The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1917-03-16

be sick themselves, or they may be
coming down with disease, or they
may be getting over it. Sometimes
we find human carriers" as they
are called, who have had disease
years before, or, so far as can be dis
covered, have never had the disease
at all, and yet are cultivating dis
ease germs in their bodies and dis
tributing them to infect others.
The disease germs are accustomed
to the warm, rich fluids of the body
and do not live long away from 1t.
The great danger lies in a rather di-
rect transfer of infected material
from one person to another. There
are three principal agents by which
this transfer is brought about and
by which diseases are commonly
spread. These have been allitera-
lively described as Food, Fingers and
| Flies.
II requires more than the germ to
| induce a case of disease. Germs of
the most virulent diseases often ex-
list in the nose, throat or intestinal
cardinals OF persons who show no
signs of being anything but healthy
| individuals. To contract the disease
the tissues of the body must be in a
condition to permit the rapid growth
and multiplication of the germs, and
the consequent formation of the poi
sons which produce the disease. Thus
we must have not only the seed, but
suitable soil for it's development.
The most effective measure for
keeping disease germs away from
healthy persons is to destroy them ut
their sources, that is to control the
discharges and wastes of persons af-
I focted with these maladies. This
is one of the most important OF the
duties of physicians, nurses and
health officials, and also of parents
and teachers, who may have the sole
responsibility for such diseases in
The earliest stages.
Since some cases Of disease or car.
riors are always likely to escape de-
lection, the care OF those known to
be sick must be supplemented by the
cultivation of habits of personal
cleanliness on the part of the well.
The cardinal principle of disease pre-
vention is that nothing shall go in
TO the mouth which is not kno Tn TO
be bacteriologically clean. Few peo-
and all sorts Of objects go to the
mouth, and the breaking OF such
habits is one of the most effective
methods of sanitation. Food and
pure water are the only things which
should pass the gateway of the lips.
and these and the utensils and the
fingers with which they must be han
died should he clean in the sanitary
sense, not merely free from visible
iirt, but from the most dangerous
kind of dirt, the pollution from 9th
er human mouths, hands and dis
charges.
Furthermore, it is importan: not
only to keen disease germs away
from the pOGy as far as possible.Dut
also to maintain such a condition CT
health that the germs will not grow,
even IL they enter the body.
Lack of gesh air, an insufficient
supply of norrishing food, iInprop-
er clothing and mental or physical
fatigue, put the body IN condition
to acquire disease. On the other
hand, resistance to disease is deyc!-
oped by an abundance II fresh air
nourishing food, pure drinking wa
ter, a reasonable amount of exercise
and play, in the open air if possible;
clothing suited to the weather con-
ditions, personal cleanliness, and reg
ular habits in answering the calls of
nature. The teacher should encour-
age all healthy habits, and an intelli-
gent understanding of the reasons for
them, and should not allow the chill
dren to become tired and fatigued
during school hours,
II q single case OF communicable
disease appears in school, there is
always a danger that other cases will
follow unless immediate steps are
taken to remove the child, who
should be excluded from school and
rigidly isolated.
1t will be observed from the fol-
lowing description of the more ser
ious communicable diseases that the
most common early symptom is "a
cold" If all cases of apparently
acute colds were excluded from
school until it is proved that they
are not the early symptoms Of some
of these more serious diseases, cpl
denies would be far less common
than at present. II the children In
classroom are prone to have colds.
there is a reason for 1t. Exclude the