Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-01-23
Causes Of Disease Set Forth by a
Medical Society Committee.
HYGIENE IN TEE PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Sanitary Conditions Of the City and
the Suburbs.
FL TYPHOID YER

. The first annual report of the committee
on public health of the Medical Society of
the District was made last night at the
regular meeting of the society. The report
is valuable document, and deals with
matters of much interest to the citizens of
Washington. 1t was presented by DR.. w.
w. Johnston, chairman Of the committee.
1t discusses the prevalence of typhoid fever
and malarial diseases, during the past year
as far as Washington is concerned, and
shows the causes thereof, and makes sew
eral recommendations as to how the great
extent and mortality from these diseases
can be prevented.
In an able manner it discusses the sew
erage system of the city, and recommends
the adoption Of a general sewerage system.
as well as the publication of the Potomac
water by filtration. DR.. Johnston was as
sisted in the preparation Of the report by
Drs. w. P Carr, J. Dudley Morgan, Cliff
ton Mayfeld, D. Olin Leech Frank Hyatt
and j. W. Chappell.
The report after reviewing the general
health of the District continues under the
head of special conditions influencing
health:
The special conditions which influence
health in the city and the District are
numerous and must be taken into accoun.
in explaining the extent and fatality of
certain diseases. The relation OF the city
to the river and the Eastern branch and
the proximity of large areas of swamp
land, which spread their baIieful exhaa-
tons far and wide. present the most inter-
esting problems for study. This subject
will be fully considered under the head OF
maldrial diseases. Other special causes of
disease, such as defective sewerage, soil
saturation and impure water supply, find
their appropriate place in connection with
typhoid fever
1t is difficult to base any observations
upon the mode of life of the community
a whole, or to find any reasons fer sug-
Gestions of Improvement, but there is one
form of daily life the details of which are
open to us and which are under our con-
troll. Every day 10000 children, between
the ages of six and sixteen, leave their
homes and for six hours are under the ex-
elusive care Of the state, obeyinS the rules
Of a central authority. No creator ..,,,,r
, runit'ea could be afforded for the study of
problems of the highest value to the com
munity, because they deal with the health
and we'll being of children who are to be-
come citizens and the fathers and mothers
of another generation. Thus the air which
these 10000 children breathe the temp2ra-
ture of their school rooms, the direction
and intensity of the light which falls on
their books, the time and place or their
midday recreation. and many other mat
tiers equally Important have been subjects
of study in which both experience and
science have taken part. At the present
time may say that the public school
system is approaching perfection in many
of its details, and that children are well
housed, well cared for and well taught
under public guardianship.
AS physicians we are brought in daily
contact with these children; we become
aware of the effects of the system upon
the individual, of the influence which Uni
formity of management has upon children
of different ages and varying constitutions.
60, tn thf
machinery, and it Is for US to suggest and
| insist upon the needed alterations. In the
| first place, although it has been shown that
| there is progressive deterioration IN the
| eyesight OF pupils they pass from one
| grade TO another, no systematic attention
| is paid to remedying the defect and pre-
| venting further injury to vision. AS early
| correction of such defects will delay their
| increase prevent them altogether and
| viii avert the development Of symptoms in
| the nervous system which are the direet
| consequences of long-continued eye strain
| the eyes of each child should be ted
| to repeated examinations, and treatment
| by the use of glasses or otherwise be III
| sisted on when such treatment Is needed
| before the child IS allowed to continue hi1
| studies.
| Every teacher should receive instruction;
| that viii enable her to detect the signs OF
| Illness or failing health in children uidei
I her care, and each child presenting sus
| picious symptoms should be subjected t
| medical examination. Children who eX
| hibit symptoms of loss of strength or flesh
| who are markedly anaemic, who hav:
| choreic movements, constant headache o.
| cough, who are irritable dull, should b'
| removed from school.
The number Of subjects studied. III,
| nature of the studies and the time of con
| finement indoors should not be the same fo
the strong and the weak alike. A chilt
| who Is unable to compete with superior
| children, and who will break Gown unde
| the strain of such competition, yet SHOULD
1f 30 Of I,l.rp1
ton. Some provision should be made 70
| feeble, delicate children who are not Il
| enough to be excluded altogether from TIL
| schools.
| Ma1arfal Diseases.
| Reports have been received from seventy
six physicians as to the relative preva
lence of malarial diseases during the yea
1885, as compared with previous years
These reports, with three or four excep
tons, We're from the northwest section c
the city.
| Forty-eight of them state a marked in
| crease ten of these Indicating an incre
ment CT 100 to 200 per cent. Eighteen re
port no material change, and nine ''fewe
| cases than usual
OF the eighteen reporting no increase
! four were specialists, not engaged in gen
eral practice, and four are unknown, hav
| ng signed no name. There are six who ar
known to have been in general practic
for several years. OF these six, one re
ports cases of remittent, two 10 cases
one II and one 20 and one %; an averag
of Is cases each Of remttent fever, Will
the average of the whole seventy-four /
about 4. Of the nine reporting fewer case
than usual, four are specialists and tire
signed no name leaving two only who ar
known to be in general practice.
The tendency Of these reports as Who'll
is to show an increase in malarial fever
| in the northwest section Of about 100 De
cent.
At Providence Hospital the cases of in
termittent fever treated in 1893 numbere
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