Experimentelle Untersuchungen über die Frage

Experimentelle Untersuchungen über die Frage by Carl Weiss is a provocative 1913 scientific study that asks whether the fear of disease transmission via the telephone—and other everyday objects—was justified. Grounded in early bacteriological methods and written as a medical doctoral dissertation, Weiss surveys the growing recognition that pathogenic microbes are often ubiquitous and can survive on common fomites, from telephone receivers to paper money, library books, and barber utensils. Blending experimental investigation with historical perspective, the book traces how the maturing science of microbiology reshaped public perceptions and gave rise to what contemporaries called “bazillus fear.” Weiss describes laboratory techniques of his time, the rationale for testing indirect transmission routes, and the social consequences of heightened hygiene awareness—situating his experiments within the broader development of infection control in the pre-antibiotic era. The tone remains scientific and methodical, reflecting the early 20th-century medical mindset. Ideal for listeners interested in the history of medicine, microbiology, public health policy, or technology and hygiene, this Science audiobook offers a primary-source glimpse into how empirical research began to challenge and inform everyday fears about contagion.