Dirty Paper Money.

(From: Journal of the Canadian Medical Association , 1924)

In the earlier days of the campaign against harmful germs, attention was directed to the many objects which might carry them. At the end of the last century, dirty money came in for its share of condemnation. At that time, bacteriological investigation failed to produce evidence of any abundant distribution of micro-organisms even on the dirtiest paper money. There appears to be something in the composition of the printed bill that acts unfavourably to bacterial life.

The flood of paper money that has inundated Central Europe has directed attention anew to this medium of exchange as a carrier of disease. Investigations of Kiefer in Bonn indicate that the condition of the bill is no index to the degree of bacterial contamination. Mark notes in ordinary commerce may carry widely varying numbers of viable germs, even though the total number is not large. In some cases, the pathogenic (capable of causing disease) organisms on German paper money was found to be preserved for long periods. This reported contamination of our paper currency would appear to demand further investigation.

It may be that German paper money, owing to cheaper methods of manufacture, possess a lowered bacteriological property than paper currency in this country. Metallic money, it is noted, is far less liable to be contaminated by living micro-organisms, owing apparently to a germicidal action of metal surfaces.

Wayne Jacobs is numismatic expert. He is the award winning author of numerous articles. He is the secretary and editor of the "Mid-Island Coin Club Numismatic Journal"of Nanaimo, Vancouver Island , British Columbia. The MICC journal are hosted here: MICC webpages Copyright 2006 Wayne Jacobs. This article may be reprinted freely for non commercial purpose only if the resource box is left intact, linking back to us.