The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-07-07
evening state ao,lrnat
FRIDAY EVENING, JULY z, 1871.
COLUMN ON HEALTH.


1871, aged 50 years, 10 months, and 70
days. He was the youngest OF family OF
eleven children, all now dead, save one,
whose present age is over 93 years.
The remarkable longevity Of this family
is worthy Of notice. Thomas and Abigail
Wells, the parents of said family of chill
dren, were each, respectively, 80 and 50
years Of age at death. The names and
ages of the ten children, who lived to ma
ture years, were as follows. viz:
Fears. Mos. Days.
Seth X Wells, deceased, aged so 2 Ii
Thomas Wells, Jr;, decd, aged "A . Is
Calvin Wells, deceased. aged 81 s
Luther Wells, deceased aged Sc t
Stephen WILLS S ssssssd aged aged s. 70
Jesse Wells, now living aged 80 and over
Abigail Wells, Jr,, decd, aged 40
Freegift Wells deceased, aged 50 10 20
Thus we see that longevity is hereditary.
This case is very remarkable one. Being
Shakers their habits were simple, and their
expenditure of life-force not rapid.
HOSPITALS, HYGIENE AND WOMEN.
We presume few of our readers have for
gotten book published a few years ago
entitled 'sNotes on Hospitals" by Florence
Nightingale. TWAS just after the Crimean
war. DIR. Parkes, in his great work on hy-
giene, in speaking of this little book, OBJ
serves that it is impossible to ovcr-rate the
good done by this work. II proved seed
planted in good ground at the right time.--
1t brought forth crop of good books on
the construction of military hospitals, and
great improvement in their management
powerful argument, we think, in favor of
women physicians. If Miss Nightingale
could do so much, what could not a host of
well educated women physicians accom-
plish s.s... i,
SIXTY YEARS OF. SUFFERING.-Re-
Gently, man over eighty years old, pre-
scented himself at hospital clinic in Phia-
delphia. He had suffered with neuralgia
for sixty years, and for it's relief had swal-
lowed almost "drug stores of medicine"
His case was critically examined, and every
conceivable cause fully explored. The re-
suit was, that two conditions were found.
One of these was a long, chronic perio-
dontitis of an old fang, while the other was
the abrasion orwearing down of the teeth,
thus encroaching upon the pulp cavity;
two of the nine fayoring conditions which
were enumerated at the time. The fangs
and the abraded teeth were simply ex-
tracted, and with what result? After all
these years Of torture, the man returned to
the clinic in about a week to report himself
greatly improved. In another week the
change was even more favorable; and in
another, he expressed himself free from
pain, and was then discharged with the in
junction to return upon the slightest reap
pearance of the difficulty. For three
months, however, he has not made his APP
pearance, although always before regular.
BOARDING UP WEALTH.--Some one
says: SIT is as absurd to spend ones life in
boarding up millions of wealth which one
can never enjoy as it would be to collect
and lay up in store-house sixty thousand
mahogany chairs, which were never intend
ed to be used for the furniture of apart
ments, or eighty thousand pair Of trousers
which were never intended to be worm"
There is much wisdom in the above state
ment, when viewed from the standpoint
that those who amass wealth do it only for
the purpose of having, without reference to
using; but to amass wealth honestly, for
the best uses of wealth, is no mean or
trivial labor. Wealth, rightly used, is
power, and power gives ability to do what
needs to be done. If no one amassed
wealth, who would pay for railroads, or
great universities, or ship canals. Those
who descry against wealth, honestly gained
and rightly used, do not know Of what
they talk. 4E 4,a ts 8trs
NOTES FOR THE SICK-RooM.-Tw
sick persons should never occupy the same
room at the same time. They poison each
other, not only in body, but in mind. One
reason why hospitals become such pest
houses, is because of the large number of
sick persons brought into near proximity.
The greatest possible care should always be
given to keep the air of sick-room pure,
by frequent changes, and, if needful, by
disinfectants. Every person ought to UNI
derstand the way to use disnfectants, so as
to have them produce the best results with
the least harm. It is often well to have
two rooms for person who is very sick,
and to change from one room to another,
occasionally. This gives an opportunity to
keep the air and bedding pure and sweet.
The very walls, floors, carpets, bedding and
furniture of sick-room absorb and retain
the effiuvia from those who are very sick,
and thus contaminatc the room permanent
ly, unless great precaution is taken TO pre-
ventit.
PREVENTION OF SMALL-PoX.-The
smallpox is raging in London, with greater
destruction of life than has been suffered
by any similar visitation within the current
century. DR.. Lancaster, in discussing the
possibility of holding it in check by proper
sanitary measures, and condemning severe
ly the mefliciency Of official functionaries,
insists that the progress of the pestilence
should be arrested by the isolation of each
case and by proper methods of disinfection.
Allpossible means by which the poison can
be conveyed from one person to another
should be prevented. The poison of small
pox retains its vivaciousness or reproduc-
tive power more tenaciously, apparently,
than any other animal poison. 1t can
be conveyed in clothes, paper, thread,
string, everything it is possible to use
in sick-room. The doctor may take it to
his patients, the lawyer to his clients, or
the clergyman to his congregation, if he has
been visiting the sick. The Levitical laws
against leprosy would hardly be too severe
to prevent the spread of smallpox. Rules
of the most stringent kind ought to be laid
down for the guidance of nurses and all
persons entering the sick-room. Above
all, in every district where smallpox pre-
walls, there should be disinfecting appa-
ratus. This should be an oven, not heated
by gas, but by stove. The oven should
be long enough to receive beds andall kinds
ofbed-clothes, and wearing apparel. These
things should be conveyed to the stove in a