The Adair County news., 1915-01-13
HEALTH OFFICERS COLUMN.
BY U. L. TAYLOR.

shall not undertake to tell any,
Thing about the origin of disease, for
10 not know. L know that according
TO the records there was no sickness
before the flood. Men lived to he
nearly one thousand years old, and
died without being sick, and without
the help of a doctor. The first death
we have any account Of, was Abel, the
second son of Adam and Eve. He was
murdered by his brother Cain, the
first born, and when God was asking
Cain as to the whereabouts of his
brother, he said he did not know, and
asked God the important question:
Sam L my brothers. keeper" This
question has been coming down
through the ages for about 6, 900 years,
and is now for the first time being an
swered in the light of preventive med
icine and modern sanitation. The
universal brotherhood of man, that is
now being universally acknowledged,
makes every body his brothers keep
er. After the flood sickness entered
into the world, and man began fight
ing it, and soon the necessity of doc
tors became apparent. Human life
was very much shorter after the flood
than before. Moses lived to be 12C
years old, and died without being sick.
His successor, Joshua, lived to the ripe
old age of ITO years, and the ages Of
man grew less and less as the days
went by. Several hundred years after
the death of Joshua, David said:
1.-THE days of our years are three score
years and ten" In New Testament
times the people we're afflicted with
many of the diseases of our time, but
the doctors seemed unable to manage
them. Thus matters went on, human
life growing shorter and shorter, I'M
til the average about 400, got down to
% when the scientific physicians I'M
took to try and prevent disease instead
of trying to cure it. For two or three
centuries the human life remained
about the same, until Edward 'Jenner
discovered vaccination. That was the
greatest move that had ever been
made toward preventive medicine.
Up to this time millions of people had
died from smallpox, large cities of the
United States had been almost depop-
ulated, and writers of that day tell US
that almost every man and woman
that one met on the streets was dis
figured by it. Jenner did not let his
discovery be known until he thought
there could be no doubt about it. But
he did not wait long enough, A mob
gathered and was about to take his
life, when he had to flee, and the mob
broke into his office, burned all his
valuable papers and furniture, and
sought diligently for him. He had to
stay in hiding for or years. BY
this time his discovery was acknowl-
edged to be true. The people made
what amends they could, but they
could do nothing but build mon
ument after he died, and scatter flow
erS over his casket at the funeral.
But his discovery was used by the CIV
ilized world, enough to give a tremen-
dous impetus to the Iengthening Of
human life. In fifty years after the
death of Jenner, the average length
of human life reached 80 years. DIR.
Jenner escaped with his life, but the
hiding, and the treatment that he re-
ceived from his town people so
wrought on his nervous system, that
his life was cut short quite number
of years. DR.. Jenner was more fort
innate than quite number Of modern
sanitarians, who many of them dice,
that thousands of their fellow men
might live. will give accounts of
these or at least some of them in sub
Sequent articles.
Here is the maggots motto, and his
song; Let us eat, drink and be merry
for tomorrow we're flies"
Remember mosquitoes make wiggle-
tails, and wiggletails make mosqui-
toes Destroy then, the breeding
places for the mosquitoes, by keeping
the water barrels covered, and all old
tin cans removed.
The highest form of service which
the medical profession can perform
for mankind, is the prevention of sick
ness.
! In Exodus VIII chapter, and 81
verse we have a sholt account of the
greatest fiy-killer of either ancient or
modern times; "And Moses removed
the swarms of flies from Pharoah, and
from hisservants, and from his peo-
pie. There remained not one."
Tight clothing and tight shoes, es-
pecially in summer time, are for a
few women only. All men and a few
wise women will let such things Sc
verely alone.
Don't forget that the fly which was
Matched last week will be great
grandmother next week.
T. D;SoaSa germs. kill r-or> +rr~ o.4s.