The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-03-25

constituting the farmers trinity neces-
sary to the production of good crops.
| believe in getting plant food to the
soil through feeding our folders and
resultant manure to fields where most
needed.
Miss Blanche Maddox discussed ''Our
Tiniest Enemies. Their Cousins Our
Friends" Bacteria are tiny plants; so
tiny that there are in milk "a hours old
or that has stood that length of time
after milking, as many as five hundred
millions of bacteria to the square inch.
Thus we see that the Importance of this
study is not because of their size, but
because of the rapidity with which they
multiply. There is no other family of
plants which is able to feet such won
derful changes as this.
There are many species of these bac
terra; some deadly; some injurious;
some beneficial. Diphtheria, typhoid
fever, lockjaw, consumption and grippe
as well as many lesser forms of disease
are due to these bacterial organisms.
They get access to the system and there
find conditions suitable to their devel-
opment.
If the system is run down and weak
ened they find easy access and disease
is the result. If, on the other hand
the system is strong. it may be able
to resist their development. This shows
us how careful we should be in the prep
aration of food and the sanitation
of our homes, in order to keep the
body healthy and strong.
Milk is one of the greatest disease
conveyors known. One reason for this is
that milk so readily absorbs impurities
and then it forms so suitable medium
for bacterial cultures and growth.
One of the too frequent illustrations
of this is the milk man who rinsed his
thus gave deadly typhoid fever to ninety
persons in one village. Suitable condi-
lions for and temperature for bacterial
growth. Germ life will develop most
rapidly under warm temperatures and
in moist and impure atmospheres; and
with diseased germs, increase is most
rapid away from sunlight, while it is al
most impossible to destroy them with
any degree of frost.
We have seen diseases which have been
prevalent during the warm months die |
out as the cold weather came on, but |
how often have they broken out with |
renewed vigor after January or Feb |
ruary thaw; we have seen that it is |
to destroy them by freezing |
and in order to prove this, an experiment
was tried in the case of consumptive
patient. Six months after the patient |
had died, some of the dried expectora ton
was taken from the wall of the room
and culture made of it, that is, it was
put under favorable conditions to see if
the germ of the disease would develop.
which it did and was again able to pro-
duce disease.
In some houses scarlet fever reappears
from time to time, the germ hidden I'M
der wall paper or rugs; hence the neces-
sity of thorough disinfection after eases
Of contagious diseases have appeared.
The paper should be taken from the
walls and whatever in the patients room
cannot be boiled or otherwise thoroughly
lisipiected should be burned.
At the present time we hear great |
leal about hereditary consumption but
when we see one member of family
lfter another swept off with this dread
disease, we hear the remark, "consump-
ion must be in the family. They must
lave inherited it from their father OF
mother" Very often, instead of being
n the family, it is in the house and
las never been removed since the last
,atient died. If we look into this sub
ect more carefully and profit by its
eachings, think we would hear less of
consumption"
Besides the hurtful bacterit there are
'enefcient ones; bacteria that cause I
lelpful ferments; such as those that I
ipen cheese and make good favors in c
ream and butter. There are bacteria +