The unimportant role which the telephone plays as a potential factor in spreading communicable diseases, as compared with the many other common sources of infection, has been conclusively demonstrated by independent investigations conducted by two eminent and unbiassed auth-critics in We fields of bacteriology ud public health, The results of these investigations are made known and the scientists' conclusions are discussed in a recent issue of the Bell Telephone "Quarterly" in article by W. H. Martin, of the Bell Telephone Laboratories, entitled "The Public Health Aspect of the Telephone.
During a telephone conversation, the mouth of the speaker and the mouthpiece of the instrument are necessarily close together. There has naturally been some question as to whether this situation has any appreciable bearing on the transmission of disease-producing bacteria, particularly at public telephones with their Succession of users.
The subject has long engaged the attention of the medical profession and of those responsible for supplying telephone service, both here and abroad. Neither this interest, both inside and outside the telephone business, nor experience with millions of telephones used daily for tens of millions of conversations, have brought to light a single authenticated case of disease transmission due to the use of the telephone, Antiseptic Devices There have been, nevertheless, many proposals to attach so-called antiseplic devices to the telephone transmitter or to treat it with germicidal solutions. Their proponents have claimed that these are necessary to make the telephone sanitary and are essentia] public health measures.
Those who have approached the Subject with a knowledge of the medical findings and the supporting experience regarding this aspect of telephone use have considered such measures unnecessary. They have concluded that there is no justification for treating the telephone in any different manner from the many other objects with which the average individual has innumerable daily contacts, This conclusion seemed to be well substantiated. But because of the importance of the whole subject, the Bell System arranged for two independent investigations by competent authorities in bacteriology and public health. These investigations were made under the direction of the late Dr. E. O. Jordan, then Service Professor of Bacteriology in the Department of Hygiene and Bacteriology, University of Chicago, and Dr. Haven Emerson, Professor of Public Health Practice in the Institute of Public Health, College of Physicians and Surgeons. Columbia University. Dr, Jordan and Dr. Emerson, eminent men in their fields, were asked 10 arrange for the carrying out under their directions of whatever work ihey considered necessary to enable them to arrive at conclusions as to the possibility. of disease transmission im the use of the telephone.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.