Evening star., 1912-09-08

entists are engaged in reading or listen
ing to papers more or less technical and
abstruse at the meetings Of the various
sections of the congress the general
public will take in the exhibition,
which has been planned in such way as
to be interesting to everybody. For IN
stance in one department will be Illus
trated the most up-to-date methods of
dealing with the insane and mentally
deficient.
One object here shown will be an iron
cage. five feet square and eight feet high,
such as was used fifty years ago for
crazy persons who were disposed to be
violent. Such cages were in all respects
like those made for wild animals. but
less comfortable. They had window,
but placed at such a height that the
prisoner could not look out For CON
trast there will be cheerful room, rep
resenting the modern mode of treatment
with every possible comfort, and sup
plemented by an arrangement lor What
are called continuous baths'-baths OF
this kind being found very soothing TO
the violent insane.
other exhibits will illustrate new
methods for rendering the insane ana
feeble-minded partly or wholly sen-sup.
porting OF course. any work they must
vision, but quite commonly they can De
taught to perform certain userui tasks.
Feeble le-mindedness is now known 10 pc
the most heritable of all diseases. SUI
ferers from it could be reduced IN num-
hers bv IS per cent by secluding the
affiicted in institutions, so that they
should not have an opportunity 10 maT.s
and propagate the mischief.
An important section OF the exhioltion
relates to the hygiene OF INFANCY anu
toll prevention
of infant mortality. Too many babies
die. how shall it be prevented? How
many bottle babies" that perish w0uIo
survive If they were breast-fed? How
important is the nourishment ana mooe
OF life of the mother? The model nurs-
cry: rest homes for expectant mothers,
schools for mothers. in which they may
he taught how to take care of their chill
dren-all of these have an important
bearing upon the future of the race.
The exhibits relating to schools are par
ticularly striking To large extent
these consist of photographs showing
things as they ought to be and as they
ought not to be. For instance, ssnool
seats formerly required adjustable chill
dren: now 1t is the opposite way. Sky
lights are a conspicuous feature OF the
most up-to-date schools Rest rooms
for teachers are another admirable inno-
vation One big school in Rochester mas
a room that is fitted up for dentistry Win
several operating chairs. When chiid
teeth need attention they get IL Oh Inc
premises.
1t is worth mentioning in this connec-
ton that two rich brothers In Boston
have recently put up a marble ouiiolhg
at a cost of $500 1000. and have endowed
II with another $500, 600 for use as chill
lists of the city will give their services
there regularly, just as physicians IN Or
binary practice do at hospitals. ana the
little patients will not have to pay =, a
cent There are 125. 900 school children In
Boston. and $4,000 Of these, 1t Is esti-
mated have defective teeth. This situa-
ton of affairs Is to be done away with.
When a teacher In any of the schools
discovers that a pupil has bad teeth-a
matter in regard to which inquiry will be
made-the child will be promptly sent to
the infirmary.
The state of New York will make an
exhibition. largely consisting of photo
graphs of methods for improving the
condition OF the blind. Fortunately the
number of blind people Is much less than
IL used to be. and they are destined to be-
come progressively fewer-this largely by
reason OF the prompt treatment given TO
infants. who suffer from a dangerous
purulent ophthalmia soon after they are
born Unless they receive prompt atten-
ton their sight is likely to be lost for
ever In Boston the Perkins Institution
for the Blind is putting up new build
ing, which curiously enough Is being
made smaller than the old one. because
fewer inmates are expected. Every case
Of eye inflammation in an infant occurring
in that city is required to be reported in
stantly by the attending physician to the
board of health.
The department of the exhibition re-
lating to communicable diseases is large
ly made up of an interesting series OF
exhibits contributed by the state Of New
York Among these are a number of
huge charts showing the sanitary dis
tricts into which the state is divided
They are made of translucent paper, and
are connected with electrical apparatus
in such way that figures are flashed
into the spectators view from behind
showing the reduction in mortality from
various maladies during the last few
years. For example. it is made to ap-
pear that typhoid fever deaths have been
reduced more than so per cent since
1S3I-the death rate from this cause com
ing down in eleven years from thirty one
TO fourteen per 10000 And II is shown
incidentally that this has directly to dc