Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-03-22

accept. We sent her with the next pack train
10 ifeka, from whence she could easily get
Gown TO sacramento and the white settlements.
never heard OF her again. ROdacker was buried
without regret. and over his grave one of the
boys placed board on which he had carved with
his jack-knife:
"'Here lies man who received his just rev ard"
DANGERS OF ESTHTETICfSM.
Paper on Hygiene by DIR. Hamilton
Read Before the academy of Medi-
cine -Vicious Fashions and False
Ideas Of Health.
From the N Y. Herald. -
"The Struggle for Life Against Civilization
and Estheticism" is the suggestive title of
paper by DR.. Frank H. Hamilton which was
read before the Academy Of Medicine last even
ing. AS DR.. Hamilton is suffering from an astl-
matte affection the paper was read by DR.. Jer-
bingham. The attendance was very large and
many points in the paper were loudly applauded.
1t was in the nature of supplement to pre-
vious discussion on the subject of plumbing in
particular and house construction and house
sanitation in general, in which several eminent
h ygienists took part. After analyzing the re-
marks of the various speakers DR.. Hamilton
came to he conclusion that none Of the RENE
dies they suggested for existing evils was either
new or totally efficient In reference to these
matters he himself held that science had not
Kept pace with Civilization n, and that without
concessions on the part of civilization there is at
present no adequate re medy. He quoted the
remark OF Bede, when men lived in houses of
willow, they were of oak, and when they lived
in houses of oak they were of willow" ''Snce
his day." said DR.. Hamilton, 1--WE have had Oc-
casion to observe that when men left the open
plains and the small hanlets. and crowded
themselves into the narrow limits of cities the
ratios of sickness and death were proper
tionately increased. When Also in the progress
OF civilization. the frcplaces disappeared, with
their great open thrOats-the best VENT lators
ever nvented-and decorated cast iron stoves
were substituted, house sanitation experienced
loss which no sanitary engineer or architect
has ever repared; and when in obedience to
the same memorable demands of progress in
luxury and estleticsm, gas was substituted for
Oil and hot air or hot steam furnaces for stoves
the hand was again moved forward another
point on the dial of human life The means
employed to light and warm, or as is often and
more correctly said, to heat our houses, hav-
ing already deprived us of large proportion of
our oxygen. the plumbers have at last rendered
actually poisonous what remained by connecting
the interior Of almost every room in our houses
with the sewers. Said Dr. Parker: Would a
man connect vault filled with dead bodies by
pipes with the interior of his house? Yet this is
practically what we do with our sewers. Water
is no protection from these gases-from the ia
tai germs which are generated in these foul
places He added also that he had never seen
case of dphtheria in this city until the CrotOn
water was introduced.
SANITARY ENGINEERS.
POSSIBLY nothing will so fOrcibly illustrate
the magnitude of the evil we are considering as
the fact that it has given birth to a new pro-
fessOn. The calamities necessarily incident to
the progress of civilization long since made it
necessary that there should be class of educa-
ted men whose duties it should be to look after
RIGHTS n pif;zana ole fo Of
tend to matters of health, and now condition
has arisen which renders necessary a new class
of specialists or professional men, called SAM
tary engineers who are supposed to be we'll in
formed in matters of hygiene architecture. or
house construction and engineering and who
for the present seem to find plenty Ofoccupation,
and are no doubt. performing a much needed
and very useful service. but of whom it may be
said that. up to the present time, there is no
evidence that they have done ANYTHING more
than to mitigate the evils they have been asked
to remove; and indeed, there may be found
many notable examples in which the best sani-
tary engineers have failed to effect even a miti-
cation. In order, then to render pure and in
nOcuous the atmosphere OF our houses whether
the sources of its impurity are to be found IN
our present systems of lightning, heating or
drainage, 1t will be necessary first of all that
civilization should make some concessions. The
term civilization is here used in it's broad and
legitimate sense as including not only mental
culture, with progress in science and art, but
also the comforts, Injuries and esthetics of
life, which are it's natural and inevitable con-
comitants. II certain Of the latter elements of
civilization cannot be dispensed with, it will be
found impossible, fear, to contend success
fully with typhoid fever, diphtheria and many
other diseases which now contribute 80 largely
TO the Increase OF our mortality rates.
III we limit ourselves to the consideration of
the unwholesOme atmosphere Of our houses
although this does not by any means constitute
the only possible or probable source of sickness
AMI physical decay incident to civilization-the
concessions demanded as condition of the sue
cesSful application of our present knowledge of
the laws OF hygiene are:-First-That all plumb
ing having any direct or indirect cOmmunica-
ton with the sewers shall be excluded from
those portions of our houses which We habit
uaiiy occupy. In other words, that it shall be
placed in separate building or annex Second
That We return to the open fire place or the
CRATE as means of warming our private
houses Third-A diminished consumption Of
oxygen by gas burners.
EXCLUDING THE sun FROM ROOMS.
ut is still an open question whether we shall
be able to light our dwellings, with electricity;
but so long as we are obliged to depend upon
gas We must content ourselves with light aud
not insist upOn illumination. The concessions
demanded have been named in the order of their
Importance. The necessity for each is urgent
but the first admits OF no compromise. There
are many other possible sources OF ill-health
and physical decay incident to civilization than
those referred to especially in this paper The
wholesome light of the sun is partially excluded
| from the apartments of wealth and luxury. be-
cause it fades the costly rugs and drapery and
| Offends the educated eye by it's vulgar and in
trusve gairishness; and not unfrequenty. at
large receptions, the light of the day is ex-
Guided wholly, in order that the more esthetic
| and Kaleidoscope effects of gasght may be
substituted, regardless of the fact that the air is
thus rendered unfit for respiration. Our social
habits demand that both children and adults
shalt devote the hours nature intended for sleep
to amusements. which amusements are rem
dered more Intoxicating aud perncious by the
prolonged respiration of heated and poisonous
! air. Dress makes its contribution. Utility
and regard for health are almost invariably made
snbservient to the caprice Of fashion and the
study of effect. Flimsy headdresses, low necks,
short sleeves tight corsets, high heels and mar
row toes do not constitute the sum total of the
| esthetic requirements of civilization IN matters
OF dress. Walking, as a means of lOcomotion
and OF exercise, Is rendered difficult and some
times impossible. To roinp or even to move
with rapdity and sharp augularty is unseemly
In young ladies, and such young men as move
In the most refined and polished circles neglect
ing robust and manly Outdoor eyercisaS nose in