The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1909-06-24
'-r SFFvf 49,
THE PLAGUE or NOISE.
Its Suppression Required for the Health
or the Community,

ito suppr essiSn Required for the Health
Or the Community.
To THE EpIroH OF TIE SuY-Sir, In ,
letter published in TIE Sun. DR.. Charles ?
Page OF Boston said:
II strikes me- that II 10 shout time for the m,dt.
cal profession 70 spend less time and energy 1,
searching for germs" and In ~inventtng new
serums for their destruction. and devote mor.
attention 70 the only means OF banishlnr CON.
sumption. and all other diseases for that matter
improved personal and general sanitation.
Even the most enthusiastic germ chas.,
admits that germs are little II at all lk.lr
TO hurt any one who Is In sound health
that pure blood IL . good. II not indeed ,
perfect. sermicide. A very important y
thorities TO do L. to enable people to keen /,
such . condition Of health that germs A.,
not liz ely to affect them.
One Of the principal auses OF that i'm.
paired condition of health which msks.
germs DANGEROUS Ii noise. Noise not oniv
disturbs and prevents sleep. but It ~irritste.
the nerves. Digestion 10 controlled by m.
nerves, and any thing that ~irritates m.
nerves impairs digestion. Anything thai
impairs digestion end to cause impure
blood and weakness.
As has been pointed out very often, nearly
ali OF the noise which causes 90 much misery
and discomfort and plays such havoc with
health Is totally unnecessary and could
easily b. stopped at little Inconvenience Ia
any ono. The worst thing about the poI,,
evil II that IL 10 30 continuous. There are
certain kinds OF noises hat are almost in.
cessant during the day, and others that ara
nearly incessant during the evening and
night. Hammering Is heard almost every.
where from morning until evening. and
almost everywhere dogs are heard barkins
from evening until morning. In the coun.
try and in the suburbs chickens all I'D the
gaps between the time thu dogs stop or
become lees active and the carpenters and
iron workers begin. OF course. doEs bark
night, hut a. q rule they sleep during the
day. and this enables them to stay awake
and bark during the night without any i'm
pairment OF their health.
OF all the brutal. inexcusabls outrsse.
inflicted upon the public this dog barking
nuisance Is about the worst. II not the very
worst. Dogs destroy the comfort and IN.
jure the health Of an untold number of peo.
pie, to say nothing OF the fact that hundreds
of persops die Of h~ydrophobia every year.
the result OF being bitten by rabid dogs.
G Se:. sa dsys DOES PSss, s4s . e uer =, r ussfS ifs - a. T.
cons and about rs necessary as elephants.
The noise that dogs make 10 a sleep killer
and Z nerve poison; T. caq;es acute tor
times Frustrated by II and sometimes driven
from their homes by Il. No. one has any
more right to keep a. dog and permit Il 10
than he would have to I'll tho air with poi.
sonous gases or sickening odors. No one
hna q right, legal or moral. to do for his own
profit or amusement what is likely 70 cause
persons.
A dog that barhs where 1t can be heard
by the public II o public nuisance OF the
worst kind. which 1t Ii the duty OF the pub.
lie authorities to suppress; and II this par
ticular nuisance were suppressed, as 1t
easily could he, that itself would 60 very
far toward enabling people to get the sound
aleep and rest for their nervee necessary 70
good health. RpRT FOR EVERYBODY.
NEW YORK. June 70.