into the office of Dr.
J. Morton Howell, a well known
physician of Dayton, Ohio, the
other day and complained of a severe
fore throat.
The doctor made an examination and
found him suffering from a serious in
fectious disease. As a result of Its rav
ages his throat was highly Inflamed and
o reeking with germs that he was al
most certain to infect whatever his Hps
touched. After treating the man's throat
with an antiseptic solution the physician
gave him a prescription for medicines to
be taken internally and warned him to
be careful not to kiss his wife and chil
dren or to let them eat or drink from
utensils he had used.
That same afternoon Dr. Howell
chanced to enter a drug store. There;
standing at the soda counter, he saw this
patient of his enjoying a long, cool drink.
Dr. Howell's curiosity was aroused. He
lingered to see just what would happen
to the glass that was being brought into
contact with those germ-laden lips. And
this Is what he saw:
A young man in a soiled linen coat,
with dirty hands and nails poorly kept,
reached for the glass as soon as it was
empty.
He dipped It hurriedly In a tub of cold
water that was thick and discolored from
the rinsing of hundreds of other glasses.
A careless wipe with a towel that was
damp and far from clean was the next
tep In the "cleansing" of the glass.
Then, picking up the glass iu such a
war that his moist, dirty lingers touched
Its Inner and outer edge just where one's
Hps do the clerk placed It on the coun
ter to await the next customer.
All this was entirely inadequate to re
move the danger of disease, and the glass
remained as capable of spreading infec
tion as It had been when it left the lips
of the man with the sore throat. In fact,
its cargo of disease germs had probably
been considerably increased by contact
with the soda clerk's dirty hands, the
dirty towol and the rinsings of many
other glasses.
Multiply Instances like this hundreds
of times dally, and you have a faint idea
of the deadly menace which exist? in
every soda fountain when not conducted
along sanitary lines. Not only can the
serious disease from which the man with
the sore throat was suffering be spread
in this way, but Infantile paralysis, tu
berculosis, typhoid fever, whooping
cough and many other diseases can be
thus passed on from one person to an
other until an epidemic Is raging.
Dr. Howell was so impressed with
what he had seen that, through his offi
cial position as a mem. r of the Ohio
State Board of Health, he promptly took
steps to compel the proprietors of soda
fountains and Ice cream lors to
cleanse and sterilize their glasses, spoons
and other utensils and to take other pre
cautions which will put a stop to the
spreading of disease and death. The re
sult of the crusade which he inaugur
ated has been to make the State of Ohio
the leader in a nation wide movement to
make soda fountains clean, sanitary and
safe for the public to patron lie.
The very stringent regulations adopted
by the Ohio State Board of Health re
quire the sterilization of all glasses, Ico
cream dippers, spoons, serving dishes or
anything else that comes In contact with
ice cream, soda water or sundaes. Merely
washing and wiping are not sufficient all
utensils must be sterilized either with
boiling water or by steam.
The articles must first he rinsed In
cold water, then thoroughly washed In
hot water with soap or cleaning powder,
then exposed to live steam or boiling
water from three to five minutes, and
Anally rinsed in cold, clean water and
wiped with a clean, dry towel. This
must be done with every utensil used in
connection with the public sale of ice
cream, soda water and similar foods and
beverages before It can be used again.
Suitable provision must also be made for
taking care of the sterile utensils so
that they will be kept clean and free
from germs until used.
If it is Impossible to make arrange
ments for live steam or boiling water,
then paper cups and Individual spoons
must be used, these being destroyed as
soon as they have done service for one
person. The regulations also provide
that refrigerators must be kept clean
and free from Infection, and that all per
sons connected either with the manu
facture or sale of Ice cream, soda water,
and so forth, must be cleanly In person
and dress and free from any communic
able disease. The use of straws is posi
tively forbidden unless they are carefully
protected from the dust, dirt and disease
germs which may gather on them
through exposure to the air or careless
handling by employes.
But, some one may ask, why should
soda fountains and ice cream parlors bo
Klngled out for such rigid supervision?
Don't the same, or even greater, dan
gers of disease exist
In every hotel, res
taurant and dining
car?
One reason why
the soda fountain Is
a greater menace
than other public eat
ing and d rl nk I ng
places Is that many
of the things It sells
are the best possible
cultures In which to
breed populous colon
ies of vigorous disease
germs. Another rea
son is that in hotels,
restaurants and din
ing cars boiling water
ind soap are liberally
used in the washing
tf glasses and dishes.
Until recently it was
a Tare thing to find
ny soda water foun
tain that had a supply
5f hot water or steam
'or the cleansing of Its
glasses, spoons and
other utensils.
investigation mads
In many Ohio cities
showed that the soda
fountain's greatest
langer as a spreader
Df dlBease lay In Its
lack of clean, hot wa
ter. I'ntil the Board
of Health began to
:each the importance
f more sanitary meth
ods glasses and spoons, once used, were
thrown Into a basin of cold and foul
water and considered ready for use again
without any further attention. For some
reason, which It is hard to understand,
even less care was taken in many In
stances with ice cream dishes.
'Microscopic examination of carelessly
washed glasses reveals enough deadly
germs to Infect a whole community, and
proves beyond doubt that only the strict
est cleanliness and the most careful sani
tary precautions can make a soda foun
tain a safe place for you and your chil
dren to patronize. Unless the glasses are
sterilized with steam or boiling water,
unless the straws and other utensils are
protected from dust and dirt, and unless
the men and women who serve you are
clean and healthy, death Is bound to be
constantly In attendance at the soda
fountain, and the flavors served will In
clude the germs of tuberculosis, typhoid
fever, whooping cough. Infantile paralysis,
diphtheria and many other diseases. ,
The public drinking cup was found
guilty of causing so many epidemics that
it was long ago abolished In nearly every
State. But until recently little or nothing
has been done to curb the dangerous ten
dencles'of the soda water glass, which has
even greater possibilities for evil than
the common cup. A soda glass may be
used by as many different persons, a.id
the nature of the mixtures It contains
makes It a much more favorable breeding
place for germs than a cup used only for
water.
