Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-01-13
Cams, ssesIs ana citizens.

0ana0y 0eoek ond CiSsxeHS.
The epidemic Of foot and mouth dis
ease and it, effect on the packing In
dustry and the stock yards Of Chicago
have been commented on widely In tho
daily press from various points OF
view. One Of the most illuminating
comments appears in recent issue Of
the Chicago Journal under the head
ing Livestock Versus Quail" Taking
the best available estimates Of the
amount of livestock containued In the
state and figuring on an average value
Of horses at $140 head, mich COWS
at SOS, other COWS at $50, swine at 3l5.
sheep at IS and mules at $3.50 (mini-
mum valuations, as most will admit),
the Journal says the total Of livestock
in Illinois would be $435,276.000 for the
protection Of which the state legis-'
lature appropriated for the current
year total Of $37,340. BY way of COM
parison, the Journal quotes the appro-
priation for the protection of fish and
game for the same time, which
amounts to $151,600. The Journal prop
erly oharacterizes such a situation as
"intolerable." It says. ITO spend four
times as much money protecting quail
ducks and prairie chickens as we spend
in caring for one Of the basic indus
tries of the state is sheer communal
lunacy." This is true. The farmers
and business men Of Illinois should see
to 1t that every cent that is necessary
to protect the livestock Of the state is
provided, no matter what economics
may be necessary in other directions.
But, asks the Journal of the American
Medical Association, If such appropria-
lions are justified for the protection Of
the lives and health of animals. how
much should be appropriated to protect
the lives and health Of men, women
and children of the state? Certainly
more than for fish. game and livestock.
Yet the appropriation for the protec-
tion Of the 5,63s,591 men and children
in the state was for 1914 only 100000,
$4,000 less than was appropriated for
the protection of fish and game. Are
the lives Of it's citizens Of less value TO
Illinois than the preservation Of Its
quail and bass?
OeeupationaI Ego Diseases.
Many eyes are injured or lost from
disease contracted in certain occupa-
tons. In some trades absorption OF
poisons produce serious eye diseases.
Among these poisons are tobacco,
alcohol, lead. bisulfid Of carbon, nitro
benZol, aniline dyes, etc. One OF the
most dangerous is alcohol. Not the
high grade grain alcohol put the cheap
wood or methyl alcohol. sometimes
masquerading under the names Co
lumbar spirits" Colonial spirits" or
Manhattan spirits" This poison Is
sometimes drunk by ignorant people.
and not infrequently causes death and
blindness. Even ten OOPS have pro-
duced such results in susceptible peo-
pie. Turkish bath attendants and
masseurs sometimes use wood alcohol
with bad results, both to the rubber
and the rubbed The inhaling OF wood
alcohol In such trades as painting and
hat making not infreqnent;y produces
blindness or fata! results 1t Is used
as solvent for shellac and II used In
confined spaces Is very dangerous. In
a pencil factory. where wood alcohol
was used. roomfu! Of girls suffered
from serious disturbance Of vision,
which passed away with the removal
OF the cause Wood alcohol under this
or under any other name should not be
manufactured or sold 1t Is too dan
-gerous. What 10 called denatured aico-
uOl I'D just 90 NAASOR sAhA SVAAAPess ~ ' w.
harmless. Another vocational eye dis
turbance is found where eyes are un-
duly exposed to very bright lights,
such as blow outs or "short-circ-
cults" where the light 10 sudden and in
tense. Such accidents may, by the
overpowering influence ON the retina,
produce poor sight or blindness, partial
or complete, for q variable length of
time. Constant and intense electric
light produces retinal exhaustion, and
an excessive pupillary contraction,
which secondarily overworks the mus
Gle of accommodation, and occasions
great ocular fatigue. People who work
continually on polished surfaces such
as gilders, metal polishers and glass
workers experience the same troubles.
Factories that are over brilliantly IL
Illuminated by incandescent gas and
electric lights are apt to injure the
eyes, as these lights contain much viO-
let and ultra violet rays which produce
an effect on the eye similar TO snow
blindness" These rays may also seri-
ously affect the eye. Stokers( bottle
makers, and glass blowers, whose eyes
are continually exposed 70 intense heat
and light. are very apt to lave cata-
racts and the eye nearest the fire Is
always the one first affected. Another
t., nj, nj ~ hor