Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (Charles City, Iowa) 1861-1864, 1863-05-28
Gbe Snttlligtnter.
OPEN THE SHUTTERS.

A~~S~s
A writer in the Philadelphia North
American has communication under
the caption, "How to propagate scar
let fever, and to perpetuate consump-
tion in q family" The writer, who
signs himself "A Physician" Estates
that there 10 no more certain method
of effecting these results than the
practice now adopted by many OF our
citizens, of keeping the house closed
for weeks or months after . death has
occurred in IL. The author Of this pa
per, who il also . physician, would
earnestly call the attention of your
readers to the melancholy results
of this practice, which, though
of comparatively modern origin, seems
to have taken deep hold among Us,
and which, in the language of the
writer before quoted, is fast giving
to Philadelphia, one of the most
healthfnl cities in the world, the ap-
pearance Of "a town smitten with q
pestilcnce." No house can be in a
healthful condition which is not daily
opened to the light and the air. L
have no doubt many of your readers
can give personal testimony to the de-
pressing effect on their nervous sys-
TEN, from which the inmates Of such
houses suffer.
If the practice be Objectionable in
our largest houses, it becomes griev-
ols calamity in the houses Of the poor.
Bot few days since l was called to
zee . poor woman in the last stage of
mortal disease. She lived IN little
house with one room on floor. Five
months before she had lost . daugh.
by consumption. From that time IN.
oil my visit she had lived in her little
room with the shutters closed, CON-
pletely excluding the light and pure
cir. Soeffectually was this exclusion,
that although my visit was made at
an early afternoon hour, was COM
PEELED to resort to artificial light to
properly investigate her case. Anoth-
er instance was that of a poor washer
woman, left Q widow with q family
dependent for support on her and her
older daughters. For ten months did
these poor girls strain their eye-sight,
while sewing in the darkened room
which they were compelled to occupy /;
and demonstrated with by q kind
friend, who endeavored to show the
mother the absurdity of thus living
in the dark, the reply made was,
"Sure, and wouldn't you have us do
like the qualityi" Many similar in
stances might be given. | shall men.
tion but one visit, in consultation
with medical friend, poor man in
the last stage Of pulmonaryconsump.
ton. The visit was made at eleven
o'clock of . bright clear morning, and
yet, on entering his chamber, we
were positively obliged to grope
through the dark to find his bed
He had lost his wife three months
before, and in spite Of the remonstran.
ces of his attending physician, had
persisted in living in this darkened
chamber, that he too, doubtless,
might be like the quality"
These instances are not exaggera-
ted !; any one need but walk through
come Of our small streets to convince
himself OF the truth. In view of these
facts, would earnestly appeal to my
fellow citizens to lend their influence
in misunderstanding this unnecessary
practice. ! appeal to clergymen, to
physicians, to all classes, to give aid
in discouraging q fashion so detri.
mental to health, and in every way
go reprehensible. Some of our Oldest
families have steadily refused to
adopt this advertisement of their
grief which was unknown to their ia.
theirs, and it needs but the co-opera-
tion Of few more of our influential
citizens to set an example, which will
be gladly followed by others. Thus
will their own homes and those OF
their neighbors be rendered more
healthfnl, our city present a more
cheerful appearance. while the cham
Der of poverty and sickness will be
lightened of one of its most depres-
sing concomitants.