The Portland daily press., 1876-12-05
MECHANICS, COURSE.
Lecture by DIR. Frederic HI. Gerriss,.

The fourth enter tainment in the Mechanics
| course of free entertainments was given last
evening The entertainment consisted of lee
| tuIe upon "Public Health by DR.. Frederic 81.
Gerrish. The lecture proved an interesting
one and the audience appreciated it highly.
The speaker began by drawing distinction
between personal and public hygiene, showing
that the dividing line was not constant, but al
ways changing Personal hygiene considers
matters Of health which it is usually thought
safe for individuals to manage; public hygiene
concerns itself about the health of masses,
which individuals could not control. The state
attempts prevention rather than cure of dis
ease.
A classification OF diseases was given with
the view of showing that certain diseases are
entirely beyond human control, others may be
to very large extent prevented by individual
effort, and third class is capable of almost
perfect control, although not absolutely pre-
ventable 1t is with these latter diseases that
the public hygienist has to DEAL The principal
members of the group are typhus and typhoid
fevers, scarlet fever, measles, smallpox, choe-
"a, diphtheria, Syphilis, malaral diseases, cere
bro-spinal meningitis, consumption, scrofula,
and cancer. They are communicable from one
person TO another-the last three by hereditary
is to prevent these and kindred diseases by re-
moving their causes, of which the CHIEF are bad
air, bad food and bad soil-in short, uncleanll-
ness, especially in those degrees which Consti-
tute filth The great dangers from filth accu-
mutations are that their volatile eff1uvia pollute
the air and all it contains, and that the liquid
parts soak into the soil and thus poison wells
and other sources of water-supply.
The necessity for the governments interior
ence was shown by the excessive death rate in
n,,1 ntrIad In fp nf
land is usually supposed to be a particularly
healthy place. but an inspection of our tables
of vital statistics will dispel the idea. The
normal death rate is II in lOOO that is, the av-
erage Of life in this city is but AZ years instead
OF SO as it should be. Thirty-one per cent. of
our deaths (nearly one-third) occur among chill
dren of years and under; aud seventeen per
cent. are from diseases which are absolutely |
due to filth. If we could throw out the filth |
diseases, almost all of which could be prevent !
ed, our death rate would be reduced very nearly |
to the Dormal standard.
In considering the causes of preventable dis |
eases in Portland, mere mention was made of |
bad ventilation, improper food, arSenlcal wall |
paper, prostitution aud other fruitful causes of |
sickness and death, and especial attention was |
devoted to the question of the disposal of ex-
creta. Privies Of the accumuative sort were |
denounced as disgrace to our civilization, as |
they are most shockingly offensive to our
senses and are in the front rank OF influences
were pronounced to be insufficient in extent, |
often badly built, and Systematically ventilated
into our kitchens and bed-chambers.
In order to prevent filth diseases, filth must
be prevented AS individual effort is unequal
to this task, it is the duty of the state to man
age the affair, and the only method by which it
can successfully deal with it is by establishing
and supporting State Board OF Health.
bill for this purpose was presented to the last
legislature, but failed to become law, as it
would require the expenditure of a few thou
sand dollars annually The legislators failed
to recognize the fact that human life is worth
money that man twenty years old has cost
and consequently is worth at least thousand
dollars; and that keeping him alive is not a
iced of charity, but is of the nature of an in
Vestment. Probably not less than a million
dollars are lost to the state every year by the
existence of preventable sickness which does
not end in death, and very large part of this
might be saved by a comparatively trivial out
ay for an efficient and powerful Board of
Health. Our people seem to need great ca
amty like an epidemic to arouse them from
their apathy, but they should be wise in time
and take warning by the experience of other
states There are many causes of disease
which are but imperfectly understood; but If
We would only make practical VIII at we now
know of preventive medicine, in few genera
ions centenarians would be as plentiful as they |
now are scarce, and case of typhoid fever
would be a positive curiosity.