The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1891-02-20
GENERAL SANITATION.


am anxious about the health of
Wilmington, and the whole State, and
desire that we show low death rate.
/ am aware that the masses of our peo-
ple.and in fact it is true of every com
munity, that very little thought Is
given to sanitation, it is looked upon
as n dry subject, only interesting the
physician.
Will general sanitation ever become
popular. DIR. John McCurdy, of Ohio,
said in an address before meeting of
the Ohio State Sanitary Association
recently in regard to the subject:
What we mean is will those laws that
secure good health, long life, and u
vigorous physical and mental condi-
ton be cheerfully learned and prac-
ticed? In other words, will that
branch of medicine known as preven-
tive medicine, which, can he learned
and practiced by all laymen, be ac-
quired and utilized? .-.".
1t would seem natural to answer
this in the affirmative when we call at
tentlon to the deadly epidemic known
as the plague, that visited Germany,
Italy England, and all nations OF Eu-
rope, taking its hundreds of millions
of victims In the aggregate, Hecker
telling us that this disease alone swept
from the earth 25,o00O00 of people
from the years l347 to 1851, London
alone having lost by il 100, 600 O month";
Venice the same, Paris $4,000 AYignon
&C, 600 in the same time, and u is be
lieved that in England not oie-tenth
of her population escaped from this
cause. -..-.l=
by the observance OF the simplest
sanitary Injunction, this plague was
barred from entering one nation after
another until the doors of all are now
closed upon it. and it has persisted as n
pestilence and a terror from the face
of all civilized nations, and IL is not
known to any OF them, even by name.
We can point to the visitation of chole-
ra in France, Russia, Germany and Eng
land, and show that in the years 31S2
the number OF victims went upinto tho
millions, but when this same disease
visited these same countries in 1873, so
well was ii understood that its fangs
were extracted just as civilization adj
| vanced.
In England it did not even attain the
| importance OF mn endemic. We can
turn to our own country and look at
the condition of things in 1892, and
note the incaleulable ruin il wrought
to life and Industries; but pointing
again to the same disease, when il
visited us In the years 1S34-G3, we see
that its march was like that of lion,
paralyzed, with fangs extracted, all
along the eastern part of our country,
for the laws of preventative medicine
were respected. The problem of self
government Ia watched by all inteli-
gent, liberty-loying people upon the
globe, and their eyes are all upon us,
as we are the only example of a power
full people governing themselves vol
UNFAIRLY.
1t would seem, from what has been
said, that the people would cheerfully
respond and he eager to enforce sani-
tatfon, but exactly tho opposite is
true That city does not exist upon
the globe to-day with sense of
cleanliness strong enough to keep
herself clean voluntarily. The deter
| mination and deadly resistance be-
tween the health department and the
great bulk of the people, corporations
and many manufacturers Is as deep
and desperate as that displayed at the
/ Battle Of Gettysburg People will not
| keep clean.
rhe natural bent of human nature is
| to filth and poverty, and the virtue of
personal and property cleanliness, like
all others, is secured 10y hard and per-
slstent effort; by driving up hill the
vice, ignorance, laziness and poverty
| that stand in the way. The refined,
| the educated, tile self-respecting and
the enterprising only are the friends
OF cleanliness. II bakers, grocers, dry
goods men, carpenters, tailors and
members OF other lines of trade gave
as much Of their labor in charity as
doctors do, poverty would be wiped
| from the earth.
IL IS with sanitation as with all other
vital reforms; it requires a complete
change of heart, and II verifying of the
scripture, "Precert upon precept, line
upon line-here little and there lit
tie" | can present no better argument
to the General Assembly of our State,
for aid, SO that sanitary laws may be
accepted and lived up to by our peo-
pie. We must educate before We en-
force. / am sure our legislators UNI
derstand this subject, and they will
give tho subject the attention it de-
serves. Il. b. FRAZER.
Feb. II, 1891.
OTHER STATES.
Michigan.-Reports by regular OBJ
servers and others, diphtheria was
81 Nd.