Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1902-05-29

Science Notes.
Typhoid PreventabIe.


Typhoid Preventahle.
During our civil war typhoid fever
was the principal cause of mortality,
and without doubt the number of vic
TINS from this disease alone exceeded
the number who were killed in battle
or died of wounds (939e9) The total
number of deaths from disease was
nearly twice as great (1S6,216). Dur
ing the war period commencing May
1, 1898, and ending April 80, 1899, the
loss to our armies by disease was
5,43S and by wounds, injuries or &C
cidents only 96S.
The question why preventable
disease is not prevented applies to the
civil population as we'll as to armies.
Just at present smallpox is widely
prevalent in many parts of the United
States and in England, simply be
cause the well-known means of pre-
yention have been neglected by a con-
siderable portion of the population and
because there is no adequate author
ity for the enforcement of vaccination
So, too, as regards typhoid fever;
many of our cities and towns con-
tinue to suffer severely from this dis
ease as result of the use of water
contaminated by sewage and other in
repeatedly brought to the attention of
those most interested. Sanitarians
have to contend with the ignorance
and reckless Indifference of a large
part of the population, including
often those having the authority to
tions
Arsenic in Beer.
DR.. E. S. Reynolds, who was the first
to discover the cause of the outbreak
1900, has presented some interesting
information before the Royal Commits.
sion on Arsenic Poisoning. Since the
epidemic the Manchester brewers have
taken infinite pains to the end that
| arsenic shall be found in the beer by
| the most delicate tests, and in conse
quence alcoholic neuritis as under
stood for years in Manchester, has
nearly disappeared, and herpes and
| skin fermentation have greatly di
, minished Alcoholic heart, to which
much attention had been directed
formerly in that city, several mono
! graphs having been written on the
subject, can no longer be found. DR.
Reynolds drew attention to two symp
toms which he considered especially
| indicative of acknowledgements
| and keratOsis, and also to the fact thai
a large quantity of arsenic is some
| times present in reduced iron (fer
rum redactum Br PHI, in some in
| stances as much as 1 per cent. ant
| suggests that the benefit sometimes
| derived in anemia from administra
| ton of iron may be due to the arsenic
| contained in it.
The Sootfali in Manchester.
Mr. Irwin, wishing to determine the
amount Of SCOT which falls in Man
| chester over given area, took {
| sample Of the snow after it had beer
lying on the ground for ten days
| The sample was taken in a garden
three miles north of Manchester Towr
Hall, and was melted and the dry
| residue extracted, weighed, and an
alyzed. 1t was found to contain al
amount of SCOT which was equivalent
| to 1O.71fb. per acre, or three tons tC
| the square mile. The sample repre-
scented a condition which prevailed fol
at least a hundred square miles in
! circle round Manchester Town Hall
| so that three hundred tons of 500
had been precipitated from the chin
| neys of Manchester during the ter
days. The analysis showed that the
| sample contained 1876 per cent. OF
carbon, 80 of heavy oil and grease
| and 44.5 of ash.
DR.. Knecht, of the archaeological
School, gave the results of an analysis
| Of the snow made by him from q
| sample taken in Whitworth street on
the 9Th day after the fall, showing
three times the quantity of SCOT found
in Mr.. TWINS sample.
Reconme ndation of Alcohol.
The consensus of the best medical
opinion of today is that alcohol
while a valuable medicine in some
conditions-and here many would in
clude a limited dietetic value-is not
properly food. It is not what the
German call Nahrungsmittel, but is
luxury, and a perfectly non-essential
one to the healthy normal individual.
The need of modertion in the use of
alcohol and the difficulty in drawing
the line between moderation and ex-
cess, together with the habit-building
tendency, have all to be considered.
The worst thing about the present
tendency to say good word for alco-
mol is the certainty that whatever NAV
be said will be utilized unscrupuIouslv
by advocates Of the liquor interest.
Give them an inch and they will take
mile. 1t will be safer for medica,
men to stand on the facts opposing
the general use of alcohol than to
even quali1edly advocate its usage.
except exclusively as a medicine and
under medical prescription. It's cause
is not one that requires any fostering
by our UNCONSTITUTIONAL Ameri-
can Medical Association.
Face Eruptions.
These disfgurements are usually
susceptible to very simple treatment
As matter of fact, there is nothing
like frequent bathing to make the
skin fine and soft and Iyoan - -