The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1906-10-04

Yon are not only 10 report on nun
sance or report disease, but you stand
AS guardian Of the public health; you
stand up, as the Angel Of Mercy, TO
ward off those diseases that may come.
This is your duty, and ! am glad TO
say that letters which | have received
show that you appreciate this. | often
receive letters making inquiry regard
ing some condition that exists IN com
munity that is detrimental TO the pub
lie health OF the people. They want TO
know what the law is, that they may
rid the community Of that menace. As
the president Of the board has said, the
men who have attended these schools
have become more and more profitable.
You know some doctors say lyon are
destroying our business. We have not
had the usual sicknesses we used to
have. There is feeling that measles
and whooping cough do not amount TO
much. They are children's diseases,
They have got TO have them sometime
Let them have them and let II be over
with II man takes that view OF
the situation, whether a doctor or
health officer, he is about twenty-five
wears behind the times. 1t would be a
sin today for any surgeon TO attempt
TO perform an operation on any part OF
the body as saw them perform opera
tions when | was student, or even
when first began praeticing' tried
10 be clean. | washed my hands. But
often wondered why suppuratlon took
place more in this ease than that, never
suspecting that ones hands might have
carried those germs. We did use the
simple means OF cleanliness. Today
we might expect 10 be punished Tor
such work, and the punishment would
be light il we were hung IN eiligy. II
is inst so with health officer who al
lows A communicable disease 10 extend
| in his community. In 1905 the number
of deaths from whooping cough and
measles was larger than from dlphthe-
ria and scarlatina. When case OF
diphtheria appears everybody wants
something done. The results from
measles are more serious than from
many other diseases. often receive
a death certificate with: Cause OF death,
tuberculosis; remote cause OF DEATH
measles. We all know how often II II
said that such person has tuberculo'
sis: that, in fact, they have never been
lust right since they had the measles.
live near an insane asylum and have
been called 10 see great many eases,
and have;found that good many
cases Of insanity have been traced back
TO whooping cough, humps, or mea'
sles. They had those diseases; they
became insane, and had TO be taken Il
an asylum.
There il a good deal said in the news
papers regarding the remarkable re-
suits OF the japanese war, and some
have attributed the lack OF disease II
those armies 10 the great knowledge
the japanese had with regard 10 sani
talion. They had been in the west anC
they had learned those things. They
went home and praeticed them. They
had one element which we have not
| II h the foundation Of their success II
this particular, that is, obedience V
law. When the surgeon OF the arm,
laid down the rule that they were MOI
TO drink from this or that spring, OF
drink where certain plank wassplaeee
along the line Of march; when he mad'
the rule that all their underclothint
was 30 be removed from the body a
least once in every seven days; whei
he mafr the recommendation that onl,
such and such foods were TO be eaten
the entire corps Of men obeyed as on
man. When the health officer say
thai this water is polluted and must no
be used as drinking water; that Ger
tain school house Is not in condition
10 admit the children, and is condemn
cd. up rises some man and says; NJ.
grandfather used that well and be liVe'
TO be seventy-ilye years OF age m.
father went 10 that school. and | wen
to tina, school. and guess il i gcc'
enough for the children Of today.
That class Of people do no, conslde
thai generation after generation hay
been polluiing these springs and well
all these years. When be talks sbou
| has grandfather dying al seyeniy-hv
! years 81 age. let us look np our stalls
ties for leos-n5. and we will find ihA
eighteen people Of this state lived 10 b
over one hundred years old, the oldcs
] one hundred and iif,eea, another on
hundred and eleven, another one han
dred and seven. and several one hun
Idrca and lro, and one hundred a.