The Coolidge examiner., 1935-08-16


spread Ike forest Are until the on
set ~ cold weather In the late fall
downed them. Every family had
one or more members III each sum
mer with some type OF diarrheal
disease. Flux. they called 1t. And
II u family escaped long spell OF
fever. they considered themselves
fortunate. collie and diarrhea were
the general rule for infants. A
baby's first summer was a hazard
Gus time; babies were expected to
have diarrhea while teethlng. and
they we're not expected TO show
much gain In weight during hot
weather.
Ny great grandfather died Of chol.
era In the southern part of Illinois
In 1855. lie was buried on an iso-
lated plot OF wooded ground on a
high blum overlooking a running
stream; his body was carried across
fields during the night so as TO
avoid people travelling the roads.
Many cholera victims were buried
In this manner. and many OF the
small isolated cemeteries we now
see were started with one OF these
cholera graves.
II is hard for US to comprehend
the fear and dread OF illness suffered
by our grandparents during the hot
months of the year.
can remember very well my
grandfather telling me how the early
settlers moved from place TO place
tn their covered wagons. driving
what live stock they possessed. seek.
Ing high ground To keep away from
"chills and ague" This of course
was malaria. They did not know
then that mosquitoes carried ma
iaria: they thought malaria was in
the night air Of low places.
Now we look forward to the sum
mer months with pleasant anticipa-
ton. We expect to be at our best
until the rall colds, grippe and In.
fiuenza strike Us. We take Il for
granted that we are 10 spend our
leisure time out-of-doors. free from
all illness and In a state OF we'll
being. mentally as well as physi.
cally. This change from fear. de
preston, worry. anxiety and sick
ness 10 one OF pleasant outlook, has
been brought about In an orderly
and scientific manner Medical and
sanitary science has closed up the
avenues and highways by which the
germs causing summer diseases
travel from the sick to the healthy.
Germs cannot fly. walk or crawl.
They must be carried In some We
hicle. The first vehicle In impor.
tance Is water: the second Is milk
Germs In water do not grow and
multiply. but are passlvely carried
from one place 10 another. Germs
IN milk. however. do grow and null
tlply; hence milk is doubly dan
gerous. being both a vehicle OF
travel and good culture medium.
Publication OF the drinking water
and proper disposal of sewage have
been responsible for the reduction
In water-bOrne diseases. Pasteuriza.
ton Of milk has destroyed the dis.
ease producing bacteria In our milk
supply and given us a safe. whole
some milk for human consumption.
The pasteuriZatiOn process consists
In heating the milk to a tempera.
ture that will destroy all disease.
producing germs; 1t does not change
the physical or nutritiye properties
OF the milk Pasteurization of milk
has made us milk conscious In ev.
cry way.
Typhoid fever was everywhere
fifty years ago. When the largest |
cities began 10 purify their water |
and To dispose OF their sewage prop |
erly. typhoid was pushed back to
the small cities Then as these com
munities did the same, typhoid was |
pushed still farther back to the |
smaller towns and villages. where
ii now has its chief hang-out. Ty-
phOid fever Is spread through the
eXcreta of man coming In contact
with water. milk or food. The 4
fewer people sick the fewer germs
are scattered about Two out of
each hundred recovered typhoid
cases. however, continue to excrete
the typhoid germs in their stools.
These persons are called chronic
carriers, and are now the principal
reservoirs of typhoid germs.
Infantile paralysis and sleeping
sickness are the two summer dis
eases we now dread. They are
much more difficult to control than
the diarrheal diseases, for they are
diseases of the nervous system and
are caused by germs too small to be
seen with the microscope.
Science will eventually win over
them very soon. we hope. But even
In epidemic form. their fatalities
viii not begin to approach the mag
1itude of the diarrheal fatalities O.
lfty years ago.
y. L..