12:00:00 PM
Catarrh is
Contagious
Q. Is catarrh contagious, and if so how?
A. Yes; and the fingers
are a common means of infecting the nose. It
is surprising how often the fingers visit the nose
and mouth. This is especially true of children and even adults who have missed
proper training in this particular. The fingers are often moistened with saliva
for various purposes. If the saliva were green
or blue, the fingers would constantly show
evidence of being soiled with this secretion. By this means one
may infect things and persons with his saliva and
may in turn infect his own mouth with germs
from many sources. As Doctor Chapin
has pointed out: "The cook spreads his saliva on the muffins and rolls,
the waitress infects the glasses and spoons, the moistened fingers of the
peddler arrange
his fruit, the milk man's thumb is in his measure, the reader moistens the pages of his book, the conductor, his transfer tickets, the lady, the fingers of her glove.
Every one is busily engaged in this distribution of
saliva, so that the end of each day finds this secretion freely distributed on
the doors, window sills, furniture and playthings in the home, the straps of
trolley cars, the rails and counters and
desks of shops and public buildings, and indeed upon everything that the hands
of man touch." The saliva is always
infectious.