Dear Michael,
From wikipedia:
Human saliva is 99.5% water, while the other 0.5% consists of electrolytes, mucus, glycoproteins, enzymes, and antibacterial compounds such as secretory IgA and lysozyme.[1] The enzymes found in saliva are essential in beginning the process of digestion of dietary starches and fats. These enzymes also play a role in breaking down food particles entrapped within dental crevices, protecting teeth from bacterial decay.[2]Furthermore, saliva serves a lubricative function, wetting food and permitting the initiation of swallowing, and protecting the mucosal surfaces of the oral cavity from desiccation.[3]
It also has a lot of bacteria in it as well.
I'm in the health field, not a surface cleaning expert. But I think the water in saliva is doing most of the cleaning of the record surface, and the person using saliva is simply coating the surface with protein, like grocers do with albumen to make fruits shiny and slippery, and perhaps the playback becomes easier and hence sounds better.
I would be concerned about the long term as the deposition of bacteria could perhaps digest the shellac resin(?)
DrG
On Jun 23, 2014, at 1:03 AM, Michael Biel <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> So, my question to the ARSC Technical Committee and to the Library of
> Congress group which gave a presentation on cleaning lacquer discs, is
> SPIT a good cleaning fluid for shellac 78s???
>
> Mike Biel [log in to unmask]
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