French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1916-1919, 1918-12-05

Common Colds Highly catchinu-I~
portance of Suitable cIothing-couId
Save 100000 Lives.
~&s~S--1s
Washington, D. C.-Wtth the suhsfd
ence of the epidemic Of influenza II.
attention Of health officers is dirnctoS
! to pneumonia, bronchitis and o+bon
diseases of the respiratory svston,
which regularly cause a large numhor
Of deaths, especially during the winto,
season. According to Rupert Rlno
Surgeon General OF the United S+afos
Public Health Service, these diseases
will be especially prevalent this win,
ter unless the people are particularly
careful to obey health instructions,
"The present epidemic" said SIR.
geon General Blue, "has taught bv hit
ter experience how readily a condition
beginning apparently as a slight cold
may go on to pneumonia and death
Although the worst Of the epidemic is
over, there will continue to be a LARGO
number of scattered cases, m9nv ~
them mild and unrecognized. VIII, oh
will be danger spots to be guarded
against" The Surgeon General Iikpnad
the present situation to that after o.
great fire, saying, "No fire chief who
understands his business stops plavinp
the hose on the charred debris as soon
as the flames and visible fire have dis.
appeared. On the contrary, he con-
tinUeS the water for hours and even
days, for he knows that there is dam
ger of the fire reminding from smol-
dering embers."
"Then you fear another outbreak Of
i~nfuenZa?" he was asked. "Not neces-
sarily another large epidemic" said
the Surgeon General, "but unless the
people learn to realize the seriousness
Of the danger they will be compelled tn
pay q heavy death toll from pneumo-
MIA and other respiratory diseases.
Common Colds Highly Catching.
"It is encouraging to observe that
people are beginning to learn that or
binary coughs and colds are highly
catching and are spread from person
to person by means Of dropIets Of
germ laden mucus. Such drOplets are
sprayed into the air when careless or
ignorant people cough or sneeze with
out covering their mouth and nose, It
is also good. to know that people have
learned something about the value Of
fresh air. In summer, when kpeople
are largely out Of, doors, the Tsspira.
tory diseases Coughs, colds, pneumE-
MIA, etc.) are ~infrequent; in the fall,
as people. begin to remain indoors, the
r. neutrality-suspicious. increase; in the
winter, when people are prone to stay
in badly ventilated, overheated rooms
the respiratory diseases become very
prevalent.
Suitable Clothing Important.
"Still another factor in the produc-
ton of colds. pneumonia and other re-
SpiratOry diseases is carelessnesS or ig-
nOrance of the people regarding suit
able clothing during the seasons when
the weather suddenly changes, sitting
in warm rooms too heavily dressed or,
what is even more common, especially
among women, dressing so lightly that
windows are kept closed in order to be
comfortably warm. This is a very in
furious practice.
Could Save 100000 Lives.
81 believe we could easily save o1eI
hundred thousand lives annually In
the United States if all the people,
would adopt the system of fresh air
living followed, for example, in tuber-
culOSis sanatOria. There is nothing
mysterious about it-no specific medi'
cine, no vaccine. The important thing
is right living, good food and plenty Il
fresh air.
DropIet Infection Explained in Pictures.
"The Bureau of Public Health,
Treasury Department, has just issued
a striking poster drawn by Bergman,
the well-known Washington cartoonist
The poster exemp1ines the modern
method of health education. A few
years ago, under similar circumstances
the health authorities would have is
sued an official dry but scientifically
accurate bulletin teaching the role OF
droplet infection in the spread Of re-
spiratory diseases. The only ones who
would have understood the bT ,etlh
would have been those who already
knew all about the subject. The man
in the street, the plain citizen al the
many millions who toll for their living
would have had no time and no desire
to wade through the technical phrase
Ology."