Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1882-08-13
A FEW THOUGHTS AND HINTS.
On hygiene and sanitary Investisa.
flE 20 ton.

On hygiene and Sanitary InvestiGa.
BIZ John FftsseH, N. D., Wheeling.
The Society may be familiar with the
anecdrte told of Doctor johnson and
Boswell. DIR. johnson and his friend
and biographer Boswell, dined one
day with a gentleman by special lnvi-
tafion, The next day johnson COM
nIained to his friend Of the meagerness
of the entertainment. "Well, SIR" said
Roswell. ubut it was not q dinner"
ayes" replied johnson, good enough
dinner, but 1t was not dinner
to ask man tor Now, gentleman. L
do not expect to furnish an entertain
ment good enough to ask the Society TO
listen to. II 1 furnish one which the Se-
ciety will be willing to listen to when
it comes in their way, and they have
nothing else to do, / shall bafully salts
fled. i plead guilty, Mr.. President, 70
the charge of giving meager entertain
ments.
Two wears ago, in some remarks on
epjdemics and the origin and causes
disease, reference was made by myself
To certain urgent recommendations
made by a special committee to the
city Council, looking to the prevention
of an epidemic of diphtheria, at that
time threatening what is known as
East Wheeling. dissented from the
opinion expressed by that committee,
that diptheria necessarily originated in
filth, and other causes capable OF con-
troll by city legislation. l suppose here
TO extend somewhat the remarks then
made, chiefly to reference to the opin-
ions of a number of medical men and
scientists, who by their standing COM
mand the respect and confidence Of the
profession at large.
This committee, speaking Of two cpl
denies of diptheria in East Wheeling,
say in their report to Council: These
epidemics We're due to preventable
causes, and upon you rests the terrible
responsibility, ifthe proper steps are
not taken to remove Them" DIR. John
s. Billings, Surgeon U. s. and Presi-
dent of the Public Health Association,
i'm his address to the eight annual meet
ing at New Orleans, December 3, 1SSO,
saws: ave have not yet gone SO far as
to take it for granted in the case Of cpl
demic of typhoid fever or diphtheria, or
small pox or yellow fever, that some
one must be to blame; that there has
been either negligence or positive mis-
conduct on the part of some person or
persons, who mast pay the penalty"
And again he says: "Our knowledge
of the causes of disease is cOnfessedly
frapmentary and imperfect. we 90
not know why fever spreads one year
like fire in the dry grass, while In an
other wear it is confined to one or two
limited Localities. We do otknow why OF
late wears malaria has been steadily IN
creasing along the New England coast,
or why it alternates with typhoid on
the mountain sides of North Carolina
and Virginia." Dr. Billings THINKS,
however, there are equal chances that
in the progress of sanitary science we
will some day know the causes OF some
of our most destructive diseases, and be
able to prepare for their prevention
upon truly scientific principles. That
day has not yet come, and no distinc-
tive signs of its coming are yet appar-
ent. The views of DR.. Billings seem to
be at variance with the views OF the
Council committee, who, speaking OF
the two epidemics of diphtheria in East
Wheeling, say: "These epidemics were
both due to preventable causes, and
could have been removed bya moderate
outlay of money by the city authorl-
ties" Experience has shown us that
no part of Wheeling or the surrounding
country is exempt from liability TO
diptheria; and that no amount OF money
expended by the city could prevent it
from appearing in our midst, both In
the city and country, Proper sanitary
management, isolation and care might
have lessened the number Of cases and
mitigated its violence; but no possible
care could have kept our city clear OF
the disease. Dr. Da Costa, of Philadel-
phia, says diphtheria is the result of
special poison, which acts partly on the
blood and partly on the nervous system.
Bad sewerage cannot be the only cause,
as some claim, for it occurs in camp
and country as we'll as in the city.
Filth favors its development, but it is
not the cause. Some Germans say
bacteria fasten on the throat, get into
the blood, poison it, and overwhelm
the nervous system. But bacteria are
a consequence and not cause. 1t is a
poison that gets I'VE do not know how
into the blood, poison that is fatally
contagious.
DIR. johnson Baker, of Illinois, says:
"Diphtheria comes in ALI localities, and
the man is foolish who thinks he can
control it by attention to sewers and
other regulations, for the best country
families with the best possible locations
have it the same as the poorest and
the least looked after. Whenever you
can control the forty-five miles OF at
mosphere, you can control diphtheria
and all atmosheric troubles and not
before" This is the way wise men OF
the profession begin to think and talk.
DIR. n. S. Davis, of Chicago, made re-
port at the last meeting OF the Ameri-
can Medical Association at Richmond,
from the committee appointed to con-
slider the subject OF the erection OF OBJ
servatories for the determination OF the
amount of ozonic, organic and foreign
matters in the atmosphere, at different
times and places, and their connections
with the origin and causes the different
diseases of the country. That seems to
me o we'll devised plan for collecting
facts which, when numerous enough,
may be carefully arranged and analyz-
ed, and perhaps some great principles
or laws In sanitary rs wen Us physician
science may be developed. Many
things now dark about disease may be
made plain.
DIR. Charles T. Chandler, President of
the New York City Board of Health,
says: mo permanent reliance can be
placed on disinfectants. OF all gases and
Civilizations from chemical processes
going on in the earth, on the earth's
surface. in factories, or emigrant ships,
or houses, sewer gas is the most harm
full to health, and most prolific of diph-
liberia, headache, typhoid fever, dysen-
terry, and an aggavations af all diseases,
generally lowering of tone" &c, DC,
Sewers, waste pipes and drains can be
constructed so perfectly, as to improve
largely the health Of localities while
bad work and cSH6}ess plnmbing vii.
make houses and 5ations unilhabi-
table. IN Tie New York Tfibtt,ie OF
June 9th, 1851, we find q report to the
Board Of Health by the registrsrof vital
statistics OF which the Following isl a
synopsis: Deaths in 1880 from zymotic
diseases, which were influenced or ag-
gravated by defective plumbing, by al