The Red Cloud chief., 1881-10-13

This Il undoubtedly . period Of gr~al
sanitary activity. with sass Possibilities
ct improvement. and vet with possi-
bsiisy. also. Of crude speculation And Of
o less crude invcn;iona Even SAM
taTy literature has In 10 much OF the ex-
perin~ntAl. and there s need that sli
things proposed be brought 10 rgsd
test. lest they become death dealing.
instead Of life-savinS. IL Ia. however.
one Of the encouraging facts that 40
many 81 our States. n vel ss our cities.
have Uniformed Bard. Of Health. com
posed u men who can be held responsi-
bic for their acts and for their advice.
In addition To the twenty-ihr-c States
already having Boards. PcnnsylsaniA.
Arkansas and Indiana arc likely 20 b.
successful this year. The reports Of
these are beginning To be rendered. and
form . very Important addition TO our
information as TO the STUDY Of disease.
We this year take UP. =. hrst in order.
the report of the State Of New Jersey.
IL is made especially prominent from
the fact that the Board has had TO n
tend with four decided epidemics. al II
which viii pass into recon as i'm
portant IN the history of diseases
4 aIiu us N1l>tt Aut Ais wa, VIC
w~eli-known typhoid fever nj Prince
ton. With all the talks %
malaria. all the .umors ~ 20 causes and
the many contradictory items which
found their way TO the press, 10 was
quite important that an authentic mar
ratiye b. given. The Secretary of the
Board had the very hes, opportun ties
for this work. 1t required much sitting
Of statements and close local eSanina-
ton into details. This seems To have
been diligently attended to. The result
is a clear detail Of facts and = discussion
Of the probable origin of the disease.
II seems highly probable thai the fever
originated from local causes. which had
nothing 10 do with malaria and the rem
edy for which was an entire change IN
the system of sewage disposal One
cannot read such a history without per-
ceiying the great importance Of a we'll
devised plan of eNactness in all the de
tails Of sanitary construction, and of a
superintendent which shall be n vigil
liant as intelligent and see To il that no
possibilities of Accumulated filth can
occur. A comparison Of the meteoro-
logical table shows how exceptionally
warm the months OF April and Nav had
been, with an absence of the usual rains.
No doubt, this had much 10 do with stir
ring the latent poison into activity. and
thus making aerial sewage or contain
mated air abundant.
Not less decided and not less " peal
was the occurrence of malarial feyers
at Bound Brook. While malaria was
very prevalent in many States and in
many localities of New JERSEY last year.
yet the condition of things NJ Bound
Brook was sue as to furnish admirable
opportunity for o exact study. The
mangrove swamps OF Africa give not
more decided evidence of special mala-
rial productivity than did this town.
The man who has seen several little
cra,ers all the more enjoys Vesuvius,
because it is so very declaratiye. A
town in which no inhabitant escapes is
not to be explained away by any gem
eral theory Of origin. The d,bris OF a
half century had collected in a sluggish
water-bed. amid rank vegetation. whose
decay had stored away much organic
matter. II wa neal the discharge of
two or three small streams, which thus
brought down the accumulation of n
large, low watershed. The alienation
Vi z anu pl III Itti Dftu uIll-Itl- .
and had furnished all the conditions for
fermentive or putrefactive changes.
The results were up to the plan. SO
the people thought; SO the courts
thought. For the goodness Of the thing
is this: 1t gave rise to 4 trial which will
ever be notable in American legislation.
1t proclaimed drainage for health n
necessity as never before. Ii not only
compelled the removal of n mill-dam,
but the restoration of n stream-bed.
New Jersey justice was as rigorous as
il it had caught a culprit. and declared
that men. women and children must
not have Their animation suspended in
such nj The result. too. is a
State law which. while il protects own
ers of water-rights from unfair risks.
proclaims the right of pure air and a
dry soil TO all the land and the inhab-
thereof. About the same time
took on epidemic proportions
in Camden. IL revealed an inadequacv ,
of provision that startled this CITY Of
contentment, and gave it To know that. ~,
all its enterprise. it moved too
TO keep up with the move OF the
At one time it bid fart to plant ,
in every street Of the city. A
council held with the State Board Of /,
resulted in the authorization of ,
vaccination to an extent which fully -.
United the disease. When will man =.
kind learn that il is not necessary TO ,
have n scare 3nd some deaths in order E,
20 secure that vaccination which can /;
alone protect from such a scourge? /,
Later in the season, nj BlackwoOd- {
own, some twelve miles from Camden, d,
fever broke out in the almshouse. (
which did not cease its deadly work $
Until physician, and nurses. and keep {
n. and family. as well as some forty I
inmates. had fallen before the disease. {
)ver-crowding was the great error. l
IN the midst of n motley herd was I
brought a man sick with fever. who (
vas placed at once in a crowded bed i
Dom. In twelve days there were sew b
'ral cases in adjoining rooms. Ii is q
quite possible that the first New York ?
asses arose from the tramps who scat I
cred from this place. The whole {
course OF the fever was that of n we'll n
declared typhus. 1t is not only conta- h
.iOus, but clings so t~enaciously to sur b
aces that long after it has seemed 10 d
ease it will again recur. under favor '
ng circumstances. 1t is still so per- 4
istent in certain parts of New York I
,ity that its sanitary authorities may s
veil be on the alert, lest dirty streets o
nd q hot summer should cause il to %
xtend. Thus, in a sing e small State, I
in between Philadelphia and h
Jew York. we have examples of four I
epidemies in a single year.. a
call upon all who read thereof TO c
axe heed.-N. y. IniependenL. N
An old Scotch gentleman had. in II
he course of a long life. gained a great c;