The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1915-01-08

!. IA New Efeid IA HeaIfh Worir.

II r. 80 \ 50
-.
A New Field ~ H n Work \
During the last Ave year remark
liable progress has l,sen made IN the
Banitatior, 81 American AZ fies ]: water
supplies have beer, nuri6ed and safe
|Eguarded. sewage syefems have been
Improved. steps have been taken to
destroy Ifiies and 7otf,er insects That
carry disease. The result has been
Ito reduce the prevalence Of typhoid
fever, in some eases. by several hun.
tdred per cent. & I.
Cities are at all times the centers
of disease injection. and the clean
ling up OF. the cities has necessarily
REACTED fayorably tpon the rural dis
Etricts. There has been less typhoid
lin the country. simply because there
Iwere fewer sources Of confagion. But
lso far as sanitary measures to pre-
,tvent the spread az N fection9 are con-
lcerned. the rural sdistricts nave made
iscarceiy any prorress IN The last ave
4 years. with the exception Of 4 few
localities In a few stafes. where fed
ieraI and. state health authorities
tfaye coiicentrateds Their efforts. sani.
ltary conditions III rural = America are
ldeplorably bade1nticb worse than
ANY city dweiier can imaeine.i +
The idea that the country. Is I'M
therently healthy has q big hold upon
the popular 'imagination. Clear.
Ebubbiirig springs and running brooks
are considered the acme Of health.
land a farm Is regarded as the health
Hest possible place to live. n. |. q,
AS amatter Of fact. running and
lseeping water. = ilnprotecte nv mines
lor other Artificial condi1its ~ one OF
the most daneerous puryeyors Of IN.
lfection: and the farm. with its neces.
sarily crude isanifary anpliances. "a
lin far more danger from contractors
Idence In a modern city.
The only thing to be said In favor
| OF the country as q health resort is
the sparsity 81 lis popuiat ion. which
makes IL difficult for Injection to
spread rapidiy. ANY CITY having
sanitary provisions as crude as any,
typical rural Community would be
infested witt, Contagious disease. as
were our army camps during the
| Spanish American war. These were
essentially cities with rural sanitary
provisions. and about one m every
| Ave OF their inhabitants suffered
from typhoid fever. {
AS vet the problem: Of making san.
litary the rural districts OF the United
States has been barely touched. and
the magnitude of the task before
federal and state and health author
tiles Is appalling. It is "a federal
question, because infection is no re-
lspecter of state lines, and every
rural community where injection ex-
lists is a menace to every city to
which It sends its products. Real
ling the national Importance OF
rural sanitation, the United States
set about aiding the states in every
way to clean UP" their rural COM
munities. The Rockefeller Eounda-
ton, which Is combating the hook
worm in the South, Is also dealing
with the question Of rural sanitation
in broad and effective manner. But
1.-THE efforts OF these agencies seem
! almost insignificant when the inn
Incense territory to be dealt with and
1.-THE poverty Of many rural commune
tiles are considered. The solution Of
1.-THE problem depends upon the coun-
TRY dwellers themselves; and what ia
needed now is propaganda that will
bring home to them, the necessity
flor concerted action.
There can be no doubt thnt that
line average farmer will make great
err EFFORTS to safesnard the health 81
this livestock Than fI1at .of his family.
hi Is absurd TO saw that he cares
more far the livestock INT Tor soma
reason there "a i nreya1ent tendsncv
Ia regard shnmsn- tealti, as Ssomethire
/ In Ina hands sof Providence1 : while
the Illness of animais is seen In, It's ia
trne LIGHT "a = matter Of ,eansa - and
eject 'Tha+ a WV IN manv ~ farms rms
viii With he fond win sniendid -sanitarv
barns hmt Nm mo a ADJ s safa.ussd
Iaeainst injection for the inmates Of
| lthe house. ss'
IN mis- nsH fact a. migrated nv stha case
II