The broad ax., 1913-10-18

The real strength Of a nation lies in |
the health and vigor of its people,
rather than in the territory it owns.
Overcrowded tenements and dirty,
poorly ventilated work places are
breeding places for tuberculosis. The
erowding together Of human beings in
home, church, factory, school or place
of amusement is certain to result in
injury to their health and a lowering
of the standards of right living.
1t is the part of wisdom for US to
spend money for national defense; that
is, for defense from the foes without
But it is also wise that our nation
should not be niggardly in apprOpriat-
ing money to fight our foes within, the
preventable diseases. These diseases
destroy annually more lives, many times
over, in our land alone, than are lost
in all the wars the world over for a
like period. 1t is stated on good au-
thority that in the United States alone
the preventable diseases kill 1900 per-
sons every day and entail an economic
loss of over one million dollars.
Uncle Sam takes pretty good care of
the men who serve him in the Army
and Navy. In 1912 the government
spent $9,444,6l3 or $1,000 on each en-
listed man for health purposes. These
expenditures covered every phase of
welfare work that tended to protect
and safeguard the health and physical
well-being of the men. There can be
no criticism of a policy that means
so much in conserving and maintaining
the heath and bodily vigor of our sol
diers and sailors; but it is to be hoped
that Uncle sam will also see the wis
dom of spending more money for gen.
eral health purposes. In other words,
our government might well spend more
money in protecting and conserving the
health of its vast army of citizens
whose physical well-being means so
much for the nations material growth
and prosperity.
Commercialism says, "Build your
buildings as high as you please" Sound
sanitation says, "NO building should
be higher than the width of the street
on which it stands.'' The objections
from a sanitary standpoint to tall
buildings. are that they shut off the
sunlight from the streets and from the
structures on the opposite side of the
street. 1t is well known that sunshine
is destructive of germ life and wher-
ever there is lack of this God-given
agency of health there is always a death
rate above the normal. When it is re-
membered too, that there is less sun
shine in the city than in the open eoun-
try, due to smoke, fog and atmospheric
influences, buildings should not be so
constructed as to convert our city
streets into veritable canyons so deep
and narrow that the rays of the sun
never touch their lowest depths.
Among the household pests that are
the bane of all good housewives, the
cOckroach ranks along with mosquitoes
and the much dreaded bed bug. If
anything tends to destroy the good tenn
per and peace of mind of the eleanly
and order-loving housewife, it is to
have her kitchen swarming with cock
reaches. Until recently, however, the
cOckroach has not been thought of as
possible carrier of disease. But in
the light of experiments conducted in
the laboratory of Parasitology in the
University of California, it appears
that if the hOusehy carries the germs
of disease, the eoekroaeh is scarcely
less dangerous in the same way and
transmits bacteria in a similar manner;
that is, by collecting the germ-laden
filth on its foot and mouth parts and
by feeding on filth and diseharging this
when feeding on human food. 1t is
shown that the eoekroaeh invades
places where eontaminating material
such as sputum or excrement is found
and that its food habits are such as to
afford ample opportunity for its con-
taminating the food of man.
PHYLLIS wHEATLEY CLUB
NOTES