(1) By using paper napkins
At a very small cost he can buy paper napkins and envelopes which have been treated with paraffin to prevent moisture going through them. If every one with a cough or with any such trouble as catarrh, which makes him want to spit frequently, would carry a supply of these paper napkins and paraffin envelopes, he would always have a suitable place in which to spit. When you cough up anything, spit into one of these little napkins, put the napkin into the envelope, and when you get home burn the whole thing.
Fig. 68. A pocket cuspidor.
(2) By using pocket cuspidors
There are other conveniences which can easily be carried in the pocket, called pocket cuspidors. Some are made of thin cardboard, treated with paraffin, and filled with cotton to hold all the moisture of the sputum; others are made of glass, shaped like a bottle, with a wide mouth. Those made of cardboard should be burned as soon as possible and the glass ones should be thoroughly washed with boiling water.
(3) By having public cuspidors
In some cities cuspidors have been placed at the edge of the sidewalk in an effort to lessen the spread of disease caused by spitting. These cuspidors have a stream of water running through them constantly and are connected with the sewer. They are so made that they cannot easily be kicked over or upset, and they are placed on stands just high enough to make it easy to spit into them. If properly made, they are not unsightly. Would it not be a good thing if your town would put such cuspidors on your streets, and if the merchants would put them into their stores? Every office, every workshop, every store, every railway and street car should be provided with cuspidors.
