The Norfolk weekly news-journal. (Norfolk, Neb.) 1900-19??, 1911-01-20

This familiar scene on the farm is po-
cite, but germs are no respecters OF
poetry or persons.l
every home-in other words, if Dame
Natures pharmacopoeia were thor
oughly utilized throughout the land-the
present formidable United States Phar-
macopoeia and the equally cumbersome
British Pharmacopoeia. would find a
place on the top shelf and be succeed
cd by small, modest volumes that one
could carry In the vest pocket.
Value Of Drugs.
This is not to say that drugs are
useless. No one who has practiced
medicine and seen the grim reaper"
foiled and driven off by the Slillful Use
Of potent drugs can truthfully deny
their enormous value TO humanity
when wisely employed. But the key
note of modern medicine is "preven.
ton rather than cure"
1t is a splendid thing to drag a man
back from the jaws of death by relax
ing the strained arteries with nitro
glycerin or steadying the weakened
and failing heart with strophanthus or
digitalis. but it is a far bigger and
better thing so to advise and guide
your patient in his daily life that he
shall retain a sound heart and elastic
arteries until ripe old age and never
need your "heroic remedies"
Conceding that water is one of the
great necessities of life and powerful
agent for good or i'll. n few moments
attention to its constitution and quail
ties are worth while.
Water Is Il compound of two atoms
OF hydrogen with one atom of oxygen.
indicated by the formula H.O. This
is not mere mixture of gases. as in
the case OF air. but definite chemical
compound.
Distilled water Is, Of course, chemi-
cally pure, but 1t is rather fiat and
unpalatable. 1t has been claimed that
distilled water is not healthy bev-
erage owing to its great solvent prop
critics. but its use among large Bodies
of men In the navy without Ill effect
would indicate that this belief is
groundless. Possibly the drinking OF
very large quantities of distilled water
might impoverish the system. but as
between distilled water and impure
water contaminated by disease germs
there should be no hesitancy in choos-
ing the former.
The principal diseases that are trans
mitted by water are typhoid fever,
cholera. diarrhea and dysentery. All
these diseases are absolutely unneces-
sary and preventable. II a fraction of
the time. money and thought that is
expended in windy politics and so
called craftsmanship were exerted in
behalf of pure air and pure water.
many of our social and political evils
would disappear simultaneously with
the stamping out of preventable dis
eases.
How to Get Pure Water.
One golden maxim we. can always
keep In mind for our protection against
water borne disease: when in doubt,
boil"
Boiled water Is fat and unpalatable,
but IL - btbNCl IMAM u Sl'ai hiihS bti ia
laden conveyer of disease. But an eff.
fort should always be made to secure
a source of pure water supply and
keep 1t pure.
The appearance of typhoid fever
should call for rigid Investigation.
1t is not enough for water to be pure
at its source: IA rigid police system
should be maintained to prevent con-
taminatiOn from sewage within wide
range OF territory adjacent to reser'
voir. river Or lake from which the wa
ter Is obtained. A proper filtration
plant is also advisable, and here expert
advice and engineering skill will prove
cheap In the long run.
On farms aud places disconnected