The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-10-23
MOSAIC SANITATION.
THE ANCIENT JEWISH HEALTH
LAWS
Anticipated Much That Ia Rest I'm Mod
ern Medical Science.

The proceedings of the Royal Insti-
tute of public health were continued at
Blaekpool.
In the municipal and parliamentary
section paper prepared by Dr.. Adler'
Chief Rabbi, London, was read by T.
Cam Hughes, town clerk of Lancaster,
and one of the secretaries to the con
gress. DR.. Adler said the question had
been asked, Was it recorded any
where in the Pentateuch that it's pre-
cepts were intended to exercise a SAM
tarv influence? He quoted several pas
sages to show that the answer was in
the Affirmative and said reference was
made not merely to the plaques with
which the Egyptians had been visited,
! but to certain diseases that prevailed
among the Egyptians, and to those pc
culiar and fearful epidemics which oc-
casionally ragged in that country. Dr.
Benjamin Richardson few years ago
in addressing some Jewish working
men viewed all the commandments OIL
the Decalogue as hygienic provisions,
| all having reference to the rule ana
| governance of the passions, without
which governance life was emoittered
| degraded. and shortened. AS 10 the
Sabbath science had demonstrated that
If the body and mind of man were 10
retain their health and Vlgor 10 old
age they must not be permitted 10 toll
for more than six days in the week,
and famous physician had declared
that he never knew man to WORK
seven days in the week who dld not
kill himself or his mind. Moses m
sisted on personal cleanliness, ana en-
tire CHAPTERS in the Books of LeVitlcus
and Numbers were devoted to the sub
iect of the cleansing of the person and
of clothing.
AS to infectious diseases, the note
worthy fact pressed itself upon them
that the laws of the Pentateuch ala
not follow the ancient therapeutlcal
or curative system, but substituted for
it the method, now regarded as truly
wise and philosophic, Of prevention.
The only infectious diseases known In
those days seemed to have been that
of leprosy, though the subject was stlll
shrouded in much obscurity. The pre-
cautions ordered for that dread malady
comprised complete isolation of the
sick from his family friends, ana the
general community till the disease had
disappeared, thorough purihcatlon
of the patient when recovering and re-
entering the camp, second peflod or
quarantine. and a destruction of his
clothes and other effects 1t was now
recognized by some of the highest med |
ical authorities in the land that, II |
this plan were followed out in the |
present day, the special diseases Of our |
times, smallpox, scarlet fever and es-
pecially typhus, the sad outcome of |
filth and overcrowding, would speedily |
disappear. or at least become ulti- |
mately 30 rare that they would be rele-
gated to the happy limbo of all curl
Gus maladies. In some cases the sani-
tary officer under Moses had to demol-
ish the house and cast it's fragments
out of the city-a weighty admonition
as to the way to deal with the rotten
tenements that still disgrace SO many
towns in this country. Then the land
laws of the Bible which were calcu-
lated to keep the Israelites as agrcul-
turists, must at the same time have
been intended to perpetuate a sturdy |
beyond dispute hey WERE intended to
serve high moral purpose and entire
self control The great ideal of per-
feet man and womanhood might be
viewed as the life and soul of these
various commands.
1t might be justly claimed that ODE
dience to these various injunctions
during successive ages had contributed
I'll.
and moderate so that by
common consent he was remarkably
free from besetting vice of mankind
the indulgence in strong drink. He did
not entirely assent to Lord Beacons-
fields witty adaptation of the preach
er'e words "Sanitas sanitatum ct om-
MIA sanitas." The body did not consti-
tute the whole being, yet it must be
readily acknowledged that in laboring
to secure for their felowmen a healthy
mind and a healthy body they were
striving for noble and godlil1e aim.
In the brief discussion which follow
ed several delegates said that the Mo-
sale injunctions, however excellent,
could not be applied in large manufac-
turing towns. For instance. to pull
down house might be heroic, but it
was hardly practicable.
Other subjects discussed were the
,onfid nee of the laws relating to pub
lie health, the influence Of personal hy-
siene and general sanitation, tubercu-
osis in man, the defects of local gov
and the unifcaton of rating.
The lady delegates also met and dis
;ussed the Importance of teaching
lousewifery as an aid toward the i'm
)rovement of the public health
PAUL DEROULEDE'S VIRTUES,
Paul Deroulede, who is the central