The Pleasantville press., 1924-02-27
COMMON COLD IS
BEING STUDIED
PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE TRY.
ING TO DETERMINE MEANS
OF OVERCOMING 1T.
BY EDWARD q. CLARK

disregardful of ailments from which
one-third of them, according to Wash.
ington statistics, continually are suffer-
ing.
The public health service is making
survey of what Is called the "health
habits" of 10000 persons living in
various parts of the United States.
The army and navy authorities and
the authorities of the various uniyer-
stiles throughout the country are
showing. an interest In the subject and
are working with the officials of the
public health service in an effort TO
md out why people contract diseases
when they might avoid them and why
colds" are so frequent. Of course the
whole thing leads up to an attempt to
overcome colds"
The belief is In Washington that
the attempt to find out all about
'colds." their constant recurrence and
the reason therefor, Is based on a
sort or resentment which has be-
come articulate among the people of
the world In recent years because
while medical science seems to have
been able to overcome virtually every
other form of human ailment or TO
prevent it, the common cold" still
nangs on, progresses and seemingly de-
hes the attempt of science to give 1t
the knockout blow.
Not long ago Washington man In
terested in this subject of colds ap-
preached his family physician on the
subject, asking this:
"Why Is 1t that you doctors who
can take mans insides out, repair
them and put them back, who have
overcome smallpox, yellow fever, ty-
phoid, typhus and have given tuber-
culosis a hard run for its continued
existence, and who have done things
almost miraculous, never have been
able and seemingly never will be able
to cure common cold?"
Doctors Blame the People.
The reply of the physician who thus
was attacked with the personal, per-
tinent or perhaps impertinent question
was this:
1--WE can cure colds, or at least we
can help them, but we can't prevent
people from taking cold because they
won't take the common precautions
against this pestilence, for that Is
what 1t Is that stalketh by day and by
night, by dawn and by twilight"
DR.. ]. G. Townsend of the public
health service Is chief of Its "fu"
section. He has charge Of the work of
investigation. According to the Wash
ington Post, Doctor Townsend Is un-
able to make as yet comprehensive
survey Of the results. but he points
out that about thirty-five per cent
of the persons enrolled In the study
have colds continually" The survey
further shows that the number of
colds mounted continually during Oc-
drop In December.
Doctor Townsend attributes the up
per trend in October and November TO
football, saying that MANY persons go
to football games in these months and
subject themselves to unfavorable eli
man does not know much about these
things and possibly 1t is unwise to
venture any kind of an opinion, but
service in France in the A. e. f. In
the year 1918, part of the time at the
front and a part of the time at the
writer that the men who were serving
In the open, or virtually in the open,
no matter how much exposed they
were to the elements, were not as much
afflicted with colds and influenza as
were the men who were housed In
considerable numbers in barracks or in
billets.
Cold Air Thought Curative.
The open air treatment for throat
and lung troubles was not thought of
at all until about fifty years ago when
Doctor Trudeau undertook the treat
ment of tubercular patients in the
bracing outdoor climate of the Adiron-
dacks. 1t was not long thereafter that
the medical profession recognized that
pure air, even II 1t was cold, was
better than warm impure air.
Within the past fifty years patients
suffering from lung and throat troubles
have not been molly-coddled as they
were In other days. They have been
kept warm, of course, but the cold
air which once was thought deadly to
them is now thought to ,be curative
In It's properties.
AS the matter is set forth In the
article from the paper above quoted,
It Is said that the public health serv-
ice already has established communica-
lion with 1900 individuals and with
1000 families. and is receiving re-
ports every two weeks. The individuals
are chosen principally from colleges,
It being said that officials of the sery-
fee feel that 1t Will be easier to make
between persons SINH
larry situated" and In addition, that
the college students are In a position
to give intelligent reports upon their
Move for Better Living.
One of the minor grievances of
Theodore Roosevelt against his success
sor in the White House, William How
ard Taft, was that the rural life COM
mission brought into existence by the
colonel was allowed by his successor
to pass away. Its report never was
printed by the government
1t is leng while ago now, but there
are some persons who will remember