The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-03-27
MUCH GOOD IS DONE
 FOR PUBLIC HEALTH
Government Supervision is
 Practically Modern Idea
LOOKS AFTER R. R. CARS
One of the Most important Features of the Work is Introduction or Air Into Cars Which
 Are in Motion.

Washington, March 26.-(Special)-Gov- ernment supervision of public health is' practically, a modern institution ana one of the most useful of the auxiliary branches of our government IS the ae- partment of public health. So quietly has 1t gone about it's work that comparative ly few people know of it's scope or the vast amount of good it has accomplished. The organization of this department IS another potent evidence of the advance of civilization. Since governments were nrst instituted, rulers have sought to increase their knowledge of how to kill men, but until within a comparatively recent date they seemingly cared little for knowing how to preserve the lives and health of their subjects.
 The United States is not the pioneer in this direction, but it is one of the most progressive, and it's researches into the causes of diseases and how to most readi- ly stamp out their spread and to mini- mize the danger from them have been wide and thorough The last report of Surgeon General Walter Wyman, of the marine hospital service, under whose di- recton the department of public health operates, is a most exhaustive treatise on health matters as they concern the gen eral public.
 Renders Valuable Aid to States.
 On account of our peculiar form of gov- ernment and sensitiveness Of the individ- ual states, the general government cannot invade the precincts O. state and take direct charge of health matters, but owing to it's special opportunities 1t can investi- gate more widely and more thoroughly, and thus render valuable aid to the state health officers by furnishing them the re- suits of such Investigations, enabling them to work to better advantage. Against the bringing In from other countries of con tagious diseases the general government can exercise most rigid quarantine, but the state authorities must exercise con trol within the limits of the state.
 Every citizen Is of value to a state, and whatever can be done to preserve the life and health of the citizen is of value to the whole country. The public health department seeks to discover the cause of diseases, and the methods by which they are spread from one section of the country to another and then to offer sug- gestions looking toward the prevention both of the disease and it's spread.
 Sanitary Railway Cars.
 It is conceded that one of the methods by which contagious diseases are quickly spread over large sections of the country Is the stream of travel constantly pass ing from one section to another This has turned the attention of health of ficers to the sanitary condition of railway passenger cars and Surgeon General Wy man in his report devotes considerable space to the discussion of this branch of the question.
 Railway authorities were the first to be- gin an investigation looking toward im- proving the ventilation of passenger cars, but 1t was with no thought of con duclng to the public health. but only to the comfort of the passengers they being convinced that the more comfortable they could make travelling, the greater would be the volume of travel, and the more profitable would be their investment in railroad property. It was this Idea of increasing the comforts of travel that gave birth to the sleeping car, and later to the dining car, then to the auto matic coupler and to the vestibule. It is true railroad officials now claim the | adoption of the automatic coupler was a measure of safety for their employees. That was a result, but not the moving cause. As an evidence of this, witness the fact that it required legislation by Congress to force the adoption of safety couplers on freight cars. When travel ing was confined to a few hours in a car, all these improved methods for com fort were not important, but now that hundreds and thousands spend days in car they are absolutely a necessity.
 To Introduce Fresh Air.
 One of the first questions confronting railroad authorities was to introduce fresh air into the cars, and at the same time avoid as far possible the annoyance of dust, smoke and cinders. Open car windows readily permitted the ingress of cinders, proving destructive to the cloth ing of passengers and to the upholstery of the cars, and frequently the smoke and dust would be intolerable. The first de- vice adopted was a 'spark-arrester' on the locomotives. This reduced but did not wholly eliminate the trouble. The patent office at Washington contains large number of devices for car ventilation. The first patent was issued nearly fifty years ago when railroading was still in its in- fancy. Nearly all the devices are based upon defecting the smoke dust and cin- ders. while admitting the entrance of pure air and the different shapes ani working plans of the deflectors are almost numberless.
 Gave New rend 10 nougnt.
 When the health authorities began the work of investigation relating to the sani- tary condition of the cars. it gave new impetus and a new direction to the trend of inventive thought The hea4,n author ities soon found that there were a num- Der of things so unsanitary, per SC, about the cars, especially the sleeping cars, that they at once made many suggestions as to the proper remedy The investiga- tions now being conducted by the lab oratory of the public health department, in connection with the laboratories of sev- eral cities and states, is toward determin- ing just how much danger to public health there Is in breathing vitiated air in passenger and street cars, and from the carrying of perishable food products in freight cars that are not properly ventilated.
 The problem now is to find the best method of injecting fresh air, at the same time ejecting the foul or vitiated air. and also without admitting dust, smoke and cinders. In this is contained another problem. The free admission of air from the outside into a rapidly moving car without some means of pre- vention. Is almost certain to cause ,r. . 5raft produces colds and colds