The north Mississippi herald. (Water Valley, Yalobusha Co., Miss.) 1888-1929, 1920-02-06

Spring houseeleaning should not be
confined to the house, but the prac-
tice should be made general to in
clude the barn, hog quarters, sheep
sheds, chicken houses, etc A gen.
eral cleanup not only improves ap-
pearances, but is one of the safest
weapons for warding off disease. All
work of this kind should be done
thoroughly, for disease germs hide
in remote corners and a good dis
infectant should be applied freely.
Spring is a good time to clean up
and disinfect the premises, but the
work should be repeated as often
as it is necessary.
Why Disinfecting Is Necessary.
1t has been clearly proved by
science, through the aid of high
power microscopes, that there exist
numerous minute animal and vege-
table organisms-micro-o
and that it is common for these
organisms to find their way into the
animal body and produce disease.
There is an infectious disease for
each specific organism or germ. Il
these germs could be confined TO
the animal ho3y atlfss aia yith Is
there would be no such thiYg as an
infectious disease. Unfrotunat ",
however, the germs are thrown off
by the animals through the eXcTe-
tions and lie in the soil, in the litter
of stables, upon the floor and wills
and in cracks and crevices. Here
they remain and maintain their vi i-
lence, ready at any time to be gath
cred up by any animal in its feed or
to be blown about in the dust and
drawn into the lungs.
For example, tuberculosis in cat
tie is caused by rod-shaped germ
which averages about one ten
thousandth OF an inch in length.
Cattle infected with this disease pass
myriads of these germs with the
manure. and it is not difficult to un-
derstand how the average stable be
comes filed with them. Chambers is
another disease caused by germ
similar in appearance to the germ
causing tuberculosis, but some
what thicker. 4 characteristic CT
this disease is the formation OF
ulcers in the nostrils and other por-
tions of the body from which there
is discharge laden with the glanders
germ. And here again it is not
difficult to understand how one dis
eased animal may contaminate ok
tensive premises.
Spores Difficult 10 Destroy.
Many of the vegetable organisms
are very difficult to destroy, for the
reason that they contain spores. \
spore may be likened to the seed Il
plant, for it bears about the SO ne
relation to the germ or bacillus as
Grain of wheat does to the plant.
As the plant may be destroyed ana
the seed remain latent for an lndeh-
mite time, so destruction of the
bacillus may be accomplished while
the spores remain unharmed and re
tain life for weeks and even years.
An example OF this class of organ
isms is seen in the agent which
causes anthrax. Upon farms where
animals have died from this disease
and the carcasses have been buried
instead Of destroyed, repeated out
breaks may occur from time to time.
possibly extending over a period of
several wears. This condition is due
to the existence of very resistant
snores which, under favorable cir
cumstances, are carried to the sur
face Of the earth and become infect
ing organisms-murh as the seed of
noxious weed. after remaining IN
the soil during winter finds the con-
ditions favorable in the spring and
develops into q plant-except that
these minute forms of life multiply
with the most wonderful rapidity-
How To Disinfect.
To those unaccustomed to the work
disinfection NAV seem most comm
Gated process. ANY approved method.
however, is comparatively simple
when carried out carefully, although
| like many other procedure it is one
IN which attention to details counts
for much. It is important TO bear
| in mind that the causative agents OF
many diseases are extremely small
and NAV remain FOR an indehn't.
tine in dust, cracks. and crevices OF
buildings. so that efforts aiming at
the eradication of disease from con-
taminated premises must be thorough
in order to be effective.
! In the work Of disinfection nature