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< 2 Diseases THAT ARE Spread Bacteriological Examination of Combs, Brushes, Etc., Point to Twelve Things Every Barber Ought to Be Compelled by Law to Do to Protect Patrons from Infection The Shaving Brush Should Be Forbidden—It Is Practically Im possible to Sterilize It, and It Is a Fertile Source of Infection. T HAT baldness, dandruff and a large part of all scalp and skin diseases are caught at the barbers’ and hairdressers’ was told by men of science in last Sun day’s paper. To-day’s article points out the remedies by which the bar ber and hair dresser may cease to be a perpetual source of infection to their patrons. The clean barber shop is certain to come sooner or later. Not merely clean in that no dirt is visible, for many barber shops are kept clean enough to the eye, but surgically clean, which means keeping hostile microbes away from the customers. It is more important to the barber that he really learn his business and make it safe than it is for his patrons. The barber can’t get along without customers, but the custom ers can and will get along without the barber, unless he reforms. The first barbers who really make a study of their business and reform are certain to prosper vastly at the expense of those who are slow to follow. The fear of germs is the begin ning of wisdom for the barber. First, the barber must study his business, learn what a germ really is, how it is transferred from one person to another and how to keep his hands, chairs, brushes, strops and everything else free from these invisible ene mies. He must know, for instance, that it is a joke to sterilize a razor and then strop it on an unsterilized strop; that it is of no avail to use a sterile razor if he uses a shaving brush, because it is almost impossi ble to sterilize a shaving brush; that singeing the hair to keep it from falling out is as silly as to try to pound it in with a hammer Another delusion he must escape from is the notion that alum and the other styptics he uses tc stop your face from bleeding are germicides As a matter of act, microbes live quite comfortably on^alum, as was proved by M. i-.anglail’s experiment, described in last Sunday’s paper. Though it will take considerable time for barbers to learn their busi ness thoroughly and reorganize their shops on a sanitary basis, there are certain steps which can be taken at once to reduee the amount of infec tion to at least half what it is to day. Eventually, of course, the law will attend to all this. The Health Be liefs will ultimately inspect hair dressers’ shops just as carefully as they watch dairies, bakeries or the water supply. Primarily the shaving brush should be thrown out of the shop. It is pos sible by care, skill and persistence, to sterilize the shaving brush alter each customer, but things must be made easy for the barber and not hard. The lather should be made by using a bit of absorbent cotton instead of a brush. The cotton should also be used to rub in the lather instead of the fingers. Soap powder or paste is rapidly supplant ing the ancient and filthy soap disk in the bottom of the qup. The next thing to follow the shav ing brush into the ash can should be the hot towel. If microbes had a vote they would vote solidly for this abomination, which takes na ture at a disadvantage, upsets the blood circulation in the skin and leaves the complexion at the mercy of germs it could ordinarily defeat. IT.. 1 _ II -i-J nttr. of irollIO It! by a little grain alcohol or bay rum. The barber should be forbid den to apply the worthless “witch hazel’’ or other washes with his hands. The barber should refrain from pinching and pulling the skin in his efforts to present the beard at a fa vorable angle to the razor. This habit causes the hair end to project and allows of a very close shave. It also causes 'ingrowing hairs,” and “ingrowing hairs” cause little sore* spots, and these often become centres of infection. When the skin of the face is S* Eight of the Twelve Disease Germs Commonly Found in Hairdressing Shops. ERYSIPELAS DANDRUFF Hot applications are of value In cases of injured joints, muscles, liga ments, etc., but can only work harm after a shave. Let the barber wash off the soap with lukewarm water and plenty of it. When the face has been dried or partly dried this may b*' followed the hairs are forced ouf beyond their natural position. The razor is then able to shear them off very short. As soon as the skin is released they sink into their natural position. This would be well enough if it were not for the unfortunate fact that the hairs are usually left with sharp points. These points often catch in the skin and cause the hair to double back and grow in, causing what is commonly called “ingrowing hairs.” An “ingrowing hair” betrays itself as a little inflamed spot with a bit of pus in the centre. This may or may not become a boil, according to whether or not the right microbe gets into it. The barber pounces upon these “ingrowing hairs” with a little pair of tweezers and is quite adept in removing the hair which is causing the trouble. Unfortunately he uses the same pair of tweezers on every ingrowing hair, and the points of his little in strument soon hold a very choice assortment of active and virulent microbes, which find ready access to the blood stream of every patient who appears with “ingrowing hairs.” Of course .these nippers or tweezers should be cleaned and sterilized after each use. No barber does this and he never will do this until his cus tomers or the law make him. Between the customers the barber and the hair dresser should wash his hands and scrub his finger nails. He should have not one set of brushes and combs, but half a dozen, and each time they are used should be part of a round trip to the steri lizer. He should refrain from touch ing his own head with his hands, and above all never use the shop im plements on himself. It is this habit Which makes so many barbers bald or thin haired in spite of all their efforts. There is much talk about “loosen ing the scalp with massage.” It may be that rubbing the scalp may help under certain