St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1875-08-06

upon disease as Il matter of course, or
as Il mysterious infiictiou of Providence.
but the best minds of the age consider
il now. rather a> Il mode of existence.
OF manifestation of life under conditions
incident to finite and progressive ex-
i>tepce. hut more or less under the con-
troll of man according to the knowledge
and wisdom with which he encounters
it. or the conditions on which it de
pend>.
To briefly illustrate-no thoughtful
person can view the frequent occurrence
of profound constitutional disease ut
the present day without regret and
alarm consumption and scrotula, he
ing admitted To cut off prematurcly
some thirty-tive per cent. of the civil
lied generations. Now it is true that
an abundance of pune air and light.
good food. and we'll regulated hygienic
go fan to prevent the development of
constitutional diseases but while 80
little thought and effort are directed to
prevent their transmission, it will he
impossible toavoid hereditary ills. We
have here only to enforce our practical
/ knowledge. for we know that the fin st
requisite for the development of Il well
organized. healthy, living being. is il
healthy gem. which truth in husband
ny. is made Il practical fact ; and while
less ciIe and consideration are bestowed
upon the origin of ON species. can we
wonder that nature through the inter
vention of death often mercifully closes
/ the sad and painful career of hereditary
disease. To marry Il conSIImptive is to
enter partnership with one who will
/ probably soon dissolve it. or leave NoI
a sh"rt-lived suffering po>terily: and it
ais" involves the idea of personal dan
ger. for consumption is believed to he
contagious as well as hereditary. Con
>equently it is far wiser to trust Il fire
of pine ShavngS to warm the domestic
/ hearth. than To trust love ut first sight
Epidemic diseases is Il class the most
destructive t" man. and formerly looked
upon rs Il mysterious on rctrihutive
/ visitation from God, are now known to
arise from conditions more or less fully
under the control of hl gicnic laws. All
writer's on this subject. at the present
day. think with Prof. Huxley that 1.-THE
people perish for lack of knowledge"
Of scarlet fever he SAYS "Lookinu back
no further than ten Years. it is possible
to select three U~ti:}-6l and I-69) in
/ which the total number of deaths from
scarlet fever alone amounted To 10000
! That is the return of the killed he
MANNED and disabled being left ont of
sight. And he expresses his belief
that TIA" nature of this srnurgc will he
we'll understood. and the long suffered
massacre OF our innoccnt> come to an
end. Dr. Dewitt. President of the As
>ociation of Medical Officers of Health
| London, SAYS. Il am one of those who
/ believe scarlet fever IT, he rInplatic:IlI\
Il product of sewer 1L>t> one example
of which | bring before Nou in The
drawing Of Il Iiin-walrr pipe. with an
open funnel top. close to the window
of n bedroom. in which child after child
WAS seized with scarlet fever" The
same may he said "t typhoid fever. OF
which. lo.Ooo >ickem annually, and
twenty thousand of whom die. in the
British Islands alone. DR.. MapothtI.
Health Officer toI the city of Duhliu.
says. "Typhoid fever is one of the most
preventive of diseases. and imputcS its
prevalence To foul cmanation>." Dr
Stratum of Germany. who has spent
many Years III the investigation of
epidemic diseases. believes in their an
inhalation 10y proper attention to clean
illness and other hNgi"nic measures. and
SAYS. food privir> are far higher signs
of civilization. than grand palaces and
museums Ofart. and that towns should
he relieved of bad odor>. aud fcrmcnt-
img putrc>ccnce. before erecting statues
building museums. and buNing en-
pcn>ive pictures. But enough every
intelligent unprciudircd phy stefan holds
similar views. and to cffcctuallN carry
them ont should Ice the aim of all who
seek the good of mankind. To secure
IL reform 80 vast and important. in
diVidual effort is Inadequate the State
should assist the work. England for
the last twenty-five Years has been
husily engaged in this noble cause. and
Massachusetts. Rhode Island. New
York. Michigan. Minnesota. and Cali
iormia, have State Boards of Health. in
the report of which. there is much of
interest. DR.. Boardnan in the last
annual report of the Massachusetts State
Board of Health. January. $50. has Il
paper ON the value of human life To the
State: showing that each individual is
sick Oh an average. from thirteen to
nineteen days annually and hat each
death implies, or represents. 40 days
of illness. The expense to the people
of Massachusetts, from sickness he esti-
mates at S4O. 0OO.UO annually. or SIJ.-
OOu. 1000. for the working classes alone.
He also shows. that on good business
principles simply. the state could afford
t" incur an immediate outlay of 500
OOO.OOO. To reduce their death rate from
- to ID in one thousand yearly. Dur
ing the last thirty five Years, Sanitary
Reforms III England have added to the
length of human life. from five to fifty
per cent. as compared with previous