River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1885-06-25
Sanitary.

Star and Times is opportune at this time
when the fear of an epidemic is very
general. River Falls is in many respects
in need of just the kind of instruction
mentioned in the article, and it is to be
hoped that the measures proposed by
the city authorities will not be consider
ed of light import:
As | am writing for the public good |
cannot avoid a mention of what has oc-
Cured to me as the greatest fault of. our
public school system-a fault even great
er than the law that consigns four year
old child to the strict regimen and closed
doors of a school room.
Children are taught in public, num-
Der of facts concerning rivers, mountains,
coasts, ETC., of foreign countries-the hab-
its of the people there-how to speak
English or German, transpose Latin and
Greek, and many other things which do
not Immediately concern their well being,
while the merest outlines of the relation
existing between blood and various or
gans of the body and the changes occur
ring therein, rarely form any part OF
their education. 1t is more necessary
and just as interesting to teach tie size OF
the liver, its function and common dlSor-
ders the average weight and muscular
power of the heart, the diameter and
length of the great vessels. of the body,
the beautiful structure of the eye and
the delicate and complete arrangement
of the nervous system. Why should
they not know the character and capa-
bility of the stomach and digestive
organs, and thus avoid the injuriousness
of excess in eating and drinking. More
necessary indeed are these facts than to
commit a mass of information which IS
forgotten almost as soon as learned.
They should be instructed in the rela-
tions that exist between health and the
social habits and customs OF those among
whom they will pass their lives. They
should also be told why high-heeled
boots, CONSTRUCTED waists, unwashed skins,
accumulations of refuse and many other
habits are injurious to health as well as
opposed to comfort.
You have recently read accounts in the
daily papers of the terrible epidemic OF
typhoid fever in Plymouth, Pa This is
a mining town of about 5000 inhabitants.
The general health of the city had been
good up to April last, when an epidemic
of fever of great virulence broke out, and
so sudden was the onset that within q
few days nearly q thousand people were
stricken with the disease. There was no
question of it being Typhoid Fever in its
most malignant form And it spread
with frightful rapidity, from 60 to 100
new cases appearing daily.
Various theories were advanced.
Thoughtful minds naturally turned to the
water supply as a possible cause of the
trouble. But Plymouth is supplied by a
stream of great purity which comes leap
ing down the mount -tIn side distance of
nd - Il otpiL
the town by pipe, running from four res
ervoirs. A committee of physicians could
find no contain nation here, but some
miles up the stream, in the only house
situated upon the stream, and within a
few feet OF It's banks they found patient
convalescent from Typhoid fever. Dur
Ing the course of his illness the dejoota,
without an attempt at disinfection, were
thrown out upon the snow toward the
stream. During the last week of March,
the temperature became sufficiently warm
to melt the snow and by April this pois-
onous dejeGta had contaminated the water
supply. About the middle of April this cpl
demic began, appearing in just sufficient
time tor the poison to reach the water
mains and produce the disease. The
cases were limited to the families who
used the water supply. This most re-
markable epidemic teaches an important
lesson at fearful cost, viz: that in any
case Of typhoid fever, no matter how
mild nor how far removed from neigh
bors it may be, the greatest possible care
should be exercised in thoroughly disln-
fectng the poisonous stools
The origin Of all this sorrow and desc
latiOn occurred miles away on the noun
tain side, far removed from the populous
town, aud in a solitary house situated
upon the banks Of a swift running stream.
Here, if in any place. it might seem ex-
cusable to take less than ordinary precau-
tons, but the SEQUEL sadly shows that in
all cases the most rigid attention to
detail in destroying these poisonous
germs should be enjoined upon all in
charge of typhoid fever patients. And
in a city like ours, with miserable sysz
TEN of depositing Of our wastes, it is
highly important that we take more than
common care in disinfeeting and dispos-
ing of ali dejecta of the sick. We may
not even by the most gross carelessness
be visited by such a violent epidemic
as has fallen TO the lot of Plymouth, yet
who can tell but what many Of the more
ordinary expressions of disease are pre-.
voked by carelessness in this direction,
To defend ourselves against any possible
attack Of cholera this summer, let us
exercise due caution in this particular by
repeated and thorough disinfection of all
our privies with common lime or what is
still better and equally cheap ohlorinated
lime.