Morning journal and courier., 1891-11-04
COMMUNICATIONS.
The old Sanitarfan Talks About the Sacredness of Sanitary Science and the Necessity of Deceiving an Igno- rant Public.

The old Sanitarfan Talks About the
 Sacredness of Sanitary Science and
 the Necessity of Deceiving an Igno-
 rant Public.
 To the Editor of the JOURNAL AND COURIER.
 A few months ago my fellow sanitarians, the scientists who compose the board of health of New York city, made profound scientific examinations of the water with which that city is supplied, and reported:
 "First, the Croton water is impure and laden with micro organisms.
 ''Second, this foul water is causing a great amount of sickness.
 'Third, the only way to avert the terri ble pestiience with which we are threat ened is to give us more power and more money"
 To my utter horror, I observe that one Dr. Dibble, an interruptions person, with no reverence for sacred things, has writ ten the following mischievous and de- prayed article:
 ''We have had the spectacle of the condemna- ton of the Croton water last summer by all sci entific methods; it was classed as impure, dan gerous. A special investigation showed that it was horribly polluted by slaughter-houses, pig pens henroosts, closets and drains. The citi- zens were wrought up to a high pitch of excite ment The water received the censures of the press and the imprecationS of the clergy. One million seven hundred thousand people drank this polluted water during the entire summer, and the general death rate of New York was lower than in any corresponding period of which there is any record. Those diseases which the sanitaranS say specially caused by impure water viz, diphtheria. ty phoid fever diarrhoeal diseases and malaral fever, stood as follows: Deaths for l2 weeks The average number ending September 5, of deaths for the cor 1891: responding weeks the
 last 10 years: Diphtheria.. 270IDiphtheria. ..... 367.7 barrRai dsor pae1HaI xRnHe 1eVeh dis Maiaria asrs fsvsr: oEdeas. f:v.rs
 To make the irony quite complete, the Croton water, according to scientific tests, about Sep tember 15, assumed it's usual purity, the danger was passed, when, 10! about two weeks after, ty phoid fever broke out in the city to an alarming extent"
 A brief examination of this matter will show that Dr. Dibble has not an inch of ground to stand on. In the outset, it should be borne in mind that I and all other sanitarians are fully convinced that it is very wicked to practice any kind of deception unless something can be gained by it. In this case our New York breth- ren were in the same boat that we scien- lists are in New Haven. They wanted more power ana more money. Our sanl- tary experience has taught us that these essentials cannot be had unless the igno- rant public are scared by pestilential pre- dictions and awful pictures of the mi crobes.
 If any study on this earth is sacred one it is to preserve the public health. If any calling is sacred ours is that calling. No one but rascal would say anything to weaken the confidence of the public in us sani.arians, because, if faith in our gui- dance be lost, how are we to get the money and the power we need to protect the health of the public from bacterial If deception be necessary in order to get the means to fight pestilence, is it not our duty to deceive the people and thus pro tect them9 And is it not villainous to try and trip us up by sneering criticism while | we are engaged in this good workl In order to preserve the dignity and sa- | credness of sanitary science our board of health should at once issue an order for the suppression of Dr. Dibble. Disinfect | him-burn him if necessary. At all haz- ards stop him from discussing that which | is too sacred for criticism; to wit: The profession of sanitary science and the acts | of it's noble votaries.
 AN OLD SANrTARIAN.