BATHS AND BACTERIA

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22835, 20 March 1936, Page 15

BATHS AND BACTERIA

TO THE EDITOR Sir, —Your correspondent “ Proteus X 19 ” gives us a most disturbing warning of the dangers of public baths. One wonders bow any bather survives this “ teeming multitude of disease-spreading microbes which infest the water.” While agreeing with him that certain preventive measures are necessary for the _ proper control of bath hygiene, I am inclined to think he is grossly exaggerating the dangers. There is most definitely not_ a steady stream of ear, nose and throat infections from any public bath in this country. There is, moreover, no proof that any such infections, if they do occur, arise from, or are transmitted by. the water of swimming baths. It is more than possible that the germs are present on the body of the bather, and that the water merely washes such germs into the nose or ear. In support of ' this is the fact that three cases of ear disease were reported_ to have occurred as a r esult of bathing in the Blue Bath at Rotorua while I was there on holiday this summer. This bath is said locally to prevent the growth _of germs by reason of its chemical constituents. It would seem, therefore, that the “ teeming multitudes ” could not have been responsible in this case. With regard to the somewhat fantastic precautions before bathing suggested by “ Proteus X 19,” I am only surprised that he did not advocate a thorough washdown with a strong animal disinfectant. Besides being quite unnecessary, such an elaborate routine could never be enforced in a public bath. The use of a foot bath and a convenience ensures a perfectly adequate standard of cleanliness. There is at the present time a great deal of nonsense talked about these bacterial dangers, with the result that many keen bathers are being discouraged from enjoying this healthy pursuit, while those who are hardy enough to venture into the baths are subsequently regarded with suspicion and mistrust as potential candidates for some unspeakable disease. It is high time that these vague and, to my mind, unjustified warnings were stopped. Those pioneers of public health who, like “ Proteus X 19,” point to our baths as sources of danger to the community, should be able to substantiate their grim pronouncements more fully before intelligent and experienced bathers can be expected to take them seriously.—l am, etc., March 19. BACKSTROKE.