The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-01-02

Proposal to Substitute Red-Eyed Law
for the LightIy-ClOthed Boy.
Buffalo Express.

buffalo express.
1t is extremely probable that some day
the young Buffalo woman who says Yes
to the soft persuasive plea of her best
steady" will have to pass civil-service
RED Anyway, If the hopes and plans of
Health Commissioners Wende culminate IN
realization the person int END to marry Try
proposition is an interesting and important
one, not only to the fair sex of Buffalo, but
to the youthful swain whose ambitions
point toward the domestic world
DR.. Wende's ideas are startling. They
furnish food for deep and thoughtful study
on the part of the social refOrmerS all over
the civilized world. They are up to date,
too. They deal with great many problems.
They cut wide swath in the field OF law
and it's great fundamental principles They
are calculated to create stupendous up+
heaval in the social world and seriously
to effect all the conditions that at present
on the transmission of hereditary sins and
vices. They change all the laws of court
ship and marriage and wreSt from Cupid
all the power with which popular mythol-
ogy has endowed him. Instead of the little
god of love, the physician is to be the auto
crat and all the traditions and usages that
have obtained since the days of the earthly
paradise ere forever to be destroyed.
Woe. woe to the enamored and thought
Woe woe to the foolish and imperfect
maid.
love, physical perfection and sufticiency
of intellectual endowments on the part or
the woman.
And who will say that such a plan would
not do away with all Of the suffering, half
of the domestic infelicity, most of the sor-
row and pain of the little ones who are
brought into this world without their
knowledge and consent, and, above all, les
sen the death rate of the city of Buffalo?
Dr. Wende is not e1nf p TO ro9 nes
or to detract from the profits of the min
isterial profession, but he does believe that
for the protection of society and the up
building of the health of the city every
young woman should be required TO pass
an examination showing that she possesses
sufficient health and intelligence to make
it safe for herself, her children and the
rest of the community to enter into the
married state.
The fact is too well known, of course.
to excuse reiteration that DR.. Wende has
been laboring for years to bring the health
Of the city Of Buffalo as close TO perfec-
ton as possible A great deal of his time
and efforts have been devoted to the in
terests of the children, for he reasons that
an unhealthy or delicate child, or a child
that receives careless or improper attention,
is extremely unlikely to grow up a healthy
man. For that reason he has made spe-
cal study of children and their care. lie
found among other things that the bane of
a child's life is cholera infantum. 1t car
ries hundreds of them away every year,
and generally the fault is with the moth
er. either because of her ignorance or care
lessness. In nine cases out of ten the ba-
by's death is brought about through its
mothers ignorance.
A few years ago there was an average Of
five hundred deaths every year in Buffalo
| because of cholera infantum. 70 relieve
this alarming condition DIR. Wende had
published in several languages circulars
bearing instructions to proper care of
children Every time a certificate of birth
was fled with the register of vital statistics
one of these circulars was sent to the
mother of the child. Then DR.. Wende had
a law passed making it a misdemeanor to
sell nursing bottle with long rubber
tube attached for DIR. Wende found that
the tubes were difficult TO keep clean. and
the milk which the child swallowed was
rendered impure Cholera infantum and
death were the result. The success of
these precautions is shown by the fact that
the average number of deaths from chOl-
era infantum at present is about three hum
dred a year. The rate has about been cut
in two.
But DIR. Wende is satisfied that more ag-
gIessive measures are necessary 10 insure
the health of the children. He has been
thinking over the problem for some time.
and finally has conceived scheme which,
although somewhat startling at first glance,
is perfectly feasibly and not an impossible
departure in the law governing the social
relations.
DR. Wende said yesterday: II am con-
WINGED that great deal Of the suffering