, 1881-07-17
Summed Up in Bad Air, Bad Water,
and Bad Food.
Address by President Gregory OF tle
State Board or Health.
The Teachings Of Sanitary Science in
.,-- Nutshell. '-'-

hll clfects may be lesScnrd or destroyed Out
often, the frightful diseases which invMdl:' our
homes, ana I'LL them with scknc66. SORROW, nnd
deuth. No modern science Is more necdtnl or
more bet,elicent than this which proposes to uia
men to stuy tho rnvnEcs Of preyentlblc discusses.
un.l to lessen tho death ratc. Tried even by its
t,ntl Il, N, u,hor In its nrve public honei.ta- 10
save life IL save working, FoAltll- producing
power. 70 save population IS to preserve all
these values which the very presence Of popu-
lution reflects on tho soil itself. and on ull
the productions Of hu'nnn skill and toll.
To lessen the amount OF sickness in any con-
community. by much Of the cxtrn burden OF
curing for THO sick. and to Elvs back tue sick
None tUt those who have computed tho cost Of
ra;lrlrg and training uacn from Infancy to nsnn-
huod, und who have taken account " the great
expenditures urd losses caused by disease and
death. can tell tho tumunse value of tho services
which sanitary science may render the country.
We may almost question whether tho famous
auplicutioilS Of scicncein the great nlanufactur-
TIC sum totaI of wealth ind wel-being than the
munities hy their mitigation OF tho pau md
fear OF siekness and the conservation o1 lie
Ier mr. nnuncrate some Of the common causes
of sickness, which, though quite familiar to sum
ittrans, nre still nnrScogn1css by thousands OF
o,r fellow citizens. The enumeration VIII serve
Il valuable PURPOSE and may help to WArn tbs
unwary-
Fresh, puro air for breathing stands in tho
front rank Of the conditions nf life and health.
And unfortunately this condition is the one
most frequently aud tuost fatally violated ny !sll
CLASSES of society Footl, drink, aud exercise
arc required only Mt intervals. and may, in ease
of noea, be tlIspcnsed with fur days together;
hit breathing must be constant. through every
1ninl1te Of llfe W night nnu tl aay lGaned ei
deadly gases. with nli,sula and germs ot dis
ou:c, the air must be received into thu lungs.
Volumes hArc becn written to prove a1ad enforce
the truth tnnr pure nir Is life and health. and
that foul air is dlst"lse and death: nut stil we
sin, and suffer for our sin. aglEat fhia truth.
Twice within the last lew weeks L have been
| fnr IN entire evening confined to rooms where
crowded company Of exceptionally lntelllsenl ll
people rened for her* orethae oyer rrt1 1ne
| the poison inhaled. Only few dnys slncc l
visited IN assembly ot scientific men Of Nation
nuckrd rom, where the atmosphere rocked with
| The hot brcaths OF the listening crowd. 60 to
| any sociaI gathering. and rs often N the man
sion of wealth us il, the cotthsc Of the poor we
shall IND the blind daring Ut tue tiseaso-
! yendcring atmospheric poisotf- Days Of head-
:lchc and Of ussitutle lnllow, and disease il GU
.yc.n1crt:d: but the fashion nnd folly go OIL. So
g;ul clubs a,,d cateries crowd stlnl! ohb-rooms;
-mcctings fur business or for Paeashrc ior ~
srTf and 1F tIvcnilasci apartmsts aud the
! tul1nr health OF those who Atten'l these meet
inss is attributed to any and all causes but the
| hut worst OF all, the schools provided for tho
education of our children continue. III spite q
| oil protests and I'LL warnings, to " housed ~
| rooms too small for the Number OF pupils and
| with Il ventilation ton often a mere lnockcry.
| Thus VIC plant the scc.ls Of disense along with
tho seeds OF knowledge. and fatally weuken the
,uf1ysllt while processing To cultivate tue IN
tcllectnuI powers. Frequently the school-no!lse
is tho central and chief agency for Tue spread OF
! tpitlenies and contagious.
