The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-10-28
Organized Movements Have
 Dene Wonders
INSECTS TRANSMIT GERMS
War Against Mosquitoes Has Accom- pIished Much and Will Do More Ignorance as We'll as Insects
 Is To Be Overcome.
BY FREDERIC J. HAsklN.

| splitting ordinances be enforced in every town and in every home in the land, | the annual death rate of the nation would be so marvelousy decreased that i undertakers and casket makers would l have a hard time eking out a living. A l few days ago Dr. Edward A. Ayres de- clared before q meeting of the New York College of Medicine that 259,O00 deaths an l nually resulted from mosquito bites. An other authority has emphatically stated that nine-tenths of all deaths are caused 1 from germs arising from sputum, and that every man with communicable disease who splits in a public place is a murderer. This is putting things rather | strongly, but since every careless one | gives his disease to many other unsus- pecting ones, and this disease often re- suits In their deaths, the term has it's significance.
 1 It was not until 1882 that tuberculosis was discovered to be a. germ disease and 1 curable. Before that it was looked upon as absolutely fatal and whenever anyone was found to be afflicted with it, the members of his family gave him up as lost. That it is curable in any climate. dl duy dbcf anu uHuel poverty as well as conditions of wealth. has been ably demonstrated. It is a dis ease of mal-nutrition and it's germs thrive in darkness and foul air. So sci ence, in combating it, wisely uses the very simple and sensible weapons of plenty of nourishing food, fresh air and sunshine, while the afflicted ones are given the very helpful advice, Don't worry" This has in a great measure tended to decrease the national death rate with telling effect
 This much has science done Yet it | cannot make the men and women of the world-the intelligent ones as well as the ignorant-see the necessity of guard ing the discharges from the mouth. The average person regards the anti-spitting law as the attempt of a fastidious~ class to make him give up an unrefined habit He often resents it openly in pitiable ignorance of the fact that it. is for his own protection as well as that of his neighbor The dry cough of the con- sumptive expels many germs, but the loose Is the more destructive for when the sputum is dry it frees germs which fly everywhere on a death dealing mis- sion, the. average consumptive expelling WOOO0,O0O germs every "A hours. Each germ is capable of sowing the seed of disease in someone else. How the realth departments of the nation, the state and the municipality are going to awaken the people to the gravity of this situation is a puzzling problem.
 Associations to enlist the public in the prevention of tuberculosis have come into existence throughout the country. A good example of the work is found in that of the committee on the prevention of rla.aYn committee has had rules printed and con- splcuously posted in every government building. office and workshop. The first rule reads: All government employees are positively forbidden to spit upon the foors." number of simple instructions and warning follow and already an im- provement Is observed in the health, which will result in a noticeable change in the vital statistics of government em- poyes. Such persons in the government employ who have tuberculosis are posi- lively denied the use of the public GUS pidors and each must bring his own port able and destructable receptacle or use old handxerchiefs. bits of cloth or Jap anese paper napkins, which he is in honor bound to destroy. and so protect the lives of others from the disease which he has, The first organized movement against tuberculosis in America was that led by Dr. Lawrence F. Flick of Philadel-
 
 the Prevention of Tuberculosis was founded in 1892. There are now two national societies for the prevention of the disease and fifteen state asso : citations, including the District of Co., lumbia. Many states have laws re- quiring the reporting of cases of tuber- culosis. and leading cities and towns have taken radical steps in the same direction This allows the authorities to provide for the segregation of such cases in hospitals if possible to provide proper food and care for those who cannot afford it. and to instruct mem bers of the patients family and his neGhbors in the means for preventing the spread of the disease. Some of the best work in preventing the spread of tuberculosis and in effecting it's cure is done by private benevolent bodies. The various associations, whether na- tional or only small local bands, are making one of their first works that of instructing the public at large of the danger In infecting others by spit ting on the streets of the danger of using public drinking cups. and in interesting the masses in the enact ment and enforcement of laws that will prevent tuberculosis.
 When the government has reclaimed many thousand acres of swamp lands it will not only have furnish ed home steads for countless families but will have protected the health of millions of people by aholishing the breeding grounds of many mosquitoes. Dr. Ayres traces five diseases to the busy mem bers of this family-malaria, yellow fever, beri-beri, dengue and fila riasis. Dr. Reed and his martyr coworkers paid a great price for this knowledge of the mosquitoes death dealing pro- pensities, but 1t was knowledge that has already saved it's tens of thousands. As means of helping persons under stand this and so protect tn emselves and their neighbors the surgeon gen eral of the public health and marine hospital service, early prepared a set of facts about screening, all printed in clear type and in simplest terms, and these were sent to postmasters throughout the country liable to in lection and posted in a conspicuous place for all to read.
 A London physician has recently cast a great bomb into the circles of bridge players that may cause cessation Of that game for some time, or at least lead the players to observe more close ly certain sanitary laws. There is little doubt" says this learned sur geon, that card parties are fre- uuent source of common colds, catarrh and influenza" He points to the fact