circumstances, but the tight scalp is the result of the disease, not the cause. If the dandruff and other hair destroying microbes are kept away from the head there will never be any need of massage or medicine. If they are not, then all the massage in the world will npt save the hair. Many barber shops, but by no means all, now supply either a tdwel or a piece of paper to cover the head rest. The paper is better, as there is little temptation to let it remain How Mamma’s Hair Brush Gives to the Baby the Dandruff She Acquired at the Hairdresser’s. Hair Brushes and Combs Are Among the Most Fre quent Means of Spreading Infection and Contagion- and Both Are Difficult to Sterilize. Microscopic Ex amination of Combs and Brushes Reveal Pathogenic Disease Germs in Great Abundance. Professor Fou- quet Recommends That Hairdressers Wash Them Every Day in Ammoniated Soap Water. All Brushes and Combs Should Then Be Kept in a Hermetically Seal ed Retainer Containing a Saucer of 40 Per Cent Solu tion of For mol. BOILS BLOOD DISEASE FAVUS BARBERS ITCH for the next man. Towels are liable to be used again on the head rest or for some other purpose. A towel once used should be washed in boiling water to thorough ly destroy all disease germs, not put through the mangle at the laundry. After a shave it is much better for the face that it be dried with a pa per napkin than a towel, hut it will be some time before the public will understand and accept the paper sub stitute. The hair clipper must be either discarded in favor of the scissors or sterilized. The reason most boils come on the back of the neck is not accident, but because the clipper is used. This barber’s tool is the pet chariot of the germ of furunculosis, or infectious boils. Once in the sys tem it may spread from the neck to any part of the body. Stop the bar ber from using the clipper on you and you will cease having boils on your neck. Brushes and anything which will not bear heating may be sterilized by dipping in a solution of formalin, a teasponful to a pint of water. They should also be frequently washed with hot water, soap and ammonia. The bootblack should never be placed in charge of the clean towels. It is almost Impossible to keep his hands clean, and it is not necessary that they should be as long as he confines himself to boots. Barbers should be examined for dandruff, itch, furunculosis, acne and other diseases and not allowed to work until cured. Patrons suffering from Infectious diseases should be excluded from barber shops and ,n- You Can Now Eat Your Coffee Cup I T will be perfectly good manners to eat the table decorations at the Christmas dinner this year- provided they are of the novel kind now being made by progressive ca terers. These new table ornaments are intended to be eaten. The accompanying photograph shows a spray of acacia blossoms beautifully chrystallized, with leaves formed of thin strips of candied peel. Candy Flowers and Cup Which Can Be Eaten After Using. The flowers are mounted on stalks and the whole bunch is daintily tied with ribbon. The flowers, which are, of course, entirely edible, are daintily scented with their natural fragrance. Large baskets apparently contain ing clusters of grapes and embel lished vine leaves and various flow ers are being used as centrepieces, although when the basket is tendered to the guests they will be expected to partake not only of the grapes, but of the vine leaves and flowers as well. The entire contents of the basket are made of sugar and prove to be most delicious sweets. Very elaborate snappers will like wise be a feature of the up-to-date dinner table. Some of these snappers are adorned with artificial flowers of silk or cloth, or with a single large and very perfectly fashioned rose, so art istically prepared that guests will hesitate to “snap” them at all. These snappers will in some cases treated at home with their own struments until well. Cocoa butter, vaseline and all the cosmetics, good, bad and indifferent, must be kept in tubes instead of jars. The system which allows one of the barbers to attend to the cash register is vicious and inexcusable. No barber with the faintest notion of microbes and their habits would per mit such a custom. As it is now in the majority of shops, one barber pauses every few minutes to handle bills and coins. With this microbian reinforcement he returns to rub the customer's face an<l scalp. Many of these skin and hair ruin ing devices are found in women's hair dressing establishments. Women have some special abominations of .heir own. Thick rugs and carpets on the floor, long since discarded by the barber, are the usual thing in hair dressing shops. Hot air cones for drying the hair me not only bad for the scalp, but have a bad effect on the. heart and lungs. They frequently cause nausea ’at the time and “car sickness” on the way home. “Scotch showers,” which are alter nating hot and cold water on the scalp, are bad for the nerves and the circulation, and as far as they affect the scalp are injurious. Of course, everybody doesn’t catch all of the twelve different varieties of disease germs which the French, English, German and American bac teriologists have found common to barber shops. We do not all catch pneumonia nor do we all die of tuberculosis—but that is no argu ment for denying that it is a wise thing to try to avoid these germs. Writing on this matter in his recent authoritative treatise on the hair and its diseases, Dr. David Walsh re marks: “The wonder is that more people do not lose their hair through these diseases. The explanation is the re sistance most people offer to the destructive action of the parasites of these diseases.’’ Is the barber well meaning and doing as well as can be expected? Shall we forgive the unsanitary prac tices of the barber because of his ignorance of even the rudiments of modern science and antiseptic methods? But is the barber doing all that can be reasonably expected of a man of his intelligence? Is he keep ing things as clean as he might and does he show any real concern for the welfare of his customers? We shall see. Have you ever watched the bar ber’s little towels? If not you will be surprised to find that the “clean towel” which the barber tucks under your chin has been used before on a previous customer. Not only this, but the wet towel with which he wipes your face has also been used be the only decoration on the table. Copyright, 1913, by the Star Company. before perhaps on several ers since it was washed. This statement will cause surprise to most tenders, but you can verify it yourself if you will determine to keep your eyes on the barber’s hands and his pile of towels. The trick is done partly under the eyes of the customer and partly after he has left the barber shop. It is the common belief, and every barber will assure you, that each customer gets a fresh, clean towel. This is not the truth unless the bar ber discovers the fact that you are watching him. As soon as you straighten your self out in the barber’s chair, with your eyes turned toward the ceiling, the barber reaches over to the stack of neatly folded towels and takes the top one, which is creased and folded. This he tucks under your chin and begins to stir the shaving brush in the mug. This towel has been carefully saved from the neck of the previous customer. After it has been under your chin it will be carelessly dropped on the arm of the chair as you arise and put on your coat, and it stays there as long as you are in the barber shop. As soon as you have left this towel is care ! fully folded, smoothed out and put back again on top of the pile of fresh towels. This is the towel the next customer gets tucked under his chin. This towel will do duty from six to twelve times, according to how badly it becomes wrinkled ttnd soiled. But as you lie in the chair with your eyes turned upward and the time arises to wash off the lather from your face—where does the wet towel come from? Not from the pile of “clean towels.” Here is where the customer will have to keep his eyes open if he wants to see the barber’s little sleight of hand trick. Somewhere from behind the cash register, or alongside a bottle of shampoo mixture, or from the rim of the receptacle for soiled towels will come the towel which wipes your face—not from the pile of clean towels. This towel is made to do duty over and over again on the faces of various customers until the towel becomes so wet and soiled that it is no longer available. Watch your barber and his towels the next The Perfectly Useless Custom of Singeing the Hair custom- time you have a shave, but if the barber suspects that you are watch ing him you will get a fresh towel under your chin and a fresh towel for your face—at least they will both be taken from the pile of neatly folded towels, but they^ may both have been used on previous cus tomers. Watch, too, what he does with the towel that has been under your chin. * if, then, this little revelation of the filthy practices common to bar ber shops indicates that the barber is really not concerned with cleanli ness, sanitary methods and the safe guarding of his customers, it is hardly to be expected that much, if anything, will ever be accomplished in reforming the methods of barber shops until proper laws have been passed and enforced. Here is a feeble attempt by the New York Board of Health to do something about barbers. The fol lowing 11 rules are printed on a card a foot square. 1— No person with any disease of the skin of the face shall be shaved in a public barber shop. 2— Barbers must wash their hands thoroughly with soap and hot water before attending any person. 3— No alum, or other astringent, shall be used in stick form. If used at all to stop flow of blood, it must be applied in the form of powder. 4— The use of powder puffs is pro hibited. 5— No towel shall be used for more than one person without being laundered. 8—The use of sponges is pro hibited. 7— Mugs and shaving brushes must be thoroughly washed after use on each person. 8— Combs, razors, clippers and scissors shall be thoroughly cleans ed after every separate use thereof. 9— Floors must be swept or mopp ed every day and all furniture and. woodwork kept free from dust. 10— Hot and cold running water must be provided. 11— A copy of these regulations It to be hung in a conspicuous place in each shop. Has anybody in New York ever seen this card “conspicuously” visi ble in a barber shop? Is there any barber who pays any attention to any of these regulations that are im portant, or has the Board of Health ever made any effort to enforce them? What ought to be done to make hairdressers and barber shops clean, safe and sanitary? Well, Professor Fouquet, of the Paris Society of Sanitary Prophylaxis, with the co operation of Professor Langlais and Dr. Remlinger, has laid down a sani tary code which barbers should be compelled to obey. Here are twelve important requirements: TWELVE SANITARY RULES FOR HAIRDRESSERS. 1— Every hairdresser should—him self or herself—be free from dandruff and all other contagious diseases. 2— The hairdresser's hands should be washed and the nails scrubbed before each customer. 3— Customers should have their own comb and brush, which should be sterilized before using. 4— Hot towels, alum-stick and shav ing brush should be abolished. A bit of absorbent cotton should be used in place of brush. 5— Hair clippers, razors and hair for ceps should be sterilized every time they are used, juat as a reputable dentist docs his in struments. Razor strops rhouid be sterilized by dry heat. 6— Barbers should never make change while attending to cus tomers. 7— Head-rests should be covered with a clean piece of paper ior each patron. 3—Vaseline, cocoa butter aid all pastes should be kept in col lapsible tubes instead of jars. 9—Rugs, carpets, hot-air cones and “Scotch showers” should be abolished in women's hairdress ing establishments. 18—Bootblacks should not handle clean towels nor be permitted to raise a dust by dry sweeping. 11— Barbers’ towels should not be used repeatedly on different cus tomers without washing. 12— Barbers are commonly called in to shave and hairdress deceased persons before the funeral— razors and brushes used fof corpses should never be used for any other purpose. Great Britain Rights Reserved.