An examination under the microscope
of one carelessly washed soda water Rlass
revealed in the thick coating of filth
which covered It both inside and ontsii!.
more than 20,000 decaying human cells
and bits of dead skin. ( llnging to a sin
gle one of these cells there were counted
150 disease germs. The total germ popu
lation of the glass was estimated
Care-lessness
and Neglect
3,000,000, representing a dozen serious
diseases.
Dr. Tanza, of the United States Public
Health Service, believes that the dirty
soda fountain has a great deal to answer
for in connection with the spread of
tuberculosis. He has frequently seen
men and women In the advanced stages
of consumption drinking at soda fountains
where no effort was made to cleanse the
glasses and other utensils beyond a hur
ried rinsing In standing water.
""hlldren are most seriously menaced
by the dirty fountain because they are so
fond of soda water and Ice cream and be
cause their powers of resistance to die
ease are not yet well developed. Science
is sure that' there is no more certain
way of exposing boys and girls to a wide
variety of serious diseases than by let
ting them spend their nickels at soda
fountains which fail to sterilize their
glasses and take other sanitary precau
tions. In the attempt to abolish the dirty
soda fountain It Is not sufficient to Insist
merely upon the equipment necessary to
give sanitary service. The best equipped
fountains are often the most unsanitary,
on account of the indolence and Ignor
ance of their employes. What seems to
be needed are stringent regulations for
safeguarding the health of p;itnns of
soda fountains In every possible way,
with severe penalties to the proprietors
as well as to the clerks for neglect.
In addition to the sterilizing of glasses,
spoons, etc., here are some of the condi
tions which every fountain should be re
quired to meet:
Separate towels for drying glassware
and for wiping counters and hands.
Soda dispensers to be persous of good
health and oleanly habits, dressed In
fresh, clean linen and with closely mani
cured nails.
The tops of glasses never to be touched
when serving and the hand never put
Inside a glass when taking from the
counter.
All clean utensils and all supplies to
be kept carefully covered.
Good ventilation and fly screens.
Fountain to bo thoroughly cleaned
every night and all refuse emptied at
least once a day.
In St. Joseph, Missouri, and In the
State of Florida the health officials are
not satisfied with sterilization with steam
On the Left a Glass from Which It Is Safe to Drink
Cleansed and Sterilized by Scientific Methods So That It
Is Chemically Pure. On the Right a Photograph of a
Glass "Washed" in the Careless Way Found at Many Soda
Fountains. Both Glasses Were Rinsed in a Staining
Solution. There Was Nothing to Hold the Stain in the
Clean Glass. The Coloring in- the Second Glass Was
Retained as Shown by Its Coating of Grease and De
caying Human Cells in Which Disease Germs Thrive.
A Microscopic View of Human Cells and
Bits of Dead Skin Found on a Sods
Water Glass That Had Not Been
Properly Cleansed and Sterilized. It
Is in Such Decaying Matter That
Disease Germs Thrive. On This Par
ticular Glass There Were, It Was Esti
mated, Over 20,000 of Those Cells and
Bits of Skin, and as Many as 150 Germs
Were Seen Clinging to a Single Cell.
or boiling water, but require the use of
chlorinated lime. , This kills all microbes
and Insures a chemically pure glass
dish or spoon.
It Is too early yet to say deflnltelj
how much improvement In the publl
health may be expected to follow the
cleaning up of the dirty soda fountains,
James E. Hauman, assistant secretary
of the Ohio Health Board, however, 'is
already convinced that the fewest cases
of communicable diseiise ami the lowest
death rate will be found in cities having
the most snnltary soda fountains.
The well conducted soda fountain, one
that deals in pure, wholesome materials
and serves them in a clean, sanitary
way. Is an institution science believes
should be encouraged. It not only pro
motes practical temperance, but con
tributes in no little degree to the comfort
and pleasure of large numbers of people
of every class. To allow anything so
useful and pleasurable to jeopardize
our health and lives Is not to be thought
of.
By educating the public to the im
portance of sanitary conditions it is
hoped to hasten the day when no owner
of a soda fountain can hope to attract
patronage unless he maintains a high
degree of cleanliness.
How Soda Water Glasses Must Be Sterilized in Ohio to' Prevent Their Spreading Disease Germs,
I Tn T mrv xril I ' k 1 m nl xTA I " 1 JOT K- . . HI i - a w Hi
1. Rinsing in Clear, Cold
Water Is the First Step in
the Sterilization Process.
2. Washed in Hot Water with
Plenty of Good Soap or
Cleaning Powder.
3. Soak in Boiling Water
for at Least Three and
Preferably Four Minutes.
4. Finally Rinsed in Cold,
Clean Water.
5. Wipe Dry and Polish with
a Clean, Dry Tow el.
lonj right, 1H6. by the Star Company.
6. Keep the ,C1
and Other L
tected from
Dir
tjrett Britain Kighls Res--'-'
1 The Common Drinking Cup Was Responsible for Countless Epidemics
ftofnr ft Was Finallv Ahnlifihri A UnA U'ai. t.. n
- - j . uuuu ,.a,v, UlaSB ,M1 J JJ
ean Classes r.-A ii i, niirr..i i... .u r- . t.i
tensils Pro- "i - -......., as mi iu ai me streei
Dust and Fountain and Unless Thoroughly Cleaned and Sterilized Each
Time It Is Used Is an Even More Dangerous Carrier o Diacaaa,