Lifestyle Choices

The Human Hazard

It sometimes happens, as is well known, that a perfectly healthy person can carry disease germs in the gut, nose and even on the skin without being aware of it. Those who have recently suffered such diseases as dysentery can carry the germs for several months after recovering completely from the original infection. Indeed, a famous case was that of “Typhoid Mary,” an American cook, a typhoid carrier, who was paid a pension by the U.S. Government for nearly fifty years in order to keep her away from the kitchen. She was, of course, an exceptional case.

Any such hazard from a housewife would best be met by her own fastidiousness in the matter of handwashing and personal hygiene. For good kitchen habits add up to good food hygiene, and this is especially important in the training of children.

In the home kitchen a good housewife can maintain a high standard with elbow grease, sufficient hot water and her own homely methods properly done. Experience and common sense prove this every day. On the other hand, a filthy, soaking tea towel is obviously wrong. So is a dirty brown, greasy dishcloth or a stained sink. All these things speak for themselves and are not seen in any decent household. But if there is contagious illness in the home, there is an added hazard present which demands added precautions. Food utensils, linen, thermometers, everything used by the sick person should be disinfected after washing.

In the country, or when traveling abroad, there may be the hazard of infection in the water supply through lack of chlorination. This risk can be easily overcome by the use of a chlorine compound such as Milton, which can also be used for sickroom disinfection.

Washing-up

Is there any proof that dishes which have been washed and air-dried are less contaminated than those which have been dried with cloths?

This is a question often asked of the bacteriologist concerned with food hygiene. It all depends on the state of the dishwater, the surface of the dishes and the conditions of the drying cloth. In a well-run home kitchen, either rack-drying or cloth-drying is satisfactory. In a communal meal kitchen there is usually less contamination after air-drying utensils because cloths get wet over and over again.

Food covers present another problem. Though the type of cover used is entirely a matter of taste, badly designed ones covered with nooks and crannies should be avoided, also metal covers which go rusty. Food covers should be thoroughly washed in very hot water, or given a sterilizing chemical rinse, the best method for plastic,

To sum up, the climate of opinion on the subject of food-handling hygiene swings violently from fadism on the one hand to laissez faire on the other. Between these two extremes, common sense and experience must operate. And to-day, with the aid of science, simple rules of hygiene can be drawn up and systematically applied:

1. Scrupulous cleanliness required for: sinks, draining boards, chopping boards, table tops, dishcloths, tea towels, mincers, cream bags, crockery, cutlery, basins, pots and pans.
2. Protect all food from dust, flies and unnecessary handling.
3. Especially in hot weather, use all perishable foods on the day they are prepared; or use a refrigerator.
4. Keep hands and nails in good trim. Wash thoroughly after toilet or housework and before handling food.
5. Do not sneeze or cough over food.

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