Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-11-05

sanitary officials came around. 1t was
found that the greatest aid to the
wiping out of yellow fever In the south
at that time was a campaign of educa-
ton. Special literature written Tor
popular consumption and showing con
clusively the truth of the mosquito the
DRY of yellow fever propagation. was
distributed In the face of Immediate
peril the public came to accept the
statements of the sanitarians and after
that the obliteration of yellow FEVER
became a comparatively easy task
It is probable that the existence of the
hookworm disease in the south may prove
blessing In
Hookworm May Prove disguise In
the elimination
to Be q Blessing. Of that disease
the work of the sanitarian is SO quickly
visible in its results and gives SUCH
prompt relief to the suffering that IT
cannot fail to impress the unlettered
masses with sense of the value OF mod
ern methods Of prevention and cure. The
sanitary officer can take his microscope
and go into an infected home. into a
school or into a drug store, and there
let the people see with their own eyes
the parasite which causes so much suf-
fering in the hookworm infested sections
of the country. After this he can ad-
minister doses of thymol to the afflicted
in a family and In d weeks time Such d
change takes place that the whole COM
munity cannot but be impressed with the
result.
1t is generally acknowledged that the
real hope of the public health crusade in
the United States lies in the education
of the 2O,OOOO0O school children In the
a
million school teachers. each of whom
might be made a center of instruction In
hygiene. With their cooperation the i'm
questionable mind of the child in the
schools could be aroused to an apprecla-
ton of the Importance to themselves and
to their country of their espousal Of the
health crusade. The majority of the
city schools of the country already are
giving attention to this work. Inquiries
made in nearly 800 city schools reveal
the fact that nineteen-twentieths of them
instruct the children in the evil effects
of alcohol and tobacco: 81 per cent of
them have special courses in the proven
ton and cure of tuberculosis, and more
than half Of them teach the children
lessons in first aid to the injured.
Many city schools maintain systems OF
medical inspection for the children. 1t
is the aim of those who advocate medical
inspection to combine instruction with in
spection. One authority declares that the
w
struction and inspection"-that is. that
the medical officers responsible for in
spection shall take it upon themselves to
instruct the children In matters OF ny
giene and the maintenance of good
health. large number of schools MAIN
tain a system of inspection for conta-
gious diseases. Even more of them have
inspections to test the vision and hearing
of the children. Some schools maintain
a nurse for the purpose of looking after
health conditions in the schools, while
others employ school dentists to in
spect the mouths of the children.
There are some 1900 cities and towns
in the United States which have organ
lied systems
instruction in Health of graded
an Interesting Study. n 5eappsS' h n,f
Of these maintain systems Of inspection
which usually carry with them some work
of instruction. There is no branch of
educational work in the common schools
which can be made more interesting than
that dealing with the laws of health. One
needs only refer to the hundred and one
little text books Of hygiene that are be-
ing used over the country today to dis
cover most interesting scientific truths
related in such a captivating way that
every child would be interested in them.
One of these little text books contains a
picture of every sort of germ which is
responsible for human disease. 1t then
tells the story of how that particular
germ grows, how it gets into the body and
a hundred and one other details about 1t
in such a simple and yet in such an &C
curate way that grownupS may read 1t
with inter est
AS an example of the subject mat
ter of these little books one may take
the chapter on 'lockjaw." 1t first gives
a picture Of the germ Of tetanus, or
1ockjaw, which Is so magnified as to
look like dainty little tennis racket
The story relates how this germ forms
a poison in the blood, which is twenty
times as strong as the dried venom
of themes poisonous snake in exist
ence. 1t is this poison, or toxin,
which is responsible for the locking
of the muscles of the body. The story
continues. bringing out the fact that
the toxin Of lockjaw is 800 times more
poisonous than strychnine. 1t states
that the savage tribes of the New
with the lockjaw germ by smearfng
them with earth taken from crab
holes Every other chapter in the
book is as entertaining as this one.
Some striking illustrations are used
to convey to the eye Of the child the
benefcent results which grow out OF
public health work. One of the books,
in illustrating the possibilities OF pub
lie health through a pure water sup
ply. makes comparison between
Pittsburgh. New York and Vienna.
This diagram, of course, tells the num-
Der Of deaths per thousand. The books
are filled with such examples of what
public hygiene has done and of what
may be done under proper laws OF
sanitation.
II X