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An Unhygienic Practise

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Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Dec 19, 1912

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 89, No. 51.

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An Unhygienic Practise

By E. R. ALLEN

E. R. ALLEN
It has long seemed that some warning voice should be raised against the common practise of wetting the fingers with saliva in turning the pages of a book. This unclean and unhealthful habit seems to be on the increase. No doubt it is a very convenient way for the minister to find his texts, but we fear that the good effect of the word is often lost on his sensitive hearers by the unpleasant suggestiveness of the deft movement from the lips to the pages of the Sacred Volume. This habit seems to be fostered by the extremely thin paper used in the best Bibles. However, it should not be overlooked in the minister’s efforts to present the word in a fitting manner.
In a lecture delivered at the University of Pennsylvania, Mr. William Reinick vigorously attacked this “vulgar habit of wetting the fingers in turning the pages.” We quote from a review of this lecture which appeared in Hearst’s Magazine for August:—
“The author points out that the danger of contracting disease by the fingers dampened by saliva, is especially great when the book has previously been used by some one suffering from tuberculosis. He asserts that many other diseases, especially skin diseases, are without doubt frequently transmitted by this means, and he cautions the reader on these hygienic grounds. . . . Indeed, in all public libraries he thinks the practise should be specifically prohibited. . . . These precautions, he asserts, will help decrease the spread of tuberculosis and other diseases, and will do away with the grease stains on the paper, which are breeding-grounds for germs and attractive feeding-places for insects.”
It may take some time to overcome the habit, but the result is worth the effort. If the same person always used the same books, it would not be quite so bad; but even then it is decidedly unclean, to say the least. Children should be carefully cautioned against forming be relegated to the unenlightened past, this unfortunate habit, which should along with the public drinking-cup.
Port Hope, Ontario.