“I Ain’t Never Seen One of Them Germs Yet”

Mamie Jones wrote that for many years people in Cleveland County were slow to believe in germs, even though they knew certain diseases were “catching.” She recalled a conversation between a contractor and a woman who asked whether he was afraid of becoming ill from germs left behind by former tenants when tearing down old buildings. The contractor replied that he had been tearing down old buildings for twenty-five years and had never seen one of those germs yet. Jones used this story to illustrate how little was understood about sanitation and disease, even as sickness such as typhoid fever was common in the area.

Source: Mamie Jones