The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1908-03-11


Speaker and Representatives OF tho
People of the state OF Oklahoma, to
call your attention to the effect that
the sanitary laws Of Moses had upon
the Jewish people, IL has caused them
10 outlive the pheniclans the car
tagenians and other neighboring peo-
rle and II we need any great reason
why you should enact good sanitary
laws look at the laws of Moses. look
at their good effects upon the Jewish
people and follow the example Ut
Moses With the exception Of the
Jews observing the sanitary laws OF
Moses the world did almost nothing
ln the domain of sanitation and the
result was the great epidemics OF the
worst type occurred. The bubonic
iague in four years between 13fi
and 1851, caused 25.OOO,O0O deaths in
Europe. About one-fourth Of the then
population of Europe. (4) Smallpox
was introduced into Mexico By tho
Spaniards about 1920 and in very
short time about 3.500.00O died from
his disease. and in India between 1873
md 1876, in three years smallpox
laimed 100000 deaths Cholera was
endemic. Typhus and typhoid fevers
destroyed thousands Of lives yellow
'ever claimed its own victims; diph-
iberia and Group were tho dread of
nothers. tuberculosis had free
field. The world was helpless. The
ear OF epidemics was so great that
the mere appearance OF one was suf-
icient for large part of the popu-
iation 20 run away from the cities
and take to the woods, cities were
depopulated and since no life was Sc
cured from an attack of the unknown
and dreaded diseases, life became very
cheap, and brigandage was flourish
ing so that roads were dangerous
place to pass
Bear in mind that many wars we're
being carried on at that period often
undertaken for no more serious rea-
son than what used to be considered
glory, and that the lack of sanitation
brought epidbmics with each war,
you will realize the great demoralized
condition that existed.
The people were ignorant the clergy
aot being then any more advanced
than the people, taught that it was
l the anger of God, and recommended
two remedies: prayers and beating
the Jews. Both were tried and while
1 Ah1 AnhQNNnL JEWELL DEOUAt
and the churches became overiilled
with wealth, as a sanitary measure to
| stop the disease II proved both the
praying and the Jew beating a com.
l plete failure and people continued to
die During these times there was
i one great, brave body of men who
suffered many prosecutions in order to
lelp mankind the medical professioc
The medical profession took advant-
age of every addition to human
knowledge in order to discover the
cause Of diseases, and when, in 164G,
Kircher invented the first compound
| microscope 90 which was perfected
itwenty-nine years later in Holland
| C6) by Antony Van Leenwea IoeS, it
utilized the microscope to stety the
changes caused by diseases in the or.
gans, which led to the establishment
Of the science of pathology by the
| French school. and upon continuous
Investigations and Studies ii was fin
ally found that diseases are caused
by definite minute living organisms.
and it led the great French physician.
Bretonneau CD to find and announce
the true reason Of the causes of com.
municable diseases, namely: THAT
4 specific germ was the cause of each
Infectious malady and Bretonneap
formulated this law: "An epidemic
disease can originate and extend only
through the agency Of the germ pro-
ducing it,"
This was and has ever since been
the fundamental law OF sanitation IN
accordance with this law, the bacterial
life and habits were and is being in
yestigated. 1t helped Pastepr to solve
the question of the canse of fermenta-
ton, and led to establishing upon a
| scientific basis the science of bac.
teriology through the well known four
laws OF Dr. Robert Koch.
The studies OF fermentation by
Pasteur. of Dust and Tynall has led
tc tho knowledge of the influence OF
bacteria in the soil, sewers, the re-
lation Of water supply and milk supply
to the public health, while the studies
in bacteriology has led Or. Lord Lis
ter to the use Of antisepsi s(S) and
made surgery lose its dread the peo-
pie had and which was then even
shared by doctors, together with the
irtroduction Of aDaesthesia by Drs.
Long, Morton and Wells made modern
surgery possible.
It has remained to the lasting hon.
or Of American doctors, DIS. Reed.
Carol and Argamont, TO discover that
yellow fever is spread by mosquitoes
and only by mosquitoes (9) and the
| researches Of Drs. Manson, MacCal
. lUm and Ross positively proved the
fact that malarial or what Is known
as mosquito fever is spread by the
anophelus mosquitoes, and hence the
destruction OF the mosquitoes, elimi
, mates the danger Of these two diseases
Today as sanitarians We possess Tho
! following knowledge:
That communicable diseases arc
caused by germs.
We know what germs cause a good
! many diseasea
! We know under what conditions
germs viii exist and under what con
/ ditions the known germs can not exist
| Hence we have the positive knowl
/ edge how to prevent the spread o
communicable diseases. and il existing
j how to treat such diseases.
The battlefield OF sanitation ha'
been and is the whole world, discoverc,
of service in ore part Of the world X
used every where, so we use Dr. Jen
ners' discovery OF vaccination everi