Morning journal and courier., 1891-05-09
COMMUNICATIONS,
The old Sanftarian warns the Peo.
 pie Against Mumps and Leprosy.

The old Sanftarian Warns the Peo-
 pie Against Mumps and Leprosy. To the Editor of the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
 Ordinarily, the conduct of the New Haven Board of Health is SO admirable that to praise it is like an attempt to paint the lily or to add new perfume to the trailing arbutus in early spring. But, as an old watchman on the lofty tower of Sanitary Science, feel bound to say that our local board of health has made seri- ous mistake in preparing the ordinance relative to contagious diseases.
 No mention is made either of the humps or of leprosy. The omission of humps is very unfortunate for the cause of Science because that disease is very con- tagious;-it makes it's victims look very much like chipmonk with his cheeks stuffed full of corn, and it is caused by a microbe that is fearful to look upon. was the first Scientist to discover this germ and named it the B Pachyderm because it looks precisely like rhinoceros, although it is only 1-30, ,000 part of an inch in length. Its skin hangs in coarse folds and on its nose appears a terrible horn which have Scientifically estimated to be about 1-170, 900 of an inch in length.
 One peculiarity of humps renders it very dangerous to our city. It is especi- ally prone to attack juvenile, immature persons. As the woods of New Haven are full of such folks, the bacteria which ere ates humps is very unsanitary animal when roaming around the streets. In fact, it might paralyze our municipal mschin- cry. Suppose the B Pachyderm should attack the board of public work or the po- lice commissioners? How some of those officials would look with their cheeks stuffed out! and what would become of the public business? All of these evils might be averted by placing humps among the list of dangerous, contagious diseases and by fning all persons guilty of having it.
 Every day increases the danger that the bacteria which generates leprosy will be poured in upon us. That awful disease has existed in China for centuries. Our health board has wisely said: ''The germs of disease exist not only in the air, under the earth. Moreover, there are cur rents of air under the earth upon which disease germs travel for great distances :" The germs of leprosy have no doubt ac- cumulated in immense numbers in the earth, and in the waters under the earth, in China. China is directly under us, and the Winchester Arms company has for some time been at work upon an artesian we'll which, the president of that company has said, Twill be sunk as near China as machinery can dig it."
 AS Scientific Sanitarian, ask the board of health to issue an order to the Winchester Arms company ordering work upon this pernicious we'll to stop at once Any day current of water containing millions of leprosy microbes may be struck and then it will be too late to avert an aw- full scourge.
 Let the Common Council at once vote whatever Money and Power which our Sanitary Scientists need to stop this un- sanitary digging. Let them also put Mumps upon the list of deadly contagious diseases and thus at once protect the peo- pie and vindicate the Sanitarians from the charge of neglecting to suppress such an awful malady. AN OLD SANITARIAN.