Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1910-04-01

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ticularly whether there is a sufficient
supply Of fresh eggs and milk. Per
haps the family is too poor to supply
the sick man with these necessities
In that event the state itself provides
them. The dispensary nurses have
made 133444 visits of the kind de
scribed above.
Life at Mont Alto.
This. however, is only one depart
ment of this life-saving work. Any one
who wishes graphic idea of the
states sanatorium work should visit
the tuberculosis colony at Mont Alto
Here, at an elevation of 1900 feet
above the sea, amid the breeze swept
mountain pines, he will find nearly
500 men, women and children, under
the care of physicians and nurses,
bravely seeking to combat the disease
in the fresh air and sunshine. Labor
atory Investigations have many times
proved that the tubercle bacillus, once
exposed to the light and air, shrivels
up like a guilty thing and pershes;
and the state, in this unique sanator
ium, Is giving it's tuberculous poor
their one great chance of overcoming
the disease This Mont Alto site is sit
uated in the midst of a state forest
reservation of $500 acres. 1t is high,
cool, dry. with an abundance of fresli
spring water, tillable soil upon which
many of the household supplies can
be raised and all the attractions of
nature to make pleasant and peaceful
the lives of the patients. There Is a
village of specially constructed cot
tages in which the incipient cases live,
and a large, well equipped hospital
building for the advanced cases. Al
this sanatorium Pennsylvania has
treated up to Dec. 81, 1909, 1866 pa
tients, a large number of whom have
been permanently cured and still
larger number so effectually strength
ened that they are in far better con
diton than formerly to fight the dis
ease.
Ground is now being cleared for a
second state sanatOrium on the beau
tiful site at Cresson, which Mr.. Car
negie has so generously given to tn,
commonwealth, and a third site has
been selected In the foot hills of tn"
Blue mountains near Hamburg, in the
eastern end Of the state.
For Pure Water.
In fighting sucl a widely prevalent
disease as typhoid fever, the useful
ness of a central state health organi-
zation is especially demonstrated.
Against typhoid a local board is prac-
tically helpless. This is because the
chief sources of infection are the wa
ter courses. Our rivers unfortunately
do not recognize state or county lines.
A municipality may prevent water pol
luton from the banks within its own
Jurisdiction. but cannot prevent it In
own citizens from sewering into the
streams, but she cannot stop other
communities from polluting the wa
ters from which she draws her own
supply. And the discouraging fact is
that, while one town may refrain from
polluting the stream so that another
further down may not have to drink
it's filth. its own water supply may be
polluted by less conscientious neigh
bors living upstream. Up to the year
1905 man in Pennsylvania appeared
to have lost the natural instincts of
the lower animals and seemed indlf-
ferent to the danger of loading his
system with that which nature has
once thrown off as poison. Man, un.
like the beasts of the field, had taler
on the habit of discharging his oral
into the streams from which he took
his drinking water. Only some central
body, which has absolute control over
all water courses, can accomplish a
general publication of the streams.
The legislature recognized this ne
cessity for central control when. in
1905. it placed all water courses, so
far as public sanitation was concerned,
under the jurisdiction of the governor,
attorney general and commissioner Of
health. But there are also other pri.
vate sources of pollution specially
the old-fashioned privies and wells
bers, overlooking into streams. These
the department Of health has now the
power to abolish. The department has
in file complete and detailed maps
showing all the states water courses.
large and small. Whenever case Of
typhoid fever is reported it can i'm
mediately put its finger on the water
shed where the disease originated and
investigate accordingly. No municipal
ity can now construct water works
without first obtaining the states ap-
proval of its plans. It cannot build
sewerage plants without similar con-
sent Acting through these broad pow.
ers, the health department. through
its army of inspectors, has penetrated
the remotest recesses of the state. in
spectlng premises, noting palpable
nuisances, investigating water and