Twin city review. [volume] (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-1929, 1925-08-14
HEALTH GRAMS
Observation-Disclosures.

'.-....~.~.-'.-- Observation-Disclosures
Travel broadens the life and in.
ereaSes the opportunities for disease
producing germs no les certainly than
Il does for humans. The person vino
never travels nor makes new contacts
becomes stale and unproductive. 50
does the dormant, isolated germ. \
trip fofm the bowels Of one person
into the intestinal tract of another re.
luvinates Bacillus 1Nphosus in al
marvellous way unless the new in,es-
tine is barren soil for this germ.
Once in a new home, Bacillus Ty
phoSuS sets about raising family and
building up a community Just like a
pioneer IN new country with fertile.
virgin soil. Like the pioneer, the ad-
SenturouS typhoid fever germ propa-
gates faster, Is far more active and
aggressive than the germ who sticks
TO the inSldes of a recovered patient
or baskS in the shady influence Of
filth.
Germs travel very much As humans
do except on diminutive scale. They
can go fer short distances by sell
locomotion while great distances can
be covered by water, air OF overland
transportation systems Instead OF
building ships the germs dive into
the water and swim downstream until
| they either perish or find a new. fer
| tile home. Flies and other insects
furnish the aviation for germs or else
| they ride upon the waves of the ain
when violently expelled with a cough
or Sneeze. The fingers of man are
by far the most extensive and common
overland transportation system of
germs although they depend somewhat
on dishes, towels, food and other in
animate objects which people insist on
passing from one to another without
forcing the germs to change cars.
Veins and arteries of the human
body are the sewerage system of dis
ease germs. Humans empty their
waste products into rivers of water
while the lowly germ discharges his
sewage Into what is to him rivers of
blood. When the water in stream
becomes heavily charged with human
sewage it is dangerous to life. Like
wise blood stream which carries a
load of germ eXcreta is poisonous to
keep the sewage out or else subject
it to a purifying process.
Soap and hot water is to the germ
population what "A disasterous tornado
is to a community of humans. OF
course it isn't practical to flush the
intestinal system or the mouth and
throat with hot soapSuds. On the
other hand, the germs would get in
side the body much more seldom If
reasonable strong solution of soap,
water and elbow grease were vigor-
ously applied TO hands, dishes, cloth
ing, floors and other washable things
that come frequentlv into contact with
people.
Sunlight and fire are the two most
deadly enemies of germs. Most of the
disease producing germs are tiny
vegetable or plant organisms. Like
every other living thing their lives
depend upon a suitable combination
of moisture and warmth. Direct sun
light for a few minutes is to germ
what few hot days are to stalk
of corn in a dry soil.
Twenty-Five years ago an average
of 1000 people died annually in Hill
nois from typhoid fever, while 10000
persons suffered illness from that
disease. Last year only 239 persons
in the state succumbed to typhoid and
only 1869 cases were reported. This
change was not due to providence but
to the vigorous activity of health otfi-
GERS and sanitarians who have been
able to effectively break up the trans
portation systems Of Bacillus Ty-
phosus.
Health officers are now facing
new problem in relation to typhoid
fever. Twenty-Five years ago people
stayed at home more than they do
now so that the most important way
of preventing typhoid fever was to
keep germs from travelling to the
homes and TO eating places. Now that
so many more people go out to road |
side wells, rural eating places and
outlying bathing places where typhoid
germs often live. the new problem Is
10 keep persons from bringing typhoid |
fever germs back with them. 1t is
practically impossible to make all
places sanitary so that individual edu-
cation is the BIGGEST thing in solving |
the new problem.