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


= \ states than It IS in the rural dis
tricts Of the country, much progress has
been made in the last quarter OF
century toward reducing the mortality
IN the cities. Nearly every important
city in the country mas cut down the
number OF deaths IN proportion 70 pop
ulaulOn by One-IOurtn TO One-Thlrd IN
the last 20 years. Some have maze more
rapid progress than others in solving
the problems Of municipal health, and,
considering the comparatively small
amount OF money that the municipal
ties nave expended Tor health purposes,
marvellous results have been accom-
pllshed-
The Work IN Chicago.
Chicago offers an illustration Of what
a progressive city may do IN saving
the lives Of its citizens The building
OF the Chicago drainage canal and other
steps in municipal sanitation have
served to place Chicago, despite many
ADVERSE conditions above the average
OF American municipalities in the mat
ter OF health. II has been calculated
that the number of lives saved in
single decade by improved sanitary con
dttlOns in the Windy City have repre-
scented an economic saving equivalent to
the entire cost Of the great Chicago
drainage system
The health bureau Of Chicago is pre-
sided over by an official VINO knows
how to get matters before the people
letin, issued monthly, to all the teach
ers, preachers and newspaper men in
the city This bulletin contains great
deal Of interes ting matter and some
most striking charts and drawings 10
Illustrate health conditions in the city
The Sanitary Trial Balance.
One OF the exhibits in the Chicago
campaign for health IS what is called
a sanitary trial balance" OF the city
Of Chicago in account with the pre-
ventiTe diseases. This trial balance
shows an entry for the profit side Of
the ledger Of $1,000 lives saved from
death through sanitary work in ten
years. There Is also a map showing
the number Of new cases OF tuberculO-
sis in Chicago reported during the
month. This map shows how many
new cases there are on each block In
the city.
Milwaukee is another city whose
health officials realize the advantages
Of publicity in their campaigns IN De
half Of the public health. Its bulletin
Is published under the name OF Inc
HealthOlOgist," and is filled with timely
and striking Illustrations Of what may
be done and Of what has been done IN
making Milwaukee a healthy city
There are those who believe that me
best possible way of educating the pub
lie TO the necessity OF observing Lle
laws OF sanitation and puDuc ana per
sonal hygiene, is to instruct II through
the moving picture show. A series OF
films might be prepared showing the
striking things about sanitary progress
and the evils OF Indifference 10 sanitary
laws Some Of the charts and pictures
published in the various health PUBL
cations of the United States are OF
striking interest The main IrOuoLs
with them IS that they are not seen Dy
the people who need most 10 learn tnelr
lessons With a moving picture snow
travelling from theater 10 theater IN
the same city accompanied by a com
petent lecturer, practically the entire
population would see the films II al
mission were free. II has been FOUND
that the moving picture men are usually
glad to give one night to such an en-
fertafnment IN each theater, because
this altruistic work is the best possible
advertisement for the picture show
Some OF the Problems.
It may be said that the great PROB
lens Of municipal sanitation are; me
furnishing Of pure water supply the
opera ton Of a sanitary sewerage sys-
tenn: the maintenance Of q saIe mix
supply, and the provision OF proper
housing conditions. Wherever q Guy
has changed from a polluted 70 pure
water sunDlv there has always 1Ol-
lowed a great saving Of human lie; IN
several Of the cities OF Europe, Wn-ch
obtain their water from pure noun
tain springs, the death rate from " =
phoid fever is only one itteenth OF
what It is IN the average large AmeIl-
can cities with polluted water taken
from rivers Those cities Wnlch nav
installed filtration plants In the Unltel
States have a death rate from JypnolQ
fever only one-f0urth as large as that
Of cities taking their water from IN
guarded rivers
Wherever adequate means are afford
ed for the proper inspection ana con-
troll % the milk supply a great decrease
has beer noted in the number OF cases
of typhoid. 1t has happened in dozens
Of instances that there would De from
10 to so cases Of typhoid feVer on
e. hail g IA
back TO one infected dairy, while me
ether diaries supplying the 1amlues on
those streets would not have single
case Of fever reported among their Gus
toners. Manv methods OF tnsuring
good nrnk suppl are being pursued by
various cities, but It is prODaDle lAat
MOnrclair, II. J., has come nearesL 10
solving the problem. 1t has enacIeo an
or5iDence whereby the bacterial count
of each dairy IS available Tor examine
ton by every inQuiring citizen. IN TINS
w. no one need have any doubt as
to the quality Of milk left at his door
by the milkman.
The problem OF housing the poor Is
raoornized by sanitariGns as an I'M
nort0nt but a difficult one. Inere are
no statistics in this country snow -O, N
the effect OF unsuitable housing conQl-
tfons. but statistical inquiry in the city
Of Glasgow, Scotland disclosed the Lacl
that two and One-half times as many
nannIn die HnnuaAlL III NAA1 e---N-
room houses as die in houses having
five or more rooms. The death rate
in houses Of three and four rooms is
nearly twice as great as that in larger
houses. There are statistics IN Jne
United States, however, which bear OUT
fhe reports from Scotland. The insur-
anca companies find that there are %
percent more deaths among holders OF
Industrial policies than among noIoeEs
of regular life policies. Likewise the
fnouIries Of the census bureau disclose
fbe fact that there are one-thlru more
deaths among the lnbOring ana serN ahS
classes than among the business ana
Drofessfonal classes in proportion 10 the
number Of persons.
BaIfinores Sewage Problem
The problem Of sewage disposal IN
tAe cities OF the United states has DeeE
in fbe course Of solution during the
mast 90 years With the new systems
az treating sewage, cities are apls 20
eliminate danger OF infection ana 20
turn the water into the adjacent rivers
without polluting the stream OeloW-
one of the most extensive sewage prof.
Tbiz happened on Christmas even 20
When the duke had finished. he gave
the negro a sign that he should case