The Waterbury Democrat., 1932-03-04
RESPONSIBILITY FOR INFECTION

In several cases the courts have awarded
verdicts TO persons who have suffered from ty-
phoid fever alleged to have been contracted
through the nesgsnSe Of ,,i municipalty Hf
to sterilize or disinfect the water provided Tor
drinking. These cases so back some thirty
years at least. The widow Of q victim OF ty.
against the water company In Ashland, Wis
consin, In 1894. In Olean, N. Y, three years
ago a typhoid EPIDEMIC with sis cases SEES ana Is
ply and the city had to pay 100000 damage
claims In consequence Of some negligence In
the publication Of the city water. ... Y.
There will come time when persons or
corporations will be held responsible for the
spread Of tho cri.
. But first we must teach persons, corpora
tons and the courts Of the country what crl
Is and why.
manager of the shop approaches to learn what
Let us say he or she assures you It Is just
cold" II you're ignorant. or gul!ible you'H
believe that Is all It L. and you'll feel no
blighter. For ten or fifteen minutes you are
right there within conversational range, con-
versationai spray range. invisibly and impal-
pably ine spray. you know. so that you may
not see It or feel It's impact on your face.
Fine. Tomorrow you'll be o. K. IL you're
lucky. II you're not 80 lucky you'll be devel-
yoping similar ament. In o few days you
ind you've got, say. measles or the flu. 1t costs
You something. II leaves your health impaired
II you do get we'll from the acute illness.
In all reason and fairness, are you not en-
titled to damages against the person or cor
poration that negligently and knowingly per-
mitted the exposure and infection to occur?
think you are.
But it is going to take about thirty years yet
to establish this principle so far as the COM
mon respiratory infections are concerned. such
diseases cause three-fourths OF the illness doc
tors attend. They are SO common that ignor-
ant folk are willing to believe that you just
have to have them, and many Of our public
art Gall ttSAvat
comes to the control of these diseases They
betray, nay parade their ignorance when they
'insinuate or imply that exposure to drafts,
dampness and the like has something to do
with the common respiratory infections-the
crl.
Tho incubation period--tme elapsing from
the exposure or moment of infection till the
victim develops the first symptoms Of illness
of cri may be only As hours, but Is more fire.
quently three four days. That is just enough
time for a simple, credulous soul to forget the
real source of infection and to experience per-
haps draft or wet feet or something which
seems to him the obvious cause.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Dating the Package
The poisoning of three members OF family
here from eating canned salmon gives me this
idea. Some coffee companies date their cans.
label OF all canned products the date OF the
packing like this: salmon packed june 1,
1880. Use before Jan 1, 1882" (B. S. M
against possible botulism. Such food poisoning
is due to conta mination of the food before 1t is
canned The best precaution against 1t Is the
rule the discard any canned food. particularly
home canned vegetables IL on opening the can
the food looks. smells and tastes even slightly
queer" Another precaution is the rule to eat
no home canned vegetables without re-cooking
when you take them from the can.
Child Psychology
Teacher giving Washington program. Our
daughter, Is. to take part, playing wife OF one
OF boys. Children began calling her ma" and
Mrs SO and So" and she thinks she just can't
stand II. She told teacher she would stay
home the evening of the play. Teacher told her
she would come after her and drag her to
school. feel she should not be forced.
when she Is Just ut the sensitive age. her
father sides with teacher. MRS II. Nj
Answer--As you tell II, the teacher Is rather
tough. Wouldn't II smooth matters out II you
We're to have talk with the teacher and ex-
plain the child's perfectly natural embarrass-
ment? II her schoolmates are not amenabie 10
the precepts OF the teacher, your daughter
should not be compelled 10 take part In the
trying performances. II would be unwise 10 per-
NIT her 10 escape on such pretext,
When o kpraIn IN Not bpraiD
Five months $50 ] wrcpclled my ankle ana
after haying seven x-rnys taken II was found
that nothing was disjpcated or fractured. ny
pbysieinn suggested plenty Of rubbing with
winiergreen. ! have done this for two weeks
snd ss sps sii;c = 5ens ea' 'sFe - SIN eo"'a
Answsr--perhaps fow diathermy trest.
ments would help II yon had the A.ray pie
lures made Oh yenr own responsibility. the
evidence u Of littio value, spFain that de.
ablss Tor months demands the best surgical
Copyright John w. Ollie csj