The Dickinson press., 1889-03-30
TIL. PUBLIC HEALTH.
A TERRIBLE WASTE OF LIFE IN
EVERY COMMUNITY.

EVERY COMMUNITY.
Death from Certain Diseases Unnecessary.
Dangers That Surs ,und the Poor-Awful
Condition in Citics-When Careiessncss
Is Criminal.
Reason declares that sickness and death will
bc more likely to prevail among tue poor than
anion" the rich and those in comfortable cir
cunlstaEccs, and statistics prove such artu-
ally To I've the case. The man OF means is
nhle to consult his health. to rest when its
condition requires him to do so. to take needed
vacations, To seek u change of climate. to ob.
tain leisure for wholesome recreation and
!,astimcs. he hahituallv dwclS amid comfort
able and sanitary surroundings enjoys the
hest air, food and clothing, obtains medicines
ami medical attendance when and as soon us
lie requires them, and, III fact commands all
the resources that civiiaa;e D. and science
have to offer fer getting and keeping him
well and for prolonsins his life into extreme
ohi age. The poor man necessarily can pro.
trct himself much less
THE DANGERS OF POVERTY.
We hear of no diseases peculiar to mem.
hrrs of tho learned professions merchants
bankers, capitalists, etc Almost every trade
has Ills distinguishing ailmrnt. For instance
painters collie" 'pottcr's asthma" coal
miners black lung" knife grinders con
sumption, "coppersmiths green hair" etc
1t would be well, it may he remarked in pass
ing. ii thc law would take steps to reduce the
liability To these, by compelling factories and
workshops to be supplied with the best
means of countcracting tho effects Of nox
io,s gases, masks for tho eyes, rcspirators for
the lungs, and Il bath house for wor;mcn,
and by shortening the hours of labor in espe.
cial!y dangerous occupations. The mortality
III he trades is two or three times that in tho
professions, among which, by the way, tho
deaths among the doctorse exceed those among
other professional men, owing TO their fire.
quent contact with communicable disease
Farr's Law of Density states that "tho
nearer men live to each other, the shorter arc
then lives" Not only ere the poor moro ex-
posed To disease aud death than the rich, but
the poor III cities than the poor in the coun-
Try The general mortality in cities is two to
three times higher than that in the country
Twenty-Five per cent. of our population to-
day dwell III large cities Here exists tho
greatest ,p"vcrty, contamination of tho soil
and mortality IL New York o,O1G people
were recently found inhabiting Il single block,
fourteen or fifteen sometimes in two rooms or
even enc, which served US kitchen, workshop,
lauM!ry, bed chamber and parlor Among
such ro"kerlrs exists what is known as tho
tenement house rot" md two-thirds of the
mortality of New York occurs III them Tho
Likelihood of the spread of disease, when onco
VI has found udsmcnt in such dens. and the
difficulty of arrcstiug and Graduating
II can scarcely be exaggerated Among
them Il corpse is allowed to lie two
days IN the same room in which tho fam
lly eat, work and sleep, with possibly IN in.
valid in bed, and tho thermometer often
ran In% over OO deSs. The food and water
aye l;''l. the soIs impcrfectly disposed of and
t.ic sewer rxlialrs poisonous gases Poverty
i, forced I" endure unhealthy surroundings,
u:id unhealthy surroundings in addition TO
t.lclr probable direct effects, deprive human
hcl.so OF their self respect, dcutlcn their in.
tcllccis, render their blood impure and so in.
directly make them more liable to contract
disease. In the cities OF Scotland it has been
found that whcrc the average of persons to
the room Is highest the mortality is tho high
est, lii Glasgow. that where tho number of
larSc houses exceeds that of small, it l., least
and vicc versa. In England and Wales, in
every 900 persons p die in cities to IL in tho
country In Rhode Island, satisfies for iii.
teen years show that mems lives average
three or four years longer in tho country
than i'll the city Of Providence In Michigan
The reports received 10y tho state board OF
i"al'h prove that poverty, by preventing iso-
".ilon, has been potent factor in tho raw.
l,'.a at communicable disease.
THE VICTIMS OF ONE DISEASE.
Among the diseases to which tho poor are
especially liable may bo insancrG ,iphtheria.
and, III fact roitagiou, disorders generally,
,Aoac Which are produced unL affected by
Tad air, overrrpwdlng and soil rontainina-
ti".i wasting and nervous diseases. those duo
To exposure, Rheumatism contracted in damp
collars or easements, pneumonia and bron
ciiis in winter, cholera nfantunl in summer,
etc Says Professor Vaughan. "Wcshuddcr
at the ravuges Of cholera, but let US como
nearer home. Typhoid fever .lays its hun
lreds where cholera Stays It's tens Every
death iro:n TYPHOID fever is unnecessary If
The soil were not contaminated none would
occur Vet there are ,CUU deaths from this
disease III Michigan each year, and for every
:.!.e who dies there are ten s;c,:, and rot u
r9-s. is justiiiahle Each patient is sick on
the average ubnut four weeks un, thcro arc
lVOUO sick durin., tho year THIS means
not only u great loss Of wages, but u
nurse is required for each person sick so
that 2o,G1o people in Michigan givo up their
entire time to this disease four weeks out OF
each year You may keep your premises;
clean, but only little fence separates you
from your LcjgAbor, aud he may be careless.
If that neishbor should knock you on the
head in dark night, hc would bo sent to
prison, but he may contuminate your well,
and rob you Of your life and your family and
sou can do nothing. The time will come
when it will be a criminal otrense for any
naan, through carelessness. to give his ucigh-
Dor communicable disease"
Health icing tho first consideration in in
di"r!i:als and communities, laws framed to
protect and secure it arc among tho most
ncceu;.ry aai valuable humanity can possess
The old !e.ul maxim, sic utcre tue Ut allie
mum ron lacLat $50 use your own that it
saa.l not injure othcrs"-c1prcsscs the pri.l-
ci,io which under!es them SO far as they H.
lato to communicable diseases This, y.
courac, is c!ao u principle in ethics, ard il
nlcn S ethical natures were perfect, and their
lnte!liScnrcs socultiyated that they were ubly
always to give effect to their normal iutc.1-
t!oi.,, sanitary laws would be needless. HUI
man beings ought to feel it to Le the highest
part Of manhood and wonunhocd to sacrifice
their own interest or convenience, when
necessary. for the good Of society-as. for
instance, in ia"nrrns quarartine-or in tho
isolation from the outside world and tho de-
tcut!oE from business Of infected districts,
houses and individuals Tho means of .c-
curing this result is the education Of the lnul-
vidual, and it las been one of the objects ot
The Herald to Instruct its readers that III
matters pertaining to health they should
possess the right desires aud tie knowledge
necessary fer fulfilling them. Moral aud
sanitary education, however, nro of slow
growth, requiring for the best results to 10
Je.,g:n in childhood, aud continued through
out life. and even through generations. -
Cus.yn Herald