Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-12-21
CEDAR RAPIDS PHYSICIANS POINT
OUT DANGERS TO PEOPLES
HEALTH.
UNCOVERED VEGETABLES AND
FRUITS CONSTANT MENACE
Germs Have Full Sway in Stores and
Shops - Practitioners Club Takes
Public Into Confidence and Urges
Measures to Prevent Disease Before
Treatment Becomes Necessary.

and unhealthy method of piling fruits
all the disease germs known to med
ical science can be caught, open pickle
and sauer kraut barrels into which all
the dust of a big store can be swept,
and exposed meats arranged to catch
all the dust in the butcher shop, re-
glect Of enforcing quarantine laws, n
the proper way of driving automobiles,
and many other important questions
were discussed at a meeting of the
hotel.
1t was very evident that the doctors
of Cedar Rapids, like those of other
cities, are not anxious to have people
i'll but that they want to establish
ordinances and methods of teaching
the people to become absolutely dis
ease proof, so that the doctors call
may become unnecessary.
The meeting was attended by Mayor
Miles, Commissioners Reed and Smith,
and Chief of Police Carl, and il the
city fathers follow out the advice Civ
en- to them by the doctors, they Will
soon be the officers of the most san
itary and best kept city in n United
States. The Practitioners Club has
originated a system that ought to be
greatly appreciated by the citizens Oh
Cedar Rapids, and followed elsewhere.
Instead of having technical matters
discussed at the regular monthly meet
ings this winter at which will be dis
cussed such vitality important mat
ters as were discussed last evening
The meeting last night was only a be-
ginner in the work.
Some true facts about the display
of food stuffs and sanitation were
brought out by DR.. B. L. Sheldon. ne
merely mentioned certain conditions
but the few words he said had a deep
effect on his hearers.
Dust Goes Into Barrels.
DR.. Sheldon described how the mer-
chants have large barrels OF pickles,
olives, sauer kraut and other picked
food stuffs in their store. with no coV-
ering on the barrel. h the clerk
comes along to dust the shelf, most OIL
the dust fnds its way into n oPeu
pickle barrel or whatever kind OF !
barrel it may be.
During the summer time the mef-
chants, wishing to display their veg
etables and fruits, pile these food Sums
on the sidewalk and usually a smaii
fountain keeps sprinkling water on the
vegetables to keep the green stun III
fresh condition. The moisture makes
an ideal catcher of dust, and re-
suit is that those people who do not
take special pains to wash n veg,
etahles east most of this ust anu
what goes with it. The doctor spoke
of the open display of fruits ana inc
particularly bad habit some fruit EN-
ders nave of wiping apples with theil
handkerchiefs to give them n deslreo
luster.
No Protection From Germs.
The doctor spoke of the candy
kitchens where all kinds Of canoE Is
placed on the counter without BENG
protected from the dust, and when the
clerks sweep the room more dust coli
lects on the candy. Children eat the
candy, and in many cases diseases are
the result. DIR. Sheldon also mention
ed the butcher shops where all kinds
of meats are on display which eaten
the dust, and where in some cases, the
butcher wipes his nose on his apron
then wipes his knife on the same
apron. and proceeds to cut you a slice
of steak.
As a remedy to avert these condl-
tons, DR.. Sheldon suggested that Or
dinances and laws might be passed to
enforce covering all these food stIffs
to keep away the disease germs. He
said that to many people these laws
would appear very radical, but point
ed to the fact that very radical fire
escape laws were passed with popular
approval after the Iroquis theater fire
in Chicago.
DR.. Sheldon also spoke of the I'M
sanitary condition of the alleys, n
of the glaring violations of sanitation
by some people. He cited cases where
dish water, ashes. and refuse are
thrown too dangerously near to Il we'll.
and urged that the Practitioners Club
educate the people of this city to the
proper methods of sanitation.
Quarantine Negligence.
DR.. John Hamilton delivered an ad-
dress on quarantine. and as he is the
CITY physician, he was able to state
some very interesting facts. DR.. Ham
iiton urged that the quarantine laws
must be enforced with the utmost pre-
cision in order to protect the health
of the community, but he lamented the
fact that many local physicians neg
lect to report cases of contagious dis
eases which are subject to quarantine.
charged that the board of health
has never been able to get a system