The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1893-04-28

| ed they knew how ito dispose OF IT,.
The whole city flowed with water.
There was complicated system OF
aqueductS, drains, and reservoirs,
some of them eXcavated in solid rock,
so that they exist today in almost per-
feet condition. They had series OF
| ceSspools connected with these drains
that should catch and hold the solid
| matter, SO that the gardeners could re-
moved it for fertilizing purposes, and
| the liquid matter was used for 1rrl-
eating the kings gardens, all accord
ing 10 most approved practices OF the
present day. SO, too, The remains OF
sewers and aqueductS of ancient
Rome still witIesS that the need OF
pure water and the removal of hlth-
the two great sanitary essentials-was
recognized and provided for in the
early centuries Of civilization. But
| in the dark ages which followed
ROme's downfall, the race sank back
into filth and ignorance, and was raw
aged by the plaques which swept over
all lands
1t is only within recent years, fol-
lowing the discovery OF the micro
scope and it's application to seek hid
den causes of diseases, that the
science of sanitation has been made
| possible, or that the wide possibilities
| in our possession TO prevent sickness
and death have been understood. LII
is true that even with our present
knowledge. disease comes upon US
without our being able to tell what
laws have been violated to bring such
punishment upon US, and 1t is also
true that our sickness very often de-
ponds upon the fault of our neighbOr,
for IN the prevention of disease every
man is indeed his brothers keeper.
The cause of large class Of diseases,
however. are well known and may be
removed or avoided.
We have, therefore, list of dis
eases, which are termed preventable,
and this list is being constantly eX-
tended. The microscope has opened
an immense field in this direction,
and I'VE have learned that man,
who levieS such heavy tribute on
both the animal and vegetable king
dom for his suStenance, is himself a
prey to invisible enemies which bring
disease and death. The habits of
these microscopic organisms are being
eagerly studied by observers in Jail
parts of the world and we have taugt
where to find them, even if we can
not see them, also how to destroy
them. We also know that these an
imals are harbOred in filth and dirt,
and that most OF them may be avoid
ed by right methods of living.
The greatest ACHIEVEMENTS IN santa
tion have been made in the prevention
of contagious diseases. Jenner, by
his discovery of vaccination, has given
us the means of control Of what was
formerly one of the greatest ScOurges
of the human race. And the efforts of
Pasteur, Koch and their co-laborers,
in recent years, in seeking protection
from the ravages # cholera, yellow
fever, consumption and other cOntag-
ious and infectious diseases, seem
likely, even in our day, to be wned
with success.
In dealing with this subject in a
general way, do not wish to be eX-
Irayagant. One naturally magnities
the topic to which he has devoted
considerable thought and study, or
which accords with his profession in
life or tastes. We should not be OBJ
livious to the fact that while disease,
especially of the communicable kind,
comes from the outside, most
of the maladies to which flesh is
heir are due to eXtraneons causes.
While | say this fact is obvious, an
other fact as obvious comes in to
modify any absolute certainty in prog
nostication Not every one exposed
to small poX or diptheria is subject to
it, not every one in cholera or yell
low fever district has those diseases.
The conditions favorable to their re-
ception must exist within the system
of the individual exposed as well as
out of it in order to take one OF them.
The resistance of the physical cOnSti-
tuition is at times marvellous. AT the
first exposure to the poison, all the
powers of nature are concentrated to
throw it off, and if the system be
hardy and it's tone healthy the virus
generally fails to find lodgment, so
that there is as much due to nature
in resisting disease as to science in
preventing it or curing it.
This accounts for the fact that at
times it is found that families and
communities have for years in the
water and food used, appropriated
VI uClCUClIouO w q
under other circumstances and other
conditions decimated them. There
was Inherent vitality to resist the at
tack of the destructive element. Men
have drank from foul well, and ap-
parently been no worse for it. Hence
the skepticism of the public to SAM
tary reform, and the disbelief in the
admonitions Of the health officers and
physicians. Men and women sleep
sixteen in room, children are born
and raised in filth, both moral and
material. they thrive and grow, and
become and remain hardy. While on
the other hand families and commun-
tiles which have given most atten-
tion to what they breathe, drink and
eat, fall victims, it is thought, to
their undue care Of themselves.
There are compensations often in
the vicIssitudes of the life of the poor,
such as activity, especially physical
outdoor exercise, and the general de-
velopment of hardihood, which are a
fair opposite to the facilitating eff
fects Of pampered luxury, the indulg-
pnrp in VariOI1C cOrtS of disSipa tipp