The Filer record. (Filer, Idaho) 1919-1930, 1924-02-28
COMMON COLD IS
BEING STUDIED
PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE TRY
ING TO DETERMINE MEANS
or OVERCOMING 1T.
BY EDWARD 3. CLARK


dlsregardful Of ailments from which
one-third OF them. according TO Wash
ingtOn statistics. continually are suffer
ing.
The public health service Is making
a 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 unlyer-
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 10
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 10 ind out all about
colds" their constant recurrence and
the reason therefor. Is based on a
sort OF a resentment which has be-
come articulate among the people Of
the world in recent years because
while medical science seems 70 have
been able 10 overcome virtually every
other form OF human allment or TO
prevent IL. the common cold" still
hangs on, progresses and seemingly de
fies the attempt OF science 10 give II
the knockout blow.
Not long ago a Washington man In
terested in this subject Of colds APP
preached his family physician on the
subject. asking this:
"Why is II that you doctors who
can take a mans insides out. repair
them and put them back. who have
overcome smallpox. yellow fever. ~
phoid. typhus and have given tuber-
culosis a hard run for It's continued
existence, and who have done things
almost miraculous. never have been
able and seemingly never will be able
10 cure a common cOldg'
Doctors Blame the People.
The reply OF the physician who thus
was attacked with the personal. per
tinent or perhaps impertinent question
was this:
I'VE can cure colds or al 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 it is that stalketh by day and by
night, by dawn and by twilight"
DR.. ]. C. Townsend Of the public
health service Is chief OF It's Flu"
section. He has charge OF the work Of
investigation. According 10 the Wash
ington Post, Doctor Townsend Is I'M
able TO make as yet a comprehensive
survey Of the results. but he points
out that about thlriy-fve 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-
tober and November and had slight I
drop IN December.
Doctor Townsend attributes the up
per trend in October and November 70
football. saying that many persons 20
TO football games In these months and /
subject themselves 20 unfavorable eli 1
matte conditions. Naturally the lay 1
man does not know much about these
things and possibly II Is unwise to
venture any kind Of an opinion. but
service in France IN the A. 7. +. In
the year 1918. a part 81 the time az the
front and a part Of the time AZ the
rear. proved 10 the satisfaction Of the
writer that the men who were serving
IN the open. or virtually IL the open.
no matter how much exposed they
we're 10 the elements. were not as much
afflicted with colds and influenza as
were the men who were housed in
numbers IN barracks or In
bi1iets.
Cold Air Thought Curative.
The open air treatment Tor throat
and lung troubles was not thought ~
AZ ail until about fifty years ago when
Do-tor Trudeau undertook the treat
ment - tuhercuiar patients in the
b-aeius outdoor climate q the Adlrou-
sacss. II was not long thereafter that
tie medical profession recognized that I
,.,r~o mir even n q WIS cold. vas
hotter than warm Impure air.
within the past dfty years patients
suffering from hing and throat troubles
have not been moiiy-cofdled as they
we're IN o,her days They have been
serf warm. u course. but the cold
- whirh urce vas thought deadly %
Men Is now thought % De curative
IN SIS properties II
A. TIE matter Is 50 forth IN The
,-.irie from the paper above quoted
|. i snid that the ruhlic heaith serv-
- ALREADY has established roumunica- ,
son with 1900 Individuals and win
cn0 families. and is Receiving ~
sorts every two weeks. TIE iudiFido4is
IRE chosen principally FROM COLLEGES.
! being safe thar otheiais ~ the serv- q
- f..l that Il VIII ~ cssier % make :