The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1882-12-22

Il
In this respect, "eternal vigilance Il
the price Of safety"
In the construction Of our houses
there is large opportunity to profit by
well known, but often neglected
principles. The best arrangement oil
rooms for the admission of sunlight
and proper ventilation are matters
mostly OF wise forethought and the
materials-other than wOod-wlIIch
Is undoubtedly the best in isolated
situations usua ly matter of
choice. The larger the house and
the greater the number of rooms the
more complicated and difficult the
construction becomes to avoid diff.
culties in the heating and ventilation
and secure all the advantages of sum
light and that cheerful arrangement
Of apartments which can be better
felt than described. TO reach these
results only competent advice from
architects and practical builders
should be sought and followed. We
have, fear, been too successful in
vigorously excluding sunlight from
our homes and persons by window
shades. blinds, curtains and plants
and clothing of such texture and
thickness AS to prevent the penetrat.
ing good officer of the light and
warmth Of the suns rays. DIR. o.
w. Holmes used to say "that he was
satisfied that man was made to live
in a warm climate or he would have
been provided with some natural pro.
lection against cold" And we may
I've the victims of the errors of our
ancestors In straying into northern
regions, and for generations reducing
vitality by clothing and other means
OF protection. thus producing a tuber.
culOus diasthesis, whether from Ba-
cilli or something else, which now
destroys one-sixth Of the human race
by consumption. Darkness, damp.
ness and cold combined, will soon
produce tuberculOus disease In ami.
mails as proved BY experiments.
Water supply this is one of the
most important REQUESTS of a home
"na shn',id not only bs abundant at
all times, but free from suspicion of
iinpurity. In fact, however, it Is one
about which little care is taken. and
less thought apparently than was
given the subject five thousand years
ago. Then wells were provided and
preserved with great care. Bit now
a shallow hole in the ground, collect.
Ing a scanty supply of impure surface
water subject to the every varying.
but always present. decaying vege-
table matter through which it perco.
lates a successful trap for insects,
reptiles, and sometimes larger game,
is the family we'll most frequently
met with in this country. and from
which the household supply is drawn.
When something deeper is found,
rs a well, 1t Is not seldom polluted by
the neighboring yards of domestic
animals, or by the cesspools of the
and the fiowage from sinks
and imperfect drainage. In the out
break OF typhoid fever two years ago
in the village Of Massachusetts the
favOrite resort and summer residence
OF AS intelligent class of persons "a
our country boasts, the wells were
found contaminated 10y defective
and neglected drainage from
kitchen sinks, etc. Some abandoned
their wells and used only the water
from cisterns but these did not es.
cape the disease, and in analysing the
contents of the cIterns, human hair
Ind amonia was found i'm such abnnd.
,nce as to appear mysterious until it
was ascertained that chamber maids
'mptied the contents of slop jars on
he roofs from which the cistern de-
lived their supply.
In close connection with the water
supply is that of ice which is now
a necessity, and enters
argely into daily use i'm many fam
lies. 1t has been supposed, by some,
hat ice could not be impure; that
he process of freezing excluded all
lelectriOus elements, and therefore
he source from which it WAS pro.
cured was only a matter of conven-
ence without respect to the quality
II the water frozen. This Is fallacy
md the wonder is that anyone, aside
rom some selfish interest should
ave ever entertained the delusion.
Pu:npelly and Hills of
Harvard University have proved by
concluSively "that dur
ng the cOngelation of water its i'm
,urities are collected together con-
and intensified in the re-
'ulting ice." If therefore it is i'm
prudent to drink from a glass of water
n the dark, it is equally unwise to
|wallOw the same cooled with ice the
'ource Of which is unknown and may
De highly dangerous to health.
In the selection of our food, cir
may restrict us in variety
Is we'll as In that quality which would
pest serve our wants, or the gratifica.
ion OF moderate and heartily desires,
nut the proper preparation or such as
IAN be provided is within the control
mi ability Of all individuals of COM
non intelligence, and still sanitary
'cience might find much to improve
n modern cooking. think the ex-
perlence Of all physicians will agree
hat In this respect there is an aver.
age ignorance that Is really cruelty TO
animals, resulting in a waste of ma.
terials and arrangement of digestion
organs. which II habit did not become
second nature q large proportion of
he human race would be ''soOn cut
If and fly away"
The care of our persons, and the
regulation Of labor and recreation in
dude so much TO be done and so much
o be avoided that it would be useless
lttempt an outline of these things in
! brief address I; and the matter Is So
we'll understood by physicians, that
t is not necessary.
DR.. Arthur Van Harlingen of Phil.
sdelphia has an article in Bucks
Hygiene which treats of the cure of
he person in detail and is very inter.
ssting as we'll as instructive. AS to
abOr and recreation we all know
here is too much of the former, for
most persons, and too little of the
AFTER; and that the two are not
with that judiclous regula-
ion which would contribute TO the
highest welfare of the individual.
WHAT SANITARY SCIENCE PROMISES
FOR THE FUTURE.
Professor Kedzie, president of the
Public Health Association,
In his address at the meeting in
indianapolis. alluded to above. refers
to this subject in eloquent language.
He first enumerates the causes for
hopefulness-."the extension of
of zymotic diseases-the
prevention of disease by incubation
the wide interest now taken in
questions Of public health-the in.
crease of State Boards of Health and
other organizations for the same OBJ.
ject." He also mentions some of the
Iliscouragements, and among these
The Hostile Indifference" as he
terms it, Of congress to the National
Board of Health, for the want of a
vigorous support, allowing the spread
Of yellow fever and dangerous impor.
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