Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-01-27
COLDS AND CROWDS
BY III. AddlngtOn Bruce

BY this time everybody knows-or ought
to know, for the fact has long been reiterated
by health writers-that there frequently is
direct connection between being in a crowd
and catching cold. AS the matter is usually
! stated:
| ANY one who is for any reason below par
! physically increases his liability to catch cold
| if he goes into crowds. For when a person
| is below par physically his resistivity to cold
| causing germs is temporarily lowered, and
/ the larger the number of people with whom
| he comes closely into contact the greater the
| likelihood of his becoming infected with such
| germs"
This, of course, because, especially during
| the winter, there is pretty sure to be in every
crowd number of people already afflicted
with colds, hence capable of transmitting
| their colds to others. The danger to these
{ others, who constitute the majority in every
| crowd, would obviously be greatly 1essened if
! only it were customary for persons already
| having colds to avoid so far as possible being
! in crowds themselves.
| And this, 1 would insist emphatically, is
what ought to be customary. Indeed, it ought
| to be obligatory. For colds are far from be-
! ing always trifling ma!adies, and the cold
stricken have right needlessly to imperil
| the health of their fellow beings, as they do
| every time they visit crowded places.
There are circumstances under which peo-
! pie with colds cannot we'll avoid being in
| crowds. But certainly, while their colds are
|
| of public resort churches, schools, lecture
| halls, concert halls, dance halls, banquet
rooms, theaters and moving picture estab-
! I know know of at least one organization
| in large city which this winter has printed
| on the back of it's membership tickets an ap-
| peal to the members not to attend any of the
organizations meetings if suffering from
| colds. The precedent thus set should be fol-
| lowed by organizations of all sorts.
And if appeals for voluntary abstention in
! the interest of community health are unheed-
| ed, abstention should be enforced by legal
| action.
| AS already noted colds are not always
| trifling maladies. They may, and often do,
| serve as forerunners of pneumonia, influenza,
| and other respiratory diseases of dire fatal
| ity. No surer way of lowering the mortality
from these could be found than by preventing
the cold-burdened from mingling with crowds
! in places of instruction and amusement
The effect, moreover would be beneficial
to the cold-burdened themselves as we'll as
protective of those who might catch a cold
from them.
1t is we'll established that quiet, rest, good
ventilation promote recovery from colds,
whereas over-exertion and INSTRUMENTATION
tend to make them worse. Countless are the
cases in which colds have developed into long
and serious illnesses, often ending in death,
simply because their victims would not deny
themselves some projected pleasure that in
volved the fatigue of being for hours in
crowded, under-ventilated room.
Self-interest then, no less than decent
regard for the welfare of other people, should
dictate keeping out of crowds when has
a cold, SO far as circumstances permit one
to keep out of crowds. Were this course
followed as it should be by ALL we should
hear comparatively little of the winter cpl
denies that now ravage the nation.
(COpyright, 1929