Klarinet Archive - Posting 000394.txt from 1995/12

From: Grant Green <gdgreen@-----.COM>
Subj: Re: KLARINET Digest - 12 Dec 1995 to 13 Dec 1995
Date: Thu, 14 Dec 1995 19:06:31 -0500

Neil Leupold <nleupold@-----.EDU> said:
>Hmm, that's interesting. Just based on common sense, I would think that
>the reed would be an ideal environment for carrying bacteria. It's organic,
>biodegradable material - and is a "warm/moist zone" after being used,
>which bacteria just love. I've seen too many students' reeds caked with
>white bacterial gunk (after failing to remove it from the mouthpiece for a
>few weeks) to believe that a reed does not potentially carry disease.
>
>Neil.

At the risk of diverging too far from the thread, at least *some* types of
wood are bacteriostatic or bacteriocidal. Plants don't have immune systems
in the sense that us mammals do, but have to have some way to fight off
bacterial infection.

I recall reading of an experiment designed to prove that plastic kitchen
cutting boards were more sanitary than wood cutting boards. A variety of
wood and plastic cutting boards were "innoculated" with standard amounts of
bacteria (E. coli, if I remember correctly) and allowed to incubate.
Surprisingly, the researchers found that the plastic boards supported the
bacteria rather well, while the bacteria on the wooden boards died or failed
to thrive.

Are reeds bacteriocidal? Don't know.
Is swapping reeds with someone sanitary? Probably not.
Are any of the treatments discussed guaranteed to kill all bacteria and
viruses? Nope.
Frankly, I'd just use my own mpc on the student's horn, if necessary.

Grant

Grant D. Green
gdgreen@-----.com
http://www.crl.com/~gdgreen/index.html