The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1941-06-14

Hst ~~
his column.
conquered infection; we have moi
yet rid the world entirely Of any
single communicable disease, anc
some, we have hardly begun u
fight"
So runs the introduction TO one
Of the most interesting books that
has come TO my desk for some
time, Plague on Us by Geddes
Smith Commonwealth Fund,
1941). 1t is also one of the most
beautiful examples Of press work
printing and binding and for
mat - of the years production
Cause of Pestilenee
The authors approach TO the
subject, largely historical, remind;
US first of some of mans ideas OF
the causes Of the great epidemics
Of the past, Of the enormous ad-
vance that has been made in the
understanding Of contagious dis
eases and the strides in preven-
ton, as well as how eternal vigil
lance is the price of peace, and
how occasionally some chinks in
the armor of our defense are pene-
trated.
The oldest idea Of the cause OF
pestilence was something visited
on sinners by the angry God; now
it is visited on mice and rabbits
by men in search Of knowledge
Other more natural explanations
were "miasma," corruption Of the
air" and "cold, moist, watery
food" Our own shores have been
visited by cholera, yellow fever
and many epidemics now unknown.
During the famous yellow fever
epidemic in Philadelphia in 1913,
a congressman said Of the doctors
Everything that ought to be
called fact is disputed, and all that
should be confessed ignorance, is
affirmed. All vouch success, none
had it."
Science has learned since then
when the shifting shop girl turni
to her companion in the subway
writes Geddes Smith, land says
Gee, the bugs got me all right,
she is to that extent wiser than
Hippocrates. Science knows now
that no miasma but polluted water,
bad milk, insects and other hu-
mans spread disease. Most of the
old plaques are historical because
we control these factors of spread"
But ito understand epidemics
s one thing; to control them, an
'ther." The human factor often
is uncomfortable. Mr.. Smith has
some fascinating stories illustrat-
ing now ones best control oc-
casionally breaks down. There are
detective stories: "The Case o.
the Methodist Ladies' "The Cas-
of the Wading Boys" "The Cas-
Of the Lady-like Oysters" 9TH,
Case Of the Elderly Villagers
(streptococcic sore throat from
one village cow "The Case of tn
Plumbers Patchwork" (the Chi
cago amebic dysentery epidemic)
Oysters Cause Epidemic
The case of the lady-like oysters
e typical of many recent typhoid
epidemics. Every competent health
officer knows about how much ty
phoid fever TO expect in any giver
season and when in the winter o.
1924-1925 in New York and thei
in Washington cases began u
multiply far more rapidly thar
usual, it was realized something
was wrong. In every epidemic
there is a peculiar fact and this
skillfully used, is the key to tn,
plot. The peculiar fact in thi.
epidemic was that the victims were
women of the right class and age
for putting on a pretty frock and
dining out at a smart restaurant.
Such women like small oysters.
The small oysters they ate were
found TO harbor typhoid bacilli.
The only sure safeguard against
typhoid fever, even in these day,
of good public health control, IL
by individual vaccination.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
= Reader:-"Does the sun benefit
one aSmuch through the clothing