In this high tech world of today we are witness to an endless array of scientific discoveries. Even in the biological world are we finding new and/or altered diseases. Society and governments are up in arms over such afflictions as Legionnaires disease, Herpes and AIDs.

Although we knew nothing of these diseases in my time, we did have our share and then some. We tend to forget or disregard those afflictions now seldom heard of such as Polio, the Plague, Diphtheria, Smallpox, Quinsy, etc. These were very real and, in many cases, perhaps more dreaded than the diseases of today. Because there were no miracle drugs the routine problems of today often meant death to turn of the century victims.

No sooner had the telephone been demonstrated in 1876 than folks began wondering if the cup-like opening, that we knew as the "transmitter cap," might not be a breeding ground for disease. Early users of the telephone were urged to hold their lips no further than two inches from the opening while speaking. Thus the user could, it was theorized, impart mouth-born bacteria into the transmitter where it was to find suitable conditions for multiplying. It was further surmised that the next user could be infected.

All this caused considerable concern on the part of the parties involved. By the late 1890's the telephone companies were actively proclaiming there was no cause for alarm. They were, of course, protecting their own interests and not necessarily that of their customers.

In 1901 the manager of the Chicago Telephone Co., Angus Hibbard, who incidentally was the creator of the Bell logo, proclaimed, "I have yet to hear of the first case of sickness traceable to such a source."

Another "authority," Dr. William Bissel of Buffalo, N. Y., reported in the Buffalo Medical Journal in 1902 that he had tested all the telephones in the "three largest hotels in that city." While admitting his tests were incomplete and inconclusive he stated that it "appears there is little or no fear of contracting Diphtheria by this means." He failed to mention researching any other disease.

Despite all the denials by both the telephone companies and manufacturers there was a rush on to develop a method to assure sanitary conditions. Literally dozens of inventions were patented between 1895 and the 1920's. Although the variety was as endless as man's imagination there soon emerged three prominent conceptions. One was to produce a sanitary climate within the transmitter via chemical action (see illustration). Another was to place some object over the entrance to the transmitter that would filter the "noxious germs." The third often used concept was to construct the transmitter cap of a material that either could not act as a host to germs or one that was easily cleaned. This last idea became widely adopted due to its simplicity.

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All manner of materials were tried, i.e. wood, a hard rubber, porcelain, ivory, brass, etc., but in the end glass was generally accepted as the most nearly perfect substance. By the advent of World War I and it's accompanying killer influenza epidemic, a very clever glass cap had appeared. Made of crystal, it was so designed that it would fit into an existing mouthpiece and could, if the owner wished, be removed at the end of his conversation and carried in his pocket until again needed. Being portable, it could be easily sanitized with alcohol or by boiling in water.

Whether any methods were effective or indeed whether there was ever a real reason to be concerned escapes this writer, but many felt there was a very real danger. For instance, the Telephone Hygienic Company was incorporated in Los Angeles during 1900 for the purpose of manufacturing sanitary appliances for telephones. In many telephone companies it was a common practice for repairmen to routinely remove the transmitter cap from any set he worked on and throw it away. Because the caps were just three to six cents each we felt the cost was justified. A small price for peace of mind.

MA

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