Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1909-07-17
3Ist Year. Number 20
sanitation.

FOur nun0reQ years ago the
average length of human life in
Europe was between 1S and 90
years. With changed conditions
of living, the average is now be-
tween 40 and 80.
In the seventeenth century the
death rate in London was 80 per
1000. Today it is only Is. In
100 the death rate in Boston was
"a per 1000; now it is only 10.
In Sweden, where physical
training is part of every child's
education, the average life of
men is 55 years. of women 52-
the highest in the world. While
in India. where hygiene and san
itation are unknown, the average
for men is % and Cor women "a.
In the United States the average
age of men is A and of women 46,
and the death rate is 16.5 per
1000.
Exactly in proportion as food,
water, people, homes and sur
roundings are clean and decent.
peoples lives are heightened and
sickness is banished
The death rate is high in cities
and low in the country; ii is high
for the poor and low for the rich.
Where sanitary conditions are
bad, sickness prevails and life is
short: where good, there is less
of sickness and longer life
In month and ashalf in 1898
yellow fever carried off one third
of all the people in Philadelphia.
Now yellow fever in the United
States is scarcely more than a
memory and is regarded as a
shame and disgrace.
Smallpox used to take its tens
of thousands peryear, but vacci-
nation has nedrly banished it.
Intelligence, knowledge, clern-
liness, clean bodies, food, sur
roundings, and pure water and
air; these will drive away large
percentage of the diseases that.
are now demanding the highest
tribute of death.
The money value of life is a
sordid view to take, but at least
a billion dollars year are lost in
our country because of deaths >
that need not occur, and half d
million more from sickness that
could be prevented.
Our annual loss from tubercu-
losis alone is billion. dollars and
of typhoid not less than three
hundred and fifty millions, and
malaria one hundred millions
These figures are no idle
dream. They are from good, re-
liable satisfies. They are con-
cerning diseases that are pre-
ventible.
white plague, tuberculosis. is
growing rapidly less. AS pure,
clean water is brought into cities,
so is typhoid driven out In
October, 1907, there were 63S
typhoid cases in Pittsburg The
following year a good filtering
plant was installed and the ty-
phoid cases in October, 1908, fell
to only s6.
Havana was once a regular
death trap, but sanitation turned
it into a beautiful and healthful
city, and reduced the death rate
from 81 per 1000 down to about
20.
In our country there are about,
three million people sick abed all
the while This dosen't reckon
the minor ailments of headache,
colds, indigestion and the like
This sickness alone is a tremen-
dous loss to the country, and
much of it, perhaps most of it,.
is easily preventible. People
say, I can't help getting sick"
You can. Most cases of sickness
are direct result of wrong do
ing, a punishment for misbeha-
vior
How are we to escape sickness?
Two words will in large meas
ure answer the question: Avoid
poisons. What kind of poisons?
Every kind and especially alco-
hol, tobacco, poisoned air. water.
food anH fh017rafc Zno,1 <,Iao,,