Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1915-11-13


ordinance should be displayed in all
such shops. We are careful enough
about allowing stray dogs to roam our
streets but we do not take into con-
sideration the number of stray cats
that stray at will around our premises.
These are quite as liable to carry dis
eases to our little ones as the dogs are
\ to bite them.
The milk subject mas been up so
many times that / pause only to say
that no milk should be sold under or
above the regulated temperature and
in bottles only. The Inspectors seal
| in the city and the health officer s in
the village should be secured in all
cases. There is a matter to which |
wish to refer, although with some hesi-
tation and that is with regard to wait
7 ers and mattresses in restaurants and
hotels, but especially the former. Many
of these persons are afflicted with
loathsome diseases and presume some
times, but possibly rarely communicate
them to their patrons. This subject is
rather nauseating to contemplate, but
lis a practical one, after all, and needs
the creation of sentiment enough TO
cause the patrons to investigate and to
ascertain if these people are in state
of health in which there is no particu'
lar danger Of communicating any dis
ease.
The ventilation, heating and lighting
of public buildings is usually looked
after by the contractors, however, these
important matters should be inspected
and proven adequate by the health
authorities, and in this connection it
would be well to occasionally direct the
attention of the public through the
press, to the fact that contagious dis
eases are contracted from those coming
down with them or just recovering from
them, so that such persons may feel a
restraining responsibility in the matter
of communicating them to others. The
contagious diseases of childhood have o
certain mortality and sometimes are
forerunners of serious maladies, there
4 fore strict surveillance should be
4 made of all of these diseases. l refer
to measles of all kinds, chickenpOx
4 whooping cough and so forth. Ordinar
1 lily the younger physicians have ten
dency to report these diseases, and es
tablish an isolation sufficient to pre-
vent others from contagion. The Older
physicians mikht feel that everyone
must have them, and no attempts al
I preventing communications would be
adequate, or they would think isolation
may be hardship. However, one death
works for greater hardship than any
I thing else can do, so l am in favor Of
exercising reasonable means of preven
ton. Salem has a fairly adequate sew
er system, yet there are certain local.
ties where people living in tents and
tent houses are not observing proper
precautions with regard to sewage dis
posal. One of these places is the va
cant lots north of North Mill creek OF
Liberty street. Open toilets are a men
ace to public health and need to be
done away with whenever possible. Eff
fective industrial hygiene is necessary
An important result of the present
"safety first" campaign is the opening
of our eyes to realization of the fac'
that it is not sufficient to make in
dustries safe merely from an accident
standpoint, they should be safe alst
from health standpoint. This is thu
keynote Of a plan for education in thu
avoidance of occupational diseases anC
injuries. The approximate average year
" loss through sickness of workers il
: this country would probably be abou
, the same as it is in Europe, not far from
eight TO nine days for each OF the 25,
000,0 to 30,000000 industrial workers
or an economic loss Of $36,000,000 i
the average annual earnings is 100000
, This would not take into consideration
the loss due to premature physical de
cline or reduction in earning capacity
which at present cannot be estimated
Any plan for improvement in this re
spect involves the education OF every
one concerned, which must be genera
in nature because of the inter.depen
dence Of all units Of society. Improve
ment in this respect requires the edu
cation of the medical profession anC
the stimulation of interest in the stud,
of diseases of occupation, the collec
/, tion of clinical data bearing on occupa
tional diseases, and the promotion o
research along these lines. Education o
inc puDhc - llupoltuuN bVN"uoO uh Z"
lightened public opinion is necessary t.
the successful carrying out of any mea
sure, which may be recommended afte
careful study of the problems involved
Industrial workers constitute by far tn,
largest class of medical patients, ye
, physicians in general regard the stud.
of the relation of disease to occupation
as speciality, with which the genera
,, practitioner and the specialist in othe
t, fields are not closely concerned. Hos
pitals are the chief sources of clinica
i material and are the natural location
where intensive studies of diseases ma.
be made. In order to utilize this sourc
Of information in regard to occupation
j al diseases, the adoption Of systemati
methods and terms for recording occu
i pations is necessary. DR.. A. ]. 0schne
/ of Chicago, an eminent authority o.
, hospitals, their needs and efficiency
: makes the statement that there shoul,
4 be one hospital bed for every one hun
: dred population If this be the ease
/ Salem should have hospitals equippe,
/ with 40 beds. As II is now, there ar
about half Of that number in the instl
e tutions Of that kind in our city. W