By Michael Huckabee, Ph.D., professor and director of the University of Nebraska Medical Center Division of Physician Assistant Education. Dr. Huckabee has more than 30 years’ experience as a physician assistant, mostly in rural Nebraska.
It’s said to be what makes a man but also what disgusts a woman. In the last century, spitting was as common as waving to a friend, now it’s as repulsive to some (and illegal) as urinating in public. Its popularity has ridden the wave of culture, a wave that’s now crashing into the rocks.
What is spit? The main ingredient of spit is water. Saliva is 98 percent H2O, and the remaining 2 percent consists of mucus, electrolytes, enzymes and immunoglobulins. These elements work together to begin the digestive process, protect teeth enamel, lubricate the mouth, and control the growth of bacteria in the mouth. What often gives spit its weight for better travel through the air is mucus from the nose and sinuses. When hacked up, that mucus ball adds a small biosphere of germs that raises the revulsion.
Why spit? It’s a way of getting rid of bodily waste, which can be felt as a way of purifying oneself of a bad feeling or fear. Russians used to have a habit of spitting three times over the left shoulder to ward off evil spirits. Some spit to express hatred or to curse someone.
Behaviorists note that spitting is a way of marking an animal’s territory. Sociologists agree, suggesting it’s a show of strength, owning turf, and throwing down a challenge of manhood. Then there was our mom’s encouragement when we were younger to spit out that nasty phlegm to get rid of infection. Some athletes find that with strenuous exertion, getting rid of excess mucus by spitting clears the airways.
Spitting no more. While still a custom in some countries, in most Western cultures spitting lost whatever charm it had during the tuberculosis epidemic early in 20th century. Though evidence of TB is found in prehistoric humans, it was not until the 1880s that Robert Koch identified the culprit as Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
With that discovery, coughing, sneezing and spitting were recognized as common ways of spreading the TB germs. Public health advertisements discouraged careless spitting, though it was never proved that a prohibition on spitting reduced the spread of TB.
So it’s primarily now a matter of manners. Tiger Woods was fined for spitting on the 12th green at the 2011 Dubai Desert Classic, and he immediately apologized for being inconsiderate. Many major sports athletes no longer find a need to pitch their mucus out of their mouths, no matter the degree of exertion.
Today many will swallow what man might have expectorated in the past. Though there are Eastern cultures that find the swallowing disgusting, many Western cultures believe that a swallow of a gob is desirable to tossing spittle.
There are medical conditions that can cause the body to overproduce sputum (hypersalivation). Yet for most people it’s a learned behavior, so they can decide whether spitting is a habit they want to keep or unlearn.