The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1911-01-13
Doctors and Druggists.
(GlObe- e-Democrat)

reported as part of the St. Louis
Ir.cord for the week. This showing
has been a part of the record for
several weeks past, during all of
which weather conditions have been
such as to favor such an increase.
Nor has such an increase been
exceptional or peculiar to this city.
Only few months ago vital
statistics carefully compiled for a
year showed the deaths caused by
pneumonia to have increased Sc
alarmingly that they fell but half
dozen short the number of deaths
from tuberculosis. Ia other words,
the old and wide gap between
mortality by Pneumonia aid NOR
tality by tuberculosis had been
wiped out, as much through in
crease in pneumonia as through
| decrease in tuberculosis.
Such vital statistics must COM
mand our attention. The physicians
are now, IN view of the increased
pneumonia Rortality of the past
week, reminding us Of the story of
the old doctor of the phlebotomist
school, who, on hearing OF the
continued decline of the patient
under continued bleedings, could
only prescribe, "bleed him again. "
They are sounding again the note
of warning against closed houses
und couveyances, The colder the
a T., they seem to say, the wider we
need to set open our doors and
windows. This cry has been dinned
| into all of our ears ever since the
beginning of the organized can
paIen against the white plague.
rae danger of it is that many ears
are so long that they take In more
of It than the doctors intend. There
is nothing finer or more hes'thful
lnan brisk and braCipg air taken
IN the open. Taken through .
window, or an orihce OF any kind,
in any of the cribbed and coohneu
ways of turning breeze into a
draught, it often serv <4l the
purposes of a bullet. The doctors
must be aware of this fact. ln all
probability they are well enough
aware of it to fail 10 understanding
tie uninteiligent literalness with
which their words have been taken.
Men of wiry constitution and
capacity of resistance, who have
been forced, ia street cars, 10 Sit In
/ such draughts, have thought less OF
1 their discomfort than of the danger
10 the pale-faced young women,
often accompanied by tender chill
! rem, who take baptism of air wheu
an immersion of air is the thing
they need.
It's remarkable how very little
of cold air can vltallze abd parity
anything Healthy men who have
lived in dugouls during a hard
winter understand we'll that only the
necessary opening of exits will keep
the interior charged with sufficient
oxygen for heailhful breathing.
Beyond that, they look to circula
ton In the open for the maintenance
of health. When the body is ia
repose. partial or complete, 1t should
DC kept warm. Cold draughts may
be excellent things for tuberculosis
patients, but that they supelnduce
pneumonia cannot be dehled, and
hardly less Gao it be denied that the
alarming increase in deaths from
pneumonia Can to traced to them.
The doctors owe it 20 the public to
illustrate, to the last detail, the
difference between ventilation and
draughts. Tley should show sec
tions of living and sleeping rooms
10 indicate the necessary positions
of doors and windows in getting
ventilation without draughts. And
they should tell US about how many
cubic feet of cold air per mile Is
needed for the proper ventilation of
q rrowded street car For the vital