The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1917-02-22
City Health Superintendent Calls Attention
TO Dangers that Lurk in Unclean
Localities
MAKE CHICKASHA
THE CLEANEST CITY,
DR.. Dawson Cites New Orleans as Exam
pie Of What Drastic Measures Will
Do TO Deadly Disease

La, a beautiful city near the mouth Of
the Mississippi river, was asleep COM
mercially," said Dr. E. L. Dawson,
health officer today Ragged weeds
grew on her dilapidated walls in the
business district 1t was visited every
few years with an awful and devastat-
ing epidemic Of yellow fever which de-
moralized her population, Of which it
exacted a frightful toll
"Her medical men and health au-
thorities were searching night and day
to find out what caused yellow fever.
They said the contagion was spread by
fomates, that it was low lying poison
which spread from house to house as
If it crawled on the ground. They
said the disease was always imported
from Cuba, that no new epidemic ever
developed there
Believing this, in 1884 DR.. Joseph
Holt, state health officer, established
a strict quarantine at the mouth Of the
river and no vessel was ever allowed
TO pass until all passengers and freight
was thoroughly disinfected. BY this
means epidemic was prevented. Soon
after this there was discovered that a
certain kind of mosquito, the anaphales
was the most frequent cause Of mala-
rial fever which had always been a
dreadful scourge in low lying districts
and to screen her out meant freedom
from malaria Following quickly was
the discovery that another mosquito,
the,stigomia, was to blame for the con
traction OF yellow fever.
Naturally, finding the cause of these
plaques. followed the remedy. "Clean
up was the watchword.
"Collier's Of February "a, 1917, says
of New Orleans, The first thing she
did was to clean house, provided good
surface drainage and excellent filtered
water supply from the river in place.
of her old mosquito breeding cisterns,
and modern sewers in place Of cess
pools. She killed rats by the hundreds
of thousands, rat-proofed her buildings
and thus at one stroke eliminated all
fear of bubonic plague. She began toll
take interest in her public schools and
soon trebled their advantages. She
concerned herself with the revision OIL
repressiye tax laws. She secured one
of the best street railway systems mi
the country but perhaps most striking
of all, she set to work to build scien
tifically of gigantic dream. This
dream embodied the resumption by
New Orleans of her old place as second
seaport city.
"This been said in order to impress
upon our little town the great impor-
tance Of being clean" continued Dr.
Dawson. "That all toilets in the sewer
districts should be connected with the
sewer That all other toilets should be
made fly-proof.
'Flies are the filthiest and most dan
gerous insect known to man They
are born in filth, bred in filth and car
ny filth with them wherever they go,
whether it be to the baby's body toI
the market, to the dairy or to your ta-
BILE. They leave a trail of filth, ais
ease and death behind them. They
are responsible for the spread Of more
than seventy-five per cent Of typhoid
fever as well as other diseases.
"The first and most important thing
is to clean up and keep clean. Next,
trap the fly as fast as he comes. As
city superintendent Of health invoke
the assistance Of every man. woman
and child in a crusade against all man
ner OF filth. This will make Chicka-
ska the most healthful town in Okla
homa.
This is one Of the best assets to be
had"