Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1914-10-09
Copyright. 1914. by A. S. Gray)
THE QUESTION OF CURES.

intellect, be 1t that OF an individual or
that Of a race, forms conclusions
which require to be revised and re-
revised before they reach tolerable
correspondence with realities. Were
1t otherwise there would be no discov-
cry, no increase of intelligence. What
we call progress of knowledge is the
bringing of thoughts into harmony
with things; and 1t implies that the
first thoughts are either wholly out Of
harmony with things, or in very in
complete harmony with them"
In this quotation is the key to the
reply to the frequent query: What
has the spectrum got to do with my
health and digestion?" There is a
close analogy between the building up
Of organic compounds out of the inor-
ganic under the influence Of light
waves and the rebuilding of these
same complicated compounds into
higher forms in our bodies under the
influence of the engines; and by COM
pretending what we can see Of the
operation Of light on the vegetable
kingdom we are able to secure some
understanding of what we cannot see
In our own bodies.
knowledge has value in exact pro-
portion to the benefit 1t confers, direct
ly or indirectly, on the human race.
Every new scientific fact or principle
generally grasped helps to an under
standing of natures laws, and when
properly applied is sure to lead to
Increased health, efficiency and pros
perity Of the individual and Of the
community. For example: But few
years ago the milkman might let any
quantity of dirt fall into the milk
provided he strained it out again so
we could not see it, and might feed
his cows any kind of slop that would
not kill them. We did not care, be-
cause we did not understand the rela-
tons of things. But today, because of
the general knowledge Of bacteriology
and Of sanitary science, enlightened
public opinion compels the milkman
to keep dirt out of the milk and to
give his cows good food. The result
of this is shown in the fact that there
has been an enormous reduction in in
FAINT diseases and in the death rate of
young children.
Then there was the fish test" Not
many years ago wise men wrote books
to show that if fish could live in water
the water was potable. No matter how
filthy it might be, il sufficient oxygen
got into it by aeration or otherwise SC
that fish could live in it the water was
fit to drink. At that time we believed
cpl 1emic typhoid fever to be vista.
ton Of Divine Providence in punish
ment of our many sins and to be borne
meekly and with resignation. Today
we realize fully that epidemic typhoid
fever is traceable solely to the ignor
ance or carelessness of the individual
or of the community, and that we can
secure absolute exemption from this
class of disease by the observance OF
well defined precautionary measures
And no intelligent person now defends
the fish test" we understand the re
lation Of things.
The reduction Of infant mortality by
preventive measures and the reduc
ton of epidemic diseases through pre-
ventive measures have produced a ma
terial reduction in the general deatf
rate. This has led to the false conclu
sion that the length of human life il
increasing. It is not. Statistics show
fewer deaths in the younger ages, bu
point to an increase in the death:
after passing the age Of forty years
The diseases showing increase, which
are responsible for this premature
mortality, are those which have thei
origin In defective metabolism (diges
ton and tissue renewaD such as dia
betes, Bright's disease, arterio-scle
rosis, apoplexy and probably canoe
and insanity.
The greatest obstacle to progress
along this line lies in the fact that w
have not yet grasped our relation t
things. We still harbor a strong be
lief in cures" and not until they hav
been tested and weeded out by tn
slow, painful experimentation of tn
whole human race extending over
generation or more are we willing t
admit they are useless. The reasol
for this is that about eighty-five pc
cent of all cases of illness get well O
their own accord, no matter what ma
be done or not done for them, an
therefore any remedy, provided 1t 1
not directly harmful, which is use
with sufficient constancy in any dill
ease, will score more than sixty pc
cent of cures. Hence every new rem
edy starts loaded" with a margi
Of chances in it's favor, and in the al
sence Of comprehensive and reliabl
statistics to prove that more patient
who took a certain remedy got we
than recovered as the result of nc
taking it, we are left up in the air
The truth is buried under the misleaC
ing statement that 20 to 80 per cent {
the patients taking that particula
remedy we're cured by it. This is tn
foundation of the deluge of half truth