The Oskaloosa herald., 1912-04-18
DIR. FR0ST'S LECTURE
No Need Of Fright or Scare. He
Thinks Trouble Is Arrested.


States Marine Hospi al service. might
never have visited otw, city. Through
his presence -in=the city Sunday our
people were afforded treat in a lee.
ture upon typhoid fever that was
equal to liberal education on the
subject. The Doctor crowded more
information into few words than Is
contained ordinarily between the bind
ing boards Of large book. The talk
was treat for the "laymen.' 1t was
in terms of 'kindgarten simplicity that
would reach the understanding of
even child in teens, yet, every sen.
| tence was of deepest meaning and in
terest. All professional phraseology
and technical expressions and terms
were eliminated and the matter of the
lecture was laid before the audience
of several hundred men in form that
was at once interesting and instruct.
i've.
The meeting was held at $3.50 o.
clock p. IN. under the auspices of the
Y. M. G. A. at the Orient theatre, the
greater part of which was filled with
representative audience. There were
old and young men, business men, pro-
fessional men and citizens. Doctor
! l.. A. Rodgers was chairman of the
meeting and Doctor E. ID. MCLEAN
was at the head of the physicians part
of the program. DR.. M. +. Boyd who
work on the typhoid fever, DR.. W. S.
Wmdle, DR.. J. c. Barringer and others
of the profession were seated on the
stage with the representatives of the
Y. M. C. A.
Following the usual preliminary ser.
vice, which occupied more than half
an hour DR.. Frost was introduced to
speak of the conditions being ex-
perienced in the city, to enlighten his
audience concerning the nature of the
disease and to make plain few com.
mon laws to be observed in prevent.
ing the spread of the trouble. At the
beginning the speaker outlined forms
of life and the continual struggle
made for existence from the moment
of birth. He made plain the plan OF
attack of organisms upon the human
system and then took up the methods
of bodily defense, the curing Of
disease, when once contracted and
the better method, the prevention of
disease. Typhoid fever was taken up
and explained in detail. 1t is micro
organism of vegetable origin which
multiplies only in the intestinal canal
of the human body and in cows milk
or cream. Numerous means of spread
ing or carrying were shown. Typhoid
patients continue to pass typhoid
bacilli for weeks and sometimes
months following the fever and two
out of every one hundred persons
who have had the fever continue to
discharge the germs for the remand
er of their lives. Milk may be polluted
by person handling the cans or yes.
sells and become the means of spread
ing the disease to any number of con-
sumers: Discharges of the bowels
and urine thrown into the open privy
vault are the source of grave danger.
Flies visit the vault by the thousands
and their feet and legs became GOV.
cred with the germs. They next visit
the table and light on the food or the
plates or otherwise spread the germs.
Radishes, lettuce or other vegetables
may take up the germs from soil upon
which has been dumped discharges
of typhoid patients. Live germs will be
carried long distances in water and
entering into the water supply Of
town they become widely spread.
One typhoid patient in an eastern
town spread the disease to over 1000
people by means of the discharges EN-.
tering into the water supply of the
town.
Water supplies were discussed at
considerable length and milk receiv-
ed some attention. Preventative meas.
ures were then taken up and discuss.
ed in detail. Doctor Frost criticised
the slowness or the unwillingness OF
the public in general to recognize the
Importance of the work of disease pre-
yention. Every city should have a
competent, well-paid and well organ
lied department of public health and
yet municipal organizations and indi-
vidual tax payers complain at paying
paltry compensation for valuable SER
vices in the way of preventative meas
ures and in maintaining sanitary con-
'ditions. Countless thousands of dol
lars are spent in legal trial over an
effort to save the life of an Individual.
Vast sums of money are expended in
healing and curing the sick, and, too,
without word of complaint, but the
public resents the paying of health
officer a paltry thousand dollars or
two, where he is the means OF saving
linnumerable lives and countless sums
of money by preventing the disease
in various forms.
DR.. Frost emphasized the necessity
for boiling all water and milk during
the period of uncertainty or the ex-
istence OF the typhoid and he laid
down numerous other precautions
that might be exercised. He stated
that there was no need of fright or
scare. that he thought the progress
of the trouble has been arrested.
Following the adjournment of the
meeting many pressed about DR.. Frost
to ask questions. others to offer con.
gratulations and expression of aDpre.