The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-07-31

II
intrinsic worthlessness or from their Danelu
! influence upon their fellows or upon posterl
| ty, might with advantage be dispensed Witf
l The law Of natural 6election or the surviYa
| of the fittest If not antagonized would accom-
plish this result by wedding out those Wn
were unable or unworthy to live, and the re
| mainder would be better and stronger there
| by. This is what the evolutionist says. !
we agree with him that this struggle for e1
istence obtains for man as for the brute crea
tion in its native state, we are forced TO one Q
two conclusions-either that mans 1ntellec
tual endowments have modified TO great de
gree the ordinary laws OF deseopmednI an
fitness exists in regard to the surv1vals OF hu
manity. For many feeble, deformed, diseas
ed persons survive and perpetuate thelr con
dents and disease take off the flower Of tn
race.
Preventive Medicine antagonizes the influ
ence OF natural selection, economies tn
waste which would accrue under It's operation
portion which would inevitably be lost.
Natural selection Is eminently selfish while
in following the suggestions OF Preventive
Medicine, we are fulfilling In part the DIVINE
Command, "Thou shall love thy neighbor o.
thyselt" >,
Accepting then as true, that human life Il
always worth saving, and that the greatest
good for the greatest number is accomplished
thereby we shall m onie e
cred under the following divisions:
First. Public Hygiene, especially those as
poets of 1t which more nearly concern us
this town and county.
vestigation into the causes and prevention o.
disease.
Third. Some practical deductions as to ou'
daily habits.
HYGIENE OR THE PRESERVATION OF HEALTH
Hygtene may be defined as "the part o.
medicine whose object is the preservation O
health. It embraces knowledge OF healtny
man, both in society and individually, al
we'll as the objects used and employed py
him, with their influence on his constituuon
and organs"
In this age of progress Sanitary Science has
many votaries and In our large cities the san
itarian as specialist has as well-establisheo
O place as the Oculist, and many brilliant me1
have devoted their time and talents to the
elucidation of Sanitary Problems. A paper
on "Hygiene" by DR.. John S. Billings OF the
United States Army, has been OF great assls
tance to the writer and has Deen largeiy
drawn from in preparing this division OF this
paper.
by comparative estimates at one hundred
years, the life Of animals being as A rule eo hye
ment Of the skeleton, which In mans case ls
about 20 years. The average duration OF lie
is but little over one third Of this period. N
ancient times the estimate IS summed up IN
these words, "the days of our years are three
score years and ten, and II by reason OF
strength they be four score years, yet Is thelr
strength labor and sorrow"
AVERAGE DURATION OF LIFE HAS INCREAs.
ED IN CIVILIZED COUNTRIES.
There is reason 10 believe that the average
duration Of life has Increased In civilized
countries-and with higher education and q
more rigid observance OF Hygtenic laws, we
may hope to make the average length OF life
correspond much more nearly to the natural
In the cities and more densely populated
regions of the country the sanitarian has TO
solve problems of ventilation, overcroWd1ng
water supply and sewerage. These though IN:
teresting do not concern us directly, and Will
Pure air is of the irst importance for the
preservation Of health.
It is rather remarkable that those impuri.
ties in air that render 1t offensive to the smell
are not necessarily dangerous.
MALARIA, MIAsmA OR SWAMP POISON.
The most dangerous impurity in air in this
country (eaving out for the present the conta-
gious diseasesJ, is malaria, miasma, or
sswramag We IT bavs Is no seys,sy ya,s
knowledge OF the nature Of this poison.
We know that it is specific, that is, 1t al
ways produces the same effects. The micro
scope and the germ cultures that nave oeen
ism, and the Bacillus Malarie, as 1t is called by
its discoverers, Is pointed to with pride as the
essential cause OF malarial diseases. This
poison enters the body, as stated, through the
air is also conveyed by water and baa under t6g
milk, In malartal locality, IL poured into
fiat pans and left uncovered through the night,
it absorbs sufficient malarial poison 10 affect
the person using it. The muscadine grape
which grows abundantly along our streams
and in swamps, is also capable of conveying
the poison which adheres to Its rought, often
moist, skin.
NATURES REMEDY-THE OLD FIELD PINE.
The remedy which nature has provided. in
the opinion Of the writer, is the growth OF
the old field pine. Whether the pine groves
act specifically by destroying the poison by
some exhalation from their bark and leaves,
or whether they act mechanically by fltering
the poisoned breeze and arresting the germs
of malaria, We cannot say !; but the fact Is
that malarial regions have become healthy
after the advent of the old field ptne and
sickIy again when 1t is cut down.
Thorough drainage Is the best preventive
which we can use against malaria. The poi
son is dependent for its production upon the
presence of certain conditions or tempera-
ture, moisture, decaying vegetable Ie matter' natter,
have us believe-and the condition most easi-
ly affected by US Is moisture. If we dry re-
gion out 1t ceases to be malarial.
Good food Is another requirement. for per-
feet health, and 1t Is noticeable that In this
country while the raw materials are of the
best quality, the preparation Is Of the worst.
1t has been said that II we were not adapted
to it by habit::and heredity, "the frying pan,
large portions OF this country" Many Of the
gastronomic evils of our day arise from the
popular notion that 1t Is improper to give
much attention to our food. We should all
4 xI,.,, n Nfn
It is no dishonor to know that o steak cook
ed quickly over hot fire Is twice as nutri-
tious as when more time Is consumed with q
less degree OF heat-that soup on the other
hand is almost worthless when made In O
hurry-that fish or oysters are the best articles
to commence q dinner with and that cock
tall ls one Of the worst, and many other
things which to name would be tedious.
More will be said on the subject OF diet
when we come to speak Of daily habits.
WATER, HOWEVER IMPURE, WILL NOT OF
ITSELF CAUSE TYPHOID FEVER.
Impure water has been charged with caus.
ing many diseases, most frequently Typhold
Fever. 1t has been proven that the essential
poison Of typhoid fever has to be introduced
into the water before single case will de-
velop from its use, no matter how impure IL
may otherwise be. Us will be seen when that
disease is considered. Consequently when
the very simple means for preventing tne en- en-
water have been used, we can acquit the wa
ter of producing that disease. That water can
convey malarial poison has already been
mentioned. 1t is a fact often verified that
water loaded with all manner of filth can he
used for an indefinite period without produc-
ing any active deleterious effects.
AS there are, however, certain diarrhoeai
diseases which are caused by impure water,
and as it must weaken the vital forces to use
polluted water, and to certain
extent predispose to disease, it behooves us to
give the subject some attention. The water
used for drinking in this country Is procured
from wells and springs. It would remedy
many evils If every house had a cistern for
rain water. Ice would be necessary almost
all the year in this climate and this expense
with that Of constructing the cistern and
keeping 1t In repair, will prevent its use be-