The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-08-18
HEALTH OF THE STATE.
Comparatively Heavy Death Rate Diseases of the Seasons.

Comparatively Heavy Death Rate Diseases of the Seasons.
 The report for July of Dr. c. A. Lindsley, secretary of the state board of health, shows 1,64S deaths, being 2S9 more than the average for the month for five years. The rate, stwenty-one and 20 for the whole state. 5
 The principal causes of death were as follows: Diarrhoea 466, of which all but 52 were under five years; nervous system 159, consumption 110, heart 109, pneumonia A, typhoir fever 2S, whoop- ing cough IS, bronchitis 13, diphtheria and croup Il, rnalarial fever and mea- sles '.
 Cases of contagious diseases were re- ported as follows: Measles 30, scarlet fever 43, cerebro-spinal fever g, diph- theria and croup 66 whooping cough AS, typhoid fever 69, consumption 25.
 DISEASES OF THE SEASON.
 Dr. Lindsley calls attention to the. distribution of diseases and offersa an |explation which deserves to be read and remembered. It is as follows:
 Tt is a matter of common observa- tion that the acute diseases of the or gans of respiration occur more fre- quently and fatally in the winter and early spring than at other times. It is equally true that, disorders of the di- gestive organs are far more frequent in the months of July, August and Sep tenber than in other months. An inl- portant, question is, Why do we have pneumonia in cold weather and diar- rhoeal diseases In hot weather? Do the extremes of temperature give full and satisfactory explanation? It is evident that cold and heat are not essential to their production, because they do osca- sionally occur in any climatic tempera- ture. The probability is that the effect of temperature is not direct in causing these diseases, but that it's influence is chiefly limited to producing conditions an environment favorable to the de- velopment of these diseases. Do not the pneumonia diseases happen in the latter part of winter and in early spring, and largely among elderly peo- | ple because during the previous weeks and months they have been housed most of the time, and obliged to breathe only house air? In conse- quence of the impurities produced by the combustion of fuel and of the agents of illumination, the respiration of persons and animals, and the exha- lations from their bodies, the innu- merable micro organisms and the ever present dust within the confined walls of the house, house air is always many, many times more impure than outdoor air. The continuous almost uninter- rupted inhalation of house-vitiated air weakens and conquers the resistive powers of the lungs, and makes them more susceptible to pneumonia infec- tions. With the approach of warm weather the house is opened, people get out and pneumonia diminishes. Moral: People should get outdoors every day in winter.
 "Diarrhoeal disorders are not directly produced by high temperature. Such as are not caused by organic disease are the result of errors of diet. The most numerous victims are infants. It is not because they are infants, for in- fants that derive all their nourishment from natures source do not have sum- mer diarrhoea.
 Nursing babies are immune. It is only bottle-fed babies that are fed on poisoned milk or other bad food that suffer. They suffer not because the
 weather is not, but because the disease producing germs, which are of the veg 1 etable kingdom, grow enormously more