New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1908-09-16
new HEAL TIL PROJECT
National Reform Movement Is
Started In Boston.
TO ATTACK EVIL AT ITS ROOT

- - AVN INV
Miss S. j. Hughes Wants Vacancy
Commissions Established In Large
cities-Each Empty House to Be In
sPected Before Occupancy and All
Danger of Disease Removed.
A movement to lay the foundation
Of national reform in all large cities
was recently started in Boston with
the object of promoting health in a
new and original way, which starts at
the root of an evil and is generally
combated effectively
Miss Sarah J. Hughes Of the Back
Bay section of Boston, woman of
extraordinary energy and intimately
acquainted with those perplexing ques-
lions and conditions which are a con-
slant source of anxiety to boards Of
health, has conceived a plan for the
establishment of vacancy commissions
in Boston, New York and Philadelphia
as the starting points of a national
work. These vacancy commissions are
to be composed of a physician at the
head, trained nurse of high standing,
public spirited and practical lodging
house keeper and a real estate woman
of philanthropic character, says Bos-
ton correspondent Of the Philadelphia
Record. Their powers, to be conferred
either by city or state, will be such as
to give them authority to enter all va
cant houses, inspect them and order
them put into condition before oceu-
pancy that will preclude all danger Of
disease.
Miss Hughes has discovered that
landlords are in the habit of giving
only a superficial cleaning to vacant
tenements and houses, that new layers
OF wall paper are laid over the old
layers, that germs are SO thick on the
inside of the rank paper that they can
be seen with the microscope and that
crannies and crevices where disease
turks are utterly neglected, not being
given even a hot water and soap treat
ment when bichloride is an absolute
necessity No less than ten layers Of
paper have been found by Miss Hughes
in Brookline, Mass, the richest town
In the world, while five and six layers
are common all over Boston in homes
supposed to be far better than lodging
and tenement houses. Observation has
proved, according to Miss Hughes,
that disease and death have their orr
gin in such conditions, where the par
simony and shortsightedness Of land
lords permit only superficial cleaning
that looks we'll to the eye at first, but
which covers only a whitened sepul-
cher.
Miss Hughes has found that the two
most prevalent diseases arising from
these insanitary methods are con
sumption and diphtheria. She has kept
close track of houses where the land
lords would neither make the neces-
sary changes nor permit new tenants
to make them, with the conclusion
formed In an array Of astounding facts
and figures proving that disease has
followed almost Invariably and inevi-
tably; hence the advocacy Of vacancy
commissions. Mayor George A. Hib-
bard Of Boston has lent willing ear
to the propaganda, while aldermen
and councilmen are greatly impressed.
| Others have Joined In the new move
meut, and the plan Is to follow the
Boston work with similar establish
ments in New York and Philadelphia,
finally making it national in character.
Miss Hughes would have all the halls
painted from attic to coal scuttle She
would tear off the layers Of paper to
the plaster and have it carried off in
barrels. She would have the walls
treated with hot water and soap, fol-
lowed by bichloride, until there could
be, no chance for germs to remain, and
in this way she claims a vast proper.
ton Of sickness would be prevented.
Miss Hughes is sister Of the cele-
brated physician and surgeon, DR..
Laura A. C. Hughes. who delivered
two addresses before the American
Medical association at Chicago last
June and who won distinction in the
Spanish-American war.