The Washington herald., 1907-10-28
Prevention of Disease
BY FREDERIC j. HASKIN
BY FREDERIC }. HASRiN.

D ALDLAl
II flies and mosquitoes could be exdn-
guished at one fell blow. and anti-spit-
Ting ordinances be enforced in every town
and in every home in the land, the an
nuai death rate of the nation would be
so marvelcUsly decreased that under
takers and casket-makers would have a
hard time eking out a living. A few days
ago DIT. Edward A. AyTes declared, be
fore a meeting Of the New York College
of Medicine. that 2500OO deaths annually
resulted from mosquito bites. Another
authority has emphaucally stated that
nine-tenths of all deaths are caused by
germs arising from expectoration, and
that every man with a communicable
disease who spits in 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 its
significance.
Not untH 1882 was tuberculosis diseov-
cred 10 be q germ disease and curable.
Before that il was looked upon as abso-
lutely fatal. and whenever any one was
found 10 be afflicted with it, the mem
bers Of his family gave him up as lost
That it is durable in any climate, at any
age, and under conditions of poverty as
well as conditions Of wealth, has been
ably demonstrated. II is q disease or
malnuJritiOn, and its germ thrives in
darkness and foul air. So science. in
combating it, wisely uses the very simple
and sensible weapons Of plenty Of nour-
ishing food. fresh air, and sunshine. while
the afflicted ones are given the very help
ful advice, Don't worry This has, IN
a great measure, tended 20 decrease the
national death rate.
This much has science done. Yet il
cannot make the men and women Of the
wOrld-the intelligent ones as well as the
ignorant-see the necessity Of guarding
the discharges from the mouth. The aver
age person regards the anti-spitting law
as the attempt Of "a fastidious class 20
make him give up an UnTenned 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
neghbor. The dry cough of the consump-
tive eXpels many germs. nut the loose is
the more destructive. for when the
sputum is dry il frees germs which ry
everywhere on a death-de8llng mission,
The average cOnsumptiye eXpelling seven
billion germs every twcnty-fOur hours
Each germ is capable of sowing the seed
of disease in some one else. How the
health departments of the nation. the
State, and the municipality are going to
awaken the people 10 the gravity Of this
situation is puZzling problem.
Associations 10 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 tuber-
CulOsis in government buildings. This
committee has had rules printed and con-
spicuously posted in every department
building, Office and workshop The first
rule reads: All government employees are
positively forbidden 10 spit upon the
floors" A number of simple instructions
and warnings follow, and already an inn
proverent Is observed in the health, which
will result I'm a noticeable change in the
vital statistics of government employees.
Such persons n the governments employ
who have tuberculosis are positively de
MED the use of tHe public CuspidOrs, and
each must bring his own portable and
destructible receptacle or use old hand
kerchiefs. bits of cloth, or Japanese paper
napkins which he is i'm honor bound 10
destroy and 50 protect the lives OF others
from the disease.
The first organized movement against
tuberculosis in America was that led by
DIT. Lawrence +. Flick. Of Philadelphia.
when the Pennsylvania Society for the
Prevention of tuberculosis was founded
In 1882. There are now two national socie-
ties for the prevention OF the disease and
fifteen StaJe associations, including the
District of Columbia. Many States have
laws requiring the reporting Of cases Of
tuberculosis, and leading cities and towns
have taken radical steps ia the same di-
rection. This allows the authorities to
provide for the segregation of such cases
in hospitals if possible, 20 provide proper
food, and care for those who cannot af-
ford il, and to instruct members of the
patients family and his neighb0rs in the
means Of preventing the spread Of the
disease. Some of the best work in pre-
venting the spread of tuberculosis and in
effecting its cure is done by private be-
nevolent bodies. The various associations
whether national or only small local
bands are making one Of their first
works that Of instructing the public at
large of the danger Of injecting others
by splitting on the streets, OF the danger
of using public drinking cups. and in in
teresting the masses in the enactment
and enforcement Of laws that will pre-
vent tuberculosis.
When the government has reclaimed
many thousand acres Of swamp lands it
will not only have furnished homesteads
for countless families, but will have pro-
tected the health of millions Of people by
abolishing the breeding grounds Of many
mosquitoes. DIT. Ayres traces five dis
eases 10 the busy members OF this fam
lily malaria, yellow fever. beTi-beri.
dengue, and hlariasis. Dr. Reed and his
martyr co-workers paid a great price for
this knowledge Of the mosquitoes death
dealing prOpensities. but II is a knOwl-
edge that has already saved its tens OF
thousands. As "a means Of helping per
sons understand this and so protect them
selves and their neighbOrs, the surgeon
general of the Public Health and Marine
Hospital Service early prepared a set Of
facts about screening, al printed in clear
type and in simplest terms. and these
were sent 10 postmasters throughout the
country liable TO Infection 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 a cessation Of
that game for some time, or at least lead