Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1890-04-18
CLEAR Up THE CITY.
A Prominent Salem Physician on the
Necessity Of San
itatiOn.


itatiOn.
To the Editor Of the Capital journal:
Sir: The United States az well as
parts OF Europe have within the
last few years made greater progres:
in matters Of sanittry reform than
the world hes hitherto known.
These reforms when scientifically
aud systematica. ~ carried out. have
been conducted i.y National, State,
City and Local cards, guided by
the latest contril lions Of science,
aud backed by force Of law. In 1888
% states maintained boards vi
health at an expense of more
than half a million dollars. In
most instanceS these boards have
high powers, and exercise great edu-
catiOual influence. Healthy homes
for all the people, il becoming the
watchword of our enlightened age
and generation 4 wonderful Illus
tration of the truth of the above
statement happened on the 18th OF
June Of 80, when the king, queen
and crown prince OF Italy inaug-
urated the Improvement of
the sanitary condition Of
Rome. This grand work will
require ten years for its completion.
Many new streets are to ba opened
and 1900 houses demolished The
work done by the New York, BOs-
ton and Nashville boards may be
cited as further proof. Numerous
aud powerful voluntary associations
have also come into existence
within the last few years, as, the
"New York public health associa.
ton, "the Newport Sanitary pro-
lection associations" "the New
York ladie ssanitary association, "etc.
In the Crimean war the fatality
in hospitals rose to As per cent,
but under the sanitary regime of
Drs. GAVIN, sutherland and Mr..
Rawlinson, 1t was reduced to II per
cent. in one month. In the next to
5 per cent. and finally to per cent.
This result was achieved by physi-
cal changes affected 10y intelligent
engineering. DR.. Billings, in his
work for the tenth census Of
the United States, estimates
the death-rate of the whole
country at about Is per 1000. There
can be no doubt that proper regu-
lation of the various conditions Of
human life throughout the country,
would reduce this rate to II per
lOOO--saving, every year, ON the
basis of present population no less
than 365, 900 lives which are now an
nually sacrificed To neglected filth,
with its attendant contamination of
the soil on winch we live, the air
we breathe, the food we eat and the
water we drink. The boasted
civilization of the United States, is
here confronted with the fact, that
1000 human beings are stricken to
death every day, cruelty, needlessly,
wickedly solely because of the hack
of that which IL needs only iutelli-
gent direction TO secure. We
thus wantouly, (by our own
lethargy and indifference destroy,
every three years more
lives, than were destroyed both north
and south during the war of the re-
bellIon. The yellow fever epidemic
of 1878 frightened congress into
IA paroXysm and an appropriation.
still the deaths from that epidemic
were only $1,000, while the lives SAT
rIticed To preventable diseases all
over the nation amount To that
every eighteen days. The Johns
town catasrrophy overwhelmed the
still Il is "a flct that
thirty-siN times as many persons
die lingering, painful deaths, every
year from preveutable diseases for
which the whole people are rs cul-
pable, as the owners of the dam
which caused hat calamity.
We stand one aud all, we, our
wives and our children, facing an
ever present, but avoidable danger,
aud one which every mau, woman
and child, In every enlightened
country, has just right "a be pro-
tected against, such prot action is
within the power of the people To
secure, but the people themselves /
must secure IL. II tcan he done only
by amusing public opinion. At "A
futnre time We will try "a make an
neArer home.