Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1907-01-18

in for the two hours or more. 1t Is
rapidly being recognized that what we
call colds, supposed to be due to a little
fresh air. are germ infections and are
as specific in character as measles or
scarlet fever The people who live mostly
in the open are by far the frecst from
such attacks. Personally | have never
had a cold from exposure to storms or
the sevorest weather The success of the
treatment of tuberculosis by the out-of-
doors method ought to assure us that
we need not fear cold fresh air. even If
1t is night air. so long as the body is
properly protected with clothing.
Experiment has determined that mini
mum change of 80 cubic feet of air per
minute per individual is required to keep
the atmosphere i'm any place of assembly
I'm a wholesome condition. The state of
Massachusetts requires this In the ven
tilation of its schoOlhouscs with an
audience of coo i'm the Auditorium. a
change of $1,000 cubic feet of air per
minute is required to keep an atmos-
phcre fit to breathe. This can bc done.
and done without drafts. with the intro
duccd air at any desired Temperature.
With such ventilation, one would never
take cold or have the headaches that are
so commonly the result of attending any
entertainment Such a plan was prepared
last year and an article inserted in the
warrant for the town meeting to provide
for It, However. the assembled wisdom
at the meeting voted it down 1t would
cost about $4,000 properly to vcutlate the
Auditorium. | will venture to say that
the people of this village pay more than
that sum every year i'm doctors fees.
medicine and lost time because of this
lack of ventilation.
Since the prevention of disease is the
primary object Of sanitation. ana the
purpose OF the sanitarian. the early de
lection and isolation Of infectious cases
Incomes OF the greatest Importance. You
are all well aware that our cpidemics Of
contagious diseases affect largely our
'hlIdI'h OF Schooi age ana are propa-
gated through contact in school How
snail We meet this condition? There
seems TO he but one way ana that Is by
mcdlcal Inspections y paper read at the
Health Officers school last summer sug-
Ecsts that teachers be required To qualify
themselves to make this inspection. !
mink 1t would be asking rather too much
OF our teachers. at their present rate Of
compensation. To add to their many
qualifications course in clinical meji-
cine l would rather propose more
practical plan, which is that District No.
nave "A competent trained nurse, one
familiar with all the contagious diseases,
devote her entire time. during school
session, To visiting the schools and
thority to send the case home and refer
TO the family physician. ana at the same
time notify the health officer. The nurse
should also visit children who are sick.
! believe that that would do much to
avoid epidcmics. We have had nifty
children out Of school with whooping
cough. Why Because nearly every
child with whooping cough is In school
az least one week after ne or she is capa-
ble or communicating the disease, and
before 1t is thought To be anything but
cold. The measles can be detected 10y
the experienced observer - to IS hours
before the eruption appears on the sur
face OF the body, and very frequently
this day or two the child is in school. cX-
posing every other non-immune In the
room. Hence l think it is not difficult to
see that the cost OF such inspections
would be money we'll expended 1t is
not only because Of the loss of time and
suffering of the acute attack that we
should use our best efforts to prevent
them. but the many lasting after effects
that may more or less cripple the ind-
Nidual for the rest of life.
1t Is stated on reliable authority that
since Boston introduced medical school
inspection I'm 1894 the saving Of expense
in the city hospital alone has been greater
than the $4,000 year which it has cost
The cases of diphtheria have fallen off
two-thirds and scarlet fever five sixths.
| can best illustrate the value of med-
cal school inspection by relation of a case
In point Three years ago there was
enough diphtheria among us to MAKE
school inspection seem wise and II was
ordered by the then health officer. The
Inspector of the Canal street building
found one suspicious case. which proved
To he diphtheria Of the nasal variety.
and IL took about six weeks To cure this
case 40 that there was no danger OF in
lection. And the important point is this
that this boy was not sick ana would
have remained I'm school during this six
weeks all the time capable OF injecting
others. but for his removal through the
inspection.
As communities reach a certain popu-
lation. which We are fast approaching
the disposal of garbag;,-that is all the
waste that cannot he taken care of by
the sewer system-hecomcs a very i'm
portant problem. Tn To date. we have
employed various methods of disposal
Dry ashes and tin cans are useful for till-
ing low places and making road surfaces
in some places, and the big producers
gather up most of the house waste of food
But this will not long continue to an
swer the demand. ana some systam Of
collection and disposal will be demanded
The most practical perhaps is an incincr-
ating plant. If any of Won will take n
look at the west channel of the river
along by the railroad ward. Won win he
convinced that present motbods are
hardly satisfactory
TO summarize tba suhiact We u,ant