The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1881-08-05

.- Some Sources Of Disease.
A source of disease not always recog-
nized as such is the existence OF certain
deposits of filth near wells, from which
families obtain their drink. or near
dwellings,, so that in the course of yea 3
the soil about them becomes saturated
with impurity that ultimately percolates
the soil and reaches wells and cellars.
From these it reaches the human system
and starts disease. 1t is not unusual to
have wells in barnyards, or very near
them, into which fluids of various sorts
may find their way. This is by no means
in light and sandy soils. Water from
such wells is used by some milkmen to
dilute or medicate their milk, that at the
best is none too pure.
Another fruitful source of maladies is
the inefficient way of draining marshes.
1t would be wiser in many cases to keep
them constantly covered with water
rather than poorly drain them, and so
expose day by day large amount OF
vegetable and animal material to the
influence of the sun and air. Doing so
increases the amount of decomposition
and liability to disease.
Still another source of disease is sud-
den changes of temperature, especially
among children. Hot days alternating
with cold nights excite the action of the
skin too much in the one and suddenly
closes the pores in the other. This vicis-
situde of temperature can DO obviated
only by wise change in clothing. 1t
is not easy to change clothing as often as
the outer air changes its temperature.
And then only few appreciate tho
great importance of any change in cloth
ing at all, and so it happens that many
children take cold and die every year
simply from neglecting to observe this
care-namely. keeping in an even tenn
perature, especially in freedom from
chills and mOisture,a combination much
more to be dreaded than q cold ard dry
condition. This accounts for the bron-
chitis of infancy and childhood in the
spring. Other diseases are produced, in
part at least, by vicissitudes of tempera-
ture and in part by infectious maladies.
In autumn typhoid fever may prevail,
induced in part by hot days and cool
nights, with very little regard to clothing
and proper food. This fever needs not
so much medicine as hygienic means.
Infants especially need cleanliness, q
daily washing and friction, proper
change of clothing, proper ventilation,
so that no emanatiOn from the body of
the sufferer can accumulate in their
chamber, and the natural temperature
of the human body be mentained. In
all diseases of this sort the temperature
of the body is high at the outset of the
disease, and so must be reduced by cool
sponging, followed by cool drinks and
fresh air. The effort should be to re-
store an even temperature by warm
clothing and nutritious food. Even
temperature does not depend upon
clothing alone, but in part at least upon
proper food, plenty of sleep and q full
supply of rest. Regular periods of sleep,
activity and rest contribute largely to
health and life. 1t is not always the
amount of these that is so much to be
desired as their occurring at regular
periods of time. In many diseases
physicians are needed only to determine
what the disease may be; when this is
settled and the cause has been removed,
little else is needed than cleanliness
and proper food, rest and sleep, level
resting place and quiet frame of mind.
Very few diseases need potent medicine.
Dysentery, an Inflammation of the lining
of the large intestines, often runs a race
in company with typhoid fever in the
autumnal months, when brooks and
ponds have much less water than usual
and so vegetal and animal materials are
more exposed to the heating and decom-
posing influences of the sun and con-
vert rapidly such materials to sources OF
disease. Dysentery is much like typhoid
fever in its usual course, and needs to
be led to happy end by cleanliness,
good air, nutritious food and pure water.
No food suits the mucous membrane OF
the food and waste canal so well as
milk or milk porridge. The longer the
latter may be boiled. the better, the more
able it is to soothe and heal the diseased
canal.
Now and then dysentery consists of
something worse in its results than in
f1ammatiOn of the intestinal mucous
membrane, namely, liberation of the
same. And SO does typhoid fever. In
both diseases, caused in part by climate,
prostration follows and removes the pa
tient to higher plane.
Severe dysentery is comparatively q
rare disease in our healthy rural dis.
tricts. Among its causes are exposure
to wet and cold, to infection. to a lack
of fresh vegetables and fruits, to insult
ficient clothing, especially at night, to
irre0nlar and retained excrations- Wa
repeat these facts because they can not
be too well known. Many other indica-
tons of this disease are developed from
hour to hour if it is not early checked in
its cruel course. Some forms of dyson.
terry are so mild as to require no treat
ment other than that we have described
above. Severe forms need wise ply.
sician. Even mild cases are safer man
aged by him than by any domestic ply
stefan. 1t is always too serious a malady
to be neglected, and needs very early
Farmer.