El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-10-28

Soil Pollution and Contami-
mated Streams Spread Ty-
phoid and Other Fevers.
DISHCLOTHS SPREAD
DANGEROUS GERMS
BY Frederic J. Huskin.

BY Frederic y HuslzIus
Washington, d. c., oct 2S.-The
problem Of rural sanitation is the
simplest, and yet the most difficult,
with which the sanitarian OF today
has to deal Tt is the simplest be-
cause the conditions of rural life are
such that only a comparatively few
precautions are necessary TO insure
freedom from contagious diseases In
the country. 1t is the most difficult
because the country people are the
sIOWest to accept new ideas i'm sanl-
tation and the hardest TO convince Of
the value and importance OF sanitary
precautions.
Thousands of people in this enlight-
ened country still refuse to accept the
statement Of the medical fraternity
that tuberculosis is a disease caused
by a germ, and refuse to cooperate
with those who would suppress IT,
When one considers that there are
prOpOrtiOnately only half as many
deaths from tuberculosis under the
preventive and curative measures
adopted since Koch discovered the ba-
CillUs Of tuberculosis as there were be-
fore, it would seem that no one could
fail TO accept the facts as proved ana
yet there are untold thousands VINO
still refuse to believe.
People living in rural districts do
not seek medical attention as freely
in case of illness as those living IN
ana free dispensaries are unknown IN
the country. No one in the rural dis
triCts comes in contact with healJn
officer unless there be an outbreak
of smallpox or other dangerous cpl
demic.
Awakening Is Noticed.
But in spite OF all of this there has
been an awakening among the health
agencies of the country with reference
20 the rural problem, and mernOds are
being adopted which promise to maze
the country districts far healthier than
they are today. Tt is generally recog-
nized that the people OF the country
districts living closer TO nature, ought
10 be much healthier than the people
of the cities. AS was stated in prev
fOus article, the death rate In rural
communities is less by about one
eighth than in urban communities
6anftarians generally agree that Wflh
the blessings Of fresh air and abund-
ant outdoor exercise coupled with the
same sort of sanitary precautions that
are being taken in the progressive
cities. the death rate in rural com
munites might be cut down much be-
low the present figure 1T is believed
that approLiuatelI-- ideal conditions
might bring the number of people who
ole annually in the country districts
down TO 10 out Of each 1000 Of popu-
latiOn.
The much discussed country life
commission. appointed by eX-president
laughed out OF existence, secured much
information with reference TO rural
conditions, and il is stated that as
result Of this Information, at least
nine state boards of health engaged
in an endeaV0r to eliminate the causes
of complaint set forth in the report
Soil Pollution "a Menace.
One Of the greatest evils in rural
communities is soil pollution from hui
man waste. Tt is said that thousands
Of small streams throughout the coun-
try are polluted with the germs OF ty-
phOid fever, dyseuterE, and other dis
eases In such way that epldemics
are likely to break out at any time.
There have been iunumerable cases
where one case of typhoid fever near
the head waters of little country
stream has resulted in dozens Of cases
further down stream This is paruc-
ularly true where wells and springs
border on the stream and furnish
drinking water for the people living
along the water course. In an inves-
tigation made by one Of the health
authorities Of the national government
a few years ago it was found that
three out Of every five wells inVesti-
gated i'm country districts contained
colon bacilli- Wherever these baciln
are found the typhoid germ is likely
to be discovered The milk supply Of
the rural districts is also a frequent
source of injection, on account Of care
less methods Of milking and failure to
properly care for the cows
Dish Cloth Filled With Germs.
The average rural housewife IS
most careful hOusekeeper in some
ways and yet is completely lacking in
care IN others. Her house cleaning
is almost religious duty. but she
never has become a believer in the
germ theory Of disease and does not
understand that germs are too small
to be seen with the eye and much too
elusive to be swept out with a broom
It is said that thousands Of cases OF
saHe rrarHr
careless dishwashing. No dish is thor
oughly cleansed and rendered sterile
until it has been treated with an anti
septic solution like washing soda and
thereafter immersed in boiling water.
The old-fashioned dish-clOth is a YER
liable paradise for germs. and the san
itariau declares that until the house
wife uses better dish washing methods
germ diseases viii certainly continue
to be communicated to other members
of the household.
One Of the most remarkable things
about sanitary conditions in the COun-
try districts is the lack Of proper ven
tilatiOu in the homes There is a wide
spread belief that night air is harm
full. and consequently people sleep
with their windows and doors closed.
1t is always found that Wnen people
20 out on a camping expedition and
live in the open air during the night
as vel rs during the day, they rarely
have colds When the troops Of the
AllLeQ states army are nh4lB III --E-A
camps they are always much freer
from colds than when in the barracks
Another frequent source Of cOntag-
ion in the country is the ice supply.
AS a rule. the farmer who has an ice
house gets his Ice from any pond or
running stream which happens to be
in his neighbOrhOod. In the process
of freezing. @ large proportion Of the
germs in water get into the ice and
while millions of them die if kept in
ice for a sufficient length of time,
there are others with constitutions ro-
bust enough TO undergo Imprisonment
in ice for many months. 1t may be
inferred that a germ with such
strong constitution is dangerous when
st Is liberated again. Therefore, many
cases Of typhoid and other diseases
are communicated in this way Some
enterprising farmers have solved the
problem of taking ice from such
sources and at the same time escaping
all danger Of infection They lay coils
Of pipe through the bottom of their
ice houses and place the ice on these
coils. The water used for drinking
purposes is run through these coils OF
pipe and thereby cooled to the proper
degree