Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-12-24
Nntirns of wow Isnnk..

OUTLINES OF PRACTICAL HYGIENE
ADAPTED TO AMERICAN CONDl-
TIONS. by c. Gilman Carrier, NJ. D..
visiting physician to the New YORK CITY
hospitals; fellow of the New YORK Acdi-
envy of Medicine: member OF the New
York Pathological Society; member OF
the American Medical Association, &c.
sc. New York; T., b. Treat, s Cooper
Union. 1898
\ large amount of valuable Information
! on matters relating to the prevention -
disease is given In this excellent book.
! The topics dealt with are such as soil and
climate, clothing. exercise. lighting, neat
ing. food. water, schools as they influence
health. streets, sewers garbage, disposal OF
the dead. disinfection. and many others.
These are all treated in very practical
manner. and so plainly that. although the
work appears 10 be primarily intended
| for physicians. any intelligent read n can
understand what is stated. The author
is believer in the germ theory OF ols-
ease. and is MORALLY afraid oe bacteria,
as, indeed, he ought TO be " theY arc
really 80 all-pervadng, persevering. and
| eyil-minded as he thinks they are. Still
/ he Is rather more moderate in his opn-
| ions than are the majority Of the cx'
FOUNDERS If this most uncomfortable doc
| trine. and candidly admits that bacte-
I biologists are at times triiie more COCK
| sure than they should be, as when they
assert their ability to detect what they
| call the typhoid-fever bacillus in water
/ an alleged discovery which has no doubt
more than once caused false charges to
be preferred against this much-endurins
| fluid. lie. however. looks on water as a
potent agent for conveying disease. and
recommends that before being drunk 1t
| should be boiled, asserting that boiled
water Is pala.able TO those who are used
! 10 it, IL will. perhaps. greatly shock some
persons 10 ind the author declaring THAT
! sewer-gas Is very much of a myth. He
| even goes so far as to say that 1t seems
less dangerous than the air OF our worst
| city streets. His chief reason for suppos-
! ing that sewer-gas Is not very unhealthy
IS one OF sort which Is commonly ig-
nored by the rampant sanitary declaimer,
namely. that the gas does not make any
body sick. But many observant persons.
| medical and non-medical. guided by their
| actual knowledge OF what does occur
rather than by a seductive notion OF what
ought TO occur, long ago reached the same
conclusion, and 1t must DO encouraging
| 10 them 10 see their view upheld by a
learned writer OF a book dominated
throughout by the teachings OF the germ
| theory Of disease. Perhaps II is not too
much TO expect that In the fullness OF
time when. in the serious study OF drink
| ing water as factor OF disease, the ele-
mentary method Of reasoning shall be
applied. and as much regard shall be
paid TO facts as is nowadays paid 20 sur
misses, water may come 10 be thought at
least as 1T TO drink as sewer-gas Is to
| breath.
| JOHN b. COUGH. THE APOSTLE OF
| COLD WATER. BY Carlos Martyr. au-
thor Of wendell Phillips the Aglta-
tor" &C. New York, Funk and Wag-
Nails Company: London and Toronto.
1888 336 pages. West. Johnston & Co..
Richmond. Va.
This is the eleventh volume OF the Sc
ries OF American Reformers. edited by
| II based mostly upon Mr.. Coughs own
OF them. for the authors part Is well
and vigorously done.
| Dy quasi-scienliiic figure be seeks 10