The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1919-02-13
RICKETTS,.

We do not know Of any bacterial or
chemical causes for ricketts,. but we 90
know that certain contributory causes
are prominent in the history of the
disease. A very large percentage OF
the negro children are affected with
tickets. The New York city health
department has sought to overcome
this by guaranteeing that every CHILD
in a certain district gets a daily allow
ance Of cod liver oil.
AS valuable as that procedure is. u
will not entirely relieve the situation II
we are to credit q report which re-
Gently appeared in the British Medical
Journal. According to that report, bet
ter housing is a necessity as much or
even more needed than fats.
The report say that so per cent OF
the chilren of the poorer classes in
Glasgow had ricketts,. The disease
usually appeared in tn late winter and
spring in children between 6 n IL
months of age.
First let us mention some Of the cir
cumstances that did not seem to cause
the disease. The duration of breast
feeding was not proved to have any
relation to the evidence of the disease;
the age at which artificial feeding was
commenced appeared to be OF little
moment, and diets of the rickety ana
nonrickety families showed no signif-
cant difference in energy values or
protein content. The evidence was
agaist a deficiency of milk or butter
or the fat soluble "A"-substance be-
ing q determining factor.
And now let us consider the positive
as distinguished from the negative
l,,It~Oe T~o11N,,&n oS~ ova avnVrSEa
seemed to be potent factors in deter
mining the onset of the disease. The
largest single factor seemed to be the
actual condition OF the home as to sun
| light, air, crowding, cleanliness and
general sanitation. The average num-
Der of persons living in a room was q
factor. The number of cubic. feet Of
air space was another factor. Clean
illness OF the house was another factor.
The disease was more frequently
found among people who lived in dark
rooms and in houses that were set toe
close to each other.
In the discussion of the report Drs,
Patton and Findlay conclude: What
ever the true cause of ricSets-im-
prope housing, absence OF facilities for
open air life, and imperfect parental
care favor the onset of the disease, and
by improving the housing conditions
the disappearance Of the disease would
be brought about.
The same number of the British Med
ical Journal contains m editorial on &
recent speech by Lloyd George. The
prime minister was at hat time 9
candidate for reelection, but nobody
in the year 1919 is rash enough to say
that Lloyd George elected forgets the
promises-or threats-made by LloyC
George the candidate. Three hundred
thousand new houses are needed IL
Great Britain, and the outlook is tina
the government will build them. Thee
are disposed to despair Of any proper
housing SO long as building and owner.
ship is left TO individuals, and Grea'
Britain must have better housing
Lloyd George said; You cannot SWEEP
away slunls with paper, and canno
cope with the wants of the people will
red tape And next in Importance L
housing, he said, is "a more intelligen
organization of the forces which hav,
special charge Of tie health Of the ma
unconditional, municipal and nedi
cal"