The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1891-04-01


ara even within the presn5 gene-arrl
has undergone a complete regolufsou.
The advance has been in three direction.
First. in the prevention of disease. &
stady Of the conditions under which epi-
denies develop has led 70 the important
work Of sanitary science. For fifty
years the watchw0rd Of the profession
IN this matter has been cleanliness, and
clean streets, good drains and pure wa
ter have in many towns reduced the
mortality from certain diseases 90 per
cent
In this department. certainly mesii-
cine has achieved its greatest victories.
Il is thought full Of encouragement
TO know that such diseases Is typhoid
fever and diphtheria nav ultimately be
stamped out and be as rare among Us rs
leprosy and smallpox. In this work the
profession requires and can often obtain
the intelligent cooperation o. city au-
thorities and the public. People scarce
lv understand how much has already
been done. nor do they yet appreciate
the possibilities Of preventive mehcine-
PUBLIC KSowIEDGE
AAt --NlAA --AE4a tAAftAlaaE MAlAAA
melicine has made relstes % the ln0wl-
edge which has been gained Of the agents
producing diseases. Dating from the
studies on Fermentation by Pastenr. and
the early work Of Lister. we have grldu-
ally learned To recognize the Importance
Of the structures known as bacteria,
which has revolunOnized the practice Of
surgerv and gynecology. Today surgery
is a new art, and hundreds now recover
after operations from which hundreds
previously died. The information which
we now have on these subjects has been
slowly and painfully acquired. here q
| little and there little; but the outcome
I Of il all IS that as clean streets and good
drains and pure water mean municipal
health. 50 absolute cleanliness and ab-
sence Of contamination mean in great
part freedom from infection
so universally present are the infect
i've agents. particularly Of suppuranon.
that it IS only by the most scrupul0us
care that the infection Of wounds can be
prevented. and It is now generally ac-
kuowledged that the highest type Of this
autiseuticism Is obtained. not bv tho
use Of various solutions which destroy
the germs. but by such measures OF clean
illness as efectually prevent the possibil-
ity Of their presence.
The researches showing the relation
Of special microscopic organisms 10 spec
| ial diseases are likely 20 lead 10 the most
important results The cultivation of
the germs Of disease o1tside Of the body
has enabled Us TO study the products u
their growth and in several instances
from them % obtain materials which.
when injected into an animal. act as a
sort Of vaccine against the disease itself.
The hope Of obtaining in some Of the
most important diseases vaccines which
viii bear the same relation 70 them as
ordinary vaccine 70 smallpox IS very
reasonable aDi likely ere long TO be real
lied. IN another direction. too, the
studies Of Koch have shown that IN the
growth Of these bacilh materials are OBJ
tanned which may act most powerfully
upon the body and attack the elements
Of the disease itself His discovery OF
the action Of the product Of the growth
Of the tubercle bacilh upon tubercul0us
tissue ranks as one Of the most remark
able Of late years.
CHANCES OF LIVING ARE BErTEE-
But l hear the Householder SAY. An
that is very well. but Tommy gets the
measles and Mary has the mumps and
Susie gets the whooping cough just as
nv grandmother tells me her children
mad fifty years ago. Ny doctors bills .
are possibly a little larger than were .
fathers. and l know his drug bin could
not have been as heavy as mine for ths
last quarter This may be perfectly
true. for the millennium has not yet c0me- .
but it Is perfectly trUe that today Mrs.
| s-----.-i-i-4--ts 70 -s-l-s lssr-a esn rosueed rn
| a minimum III tue --e4------- dauas.stna
emergencies. and her children's chances
Of reaching maturity have been enor-
mously enhanced
The third great advance has been the .
| diffusion in the profession and among
the public Of more rational ideas upon
/ the treatment Of disease. Dieting and
nursing have supplanted IN great part
| bleeding and physiczing. We know now
that majority Of febrile affections rrlit
definite course uninfueuced By drugs .
We recognize daily the great fact that
disease Is only a modification OF the nor
| NAL processes Of health. and that there
is a natural tendency 20 recover. We
| cannot claim in the medicinal Treatment
Of disease TO have made great posItlvs
| advances. still we have learned not -.
| do what we did is for the poor patents
a great gain. The past half century
nas placed only halt dozen alsl-ti,1l
| Indispensable drugs which must te u'tei
| Dy al indiscriminately who praclics -la
healing art.
a desire to take medicine Is perhaps'
the creat feature which Distinguish
man from other animals. Why this ap-|
uetite should have developed. now Ii.
could have grown 10 its present dlfnei
sions. what it VIII ultimately reacl- Az
Interesting problems too deep for me.
some Of the brightest hopes ~ M
rnauitv are with the medical profession,
D4sesss VIII always be with rs, but "
nav look forward confidently O. tns
q -i-na when epidernics shall be no more
= when rvuhoid snail Be as rare as typnu.
= and tuberculosis as leprusy. Man. 1liit
uraIlv a tr,tusgrcss0r daily, both IN -
. | nora5ce and deliberately breaans IN.
avs OF health. VIII ALWAYS need doc
2 tors. but the great get up Of preventaol'
1 diseases viii disappear 4n- p-1-t1
o vii b. gradual What has been dCn
2 is but an earnest Of the things tnar s1ai
g be done Amid many dlsarpoinIIneil
( we must not be impatient sclenc
% moves but slowly. slowly creeping iron
! uoiut 70 point. ."-BalumOre sun
T General IsouIanger in Ssw York
: Don't be startled if 1 tel you a secre
e General Boulanger. the deposed head z
: a retrogrsie movement, is in New-4or
Z 50. AT least, a Frenchman tells me vi
claims 70 have called upon the gener
q his secluded lodgings on the east sid
NJ informant asserts that Boulanser e,
:. shaved his face clean and IS desl7ous {
5. remaining unknown IN the metropol
q until his country calls him In this ca
n his residence here Is likely o be a l1I
!" one.
s. There Is a strong probability that 2
{, Gallo friend has given me "a striis
up IN this matter. Boulanger took
e. fancy TO New York when be was here .
is the time Of the Yorktown cele1ra-lo
It He likes the life Of a large city, and h
le been bored on the Isle Of Jersey. L.
N don did not treat him vel and Parls
- denied him. What is more natural tn.
that he should come 70 New York