| Let it bc known t::ut no scbool-rno1n occupied,
as is now the custom, by the whole school, dur
ing I'LL the schuol hours. cnn be suiicicntly VEN
| 1llattd to make it entirely hcul1hfnl- Lei any
uhysjuogist be asked 10 make the computation
| Ut the air necdea and he must confirm this
statement. Frotn sno molles.t tho children are
t.u,blcl tho air of the scl1our0Oul begins 10
| dcterioratc: and since nn system of ventilation
sweeps the whole body Of impure air OUT Ut
once the best 1t can do IS to keep the mixture
| from becoming us bud As possible:
The first rule should bc to Use the minimum OF
| confinement fur cuch pupil. The second should
bu to keep the fcwcst possible seated 1T IT taeir
studies III tho sn,nc room, Every pupil thnt can
| he trusted to study his lesson elsewhere Should
| he utly!sctl TO visit the school room nt esson st
| times ntliy: and instead OF tho foolish n1nhiuon
tu krcp every filled. let II be sought TO hnve
Us ul,lily vacant seats US tuny be possible "lth-
III Il ls nut, However in crowded parlors cl1lb-
roous lecture halls. and schouls alone taat lhi-
pure air is to be feared. III MI houses baa Alr
| Gun he found. Dust and nloidy uafhp nautt tne
ron,us reserved for special Uccnsius, while those
! in daily uso are snturMfeA with tho breath.
| snosc, steam, and gnse5 nonl 'lt thc honsehola
| corruption il found i'll tho very soil which tap
| house covers. THIS is especially tho cisc with
1
| without removing foot Of the SOIL, or opening
| IL foot of drainage, the house Is SET upon II rev
low posts and then oaroel nronnd to prevent tue
| cold winds getting under tho hoor. lhihe wllter'
| IL il not uncommon to hank 1t with straw VI
| even with b,.rn-ynri litter. The Hlt-dcGilycI
| mass beucutn, III the dark and dump, unvlsltetl
| which are sucked up through every cfcvice IL.
the iioor and MI Tie house with their deatht u
influence. such houses arc .icath-1raps, m ee nnee
| known more than one tAniy u l'lhe' auo ctca
| brrIsh. in such u dwelling. ,. r.
| Half OF the ilt-health Of women over tbat ol
| men musI bc charged TO the 1nuooF lfc wntca
| fvrbds them the Iife-civsnr intiucuce OF hcav-
| ci1's free pure air utid SUNSHINE. ,. .1,..
| Our houses want more windows lsrEcr chffn-
neys 11lt,rr tru1sOnls more CRATE fires IN winter.
| uni less poisonous furnaces. 1t is 10 tho stovcs
| within our own tudics, fed ~ "ounuance OF
trcsh arAt VIC must look a"r ,,t n,Ss
tvus iron plates offer so little resistance to the
| ,Ieudly c.rt,onic acid sas. We make our houses
comfortable ut the cx.,ese al their heulth u'hess
| when we Shut OUT Coils sunshine anu pure alr.
| Ilctter, in this respect, the Vnd-senrcacu move!
Of The poor than the padded homes of luxury
!:speciully should our slcapng- rooms be made
| larger and be better ventilated. Better inc
open window and the night :llf, ot!es SO iosl'sn. o.
| IS dreaded, than the slow poisoning witch thc
| Eud lir gives, and which leaves the Sleeper to
awake weak aud unretrcsbcd bt h's sl.l!noers.
| h,Ii,iing thln thar Ut the small bed-chaMpers.
| Sanitary science snys that thest: apafthent;s =,
should TIC ths largest sunesl alu ~, y, tI
|
,innr and lot the he'd be rolled Mt night ntu Inc
| middle OF the room, So that the air Inuy move
| freely around tho sleepers.
IMPURE DEISK1St;-wATE1:.
| The common tlrinkiug-water Of thousands O.
families is Hled with fnusness nnd tAe seeds ot
| disease. In tho country places the wells are arr
frequently SO shallow as to be supplied with tno
mere surface Of water, filled with organic mat
tor washed from the soil AZ tho summer heats
| and Jruughts diminish the supply, the family
| rnntin1e to use the dregs until no
| more can bc dipped from the muddy oottoin,
| and often Til Some, I" them, u''aceountao!e
tlIseaze aeizcs upon several 1nelnbcrs VI lno
] fumiIy in quick succes,lou III tue villages. tne
| wells arc commonly placed near tue katcnet
| tIuDr for convenience 6uks nnu the Stops anu
| wnshing5 from tho Kitchen are thrown w tno
,,rolnI close b. to inter iuto tho we'i with nat
little change in their condition In many oIher
wnys tile drinking water Df tho family Is reti-
dcfcd impure. ana typhoid fever, or some other
/ tiIth disease follows as naturally us harvest
| co,1es from sccd-sowinE ., ..x.,,,
| It ought to lie urged with t!reess tongue
| that a plentiful supply Of GOOD pure arlnkluE
water Is one or the first n1d most lMposlaN1
| conditions Of health for man Or bctlst; anu
wncun,er my member Of fatusiy Is sliced ns ny
form Of zyInttic or !ilth disease the ;atcr supply
Of that family ought to COME immediately aNoes