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out that I did not carry anything home then, and finally I got in the habit of simply carrying an overcoat in the winter time, hanging it up in the air afterwards, and in summer time using a lighter coat that I carry in the house where the disease exists. I do not think I ever carried disease.

In regard to the care of the physician himself in cases of diphtheria, I have had children cough in my face a great many times, and I have had them throw diphtheritic sputa upon me when I was engaged in intubating, but I never have had any trouble, for I have washed off the infecting material immediately with very hot water or with bichloride solution. You will have no trouble unless the sputum is thrown directly in the nostril or mouth. Speaking about taking germs through the mouth, I think if you are somewhat nervous about taking disease in that way, it is a pretty good practice to keep your mouth closed a good deal while attending these cases.

In regard to eating, I think that the danger is more in the line of not eating enough than in eating too much, and really think that physicians as a rule are in danger from drinking too much rather than eating too much.

Dr. Wigginton: I presume experience is what we want here, and I might say that I have had a very sad experience in my own practice in regard to the carrying of contagious diseases. I have lost but one case of scarlet fever in my life and that was my own little girl. I carried the disease to her myself. It occurred when I was practicing in Watertown. In that case of scarlet fever, after the virulence of the disease had passed off, the neck became very much enlarged, a large abscess accumulated and I went out and lanced it, and large quantities of pus escaped. That was sixteen years ago—in those times we did not regard contagiousness in the same light as we do now-I did not take proper precaution to disinfect myself, I presume; still even at that time I did use carbolic acid and bichloride of mercury. But I am satisfied that I carried the disease home to my little child myself.

Since then my practice has always been to wear an outer garment on visiting any contagious case, no matter whether it is diphtheria, scarlet fever or erysipelas-I have been especially careful in the case of erysipelas. On coming home I hang my outer garment out doors to air thoroughly. On reaching my office I disinfect myself thoroughly, and wash my hair and whiskers with bichloride solution thoroughly, and I generally put on another coat before I go into my house. Since I lost my child I think I have never carried disease to any one.

In regard to eating, I think that it is not so much what we eat or the amount we eat, but it is how we eat. It is said that Gladstone, who is about eighty-eight, has said he always makes thirty champs on every morsel he puts in his mouth, and in that way generates sufficient saliva to digest starchy foods. Dr. Kellogg, of Michigan, says that starchy food can not be digested without thorough mastication, and every time you bring your jaws together a certain amount of fluid escapes onto the food from the mouth, which helps digest, and does digest the starchy food; by thorough mastication of our food we not only bring the saliva in contact with the food, but prepare for its reception in the stomach and bowels. I think if we were more careful in the way that we eat and the time that we occupy, we would be better off in regard to our health.

In regard to infecting yourselves in diphtheritic cases, I think as good a thing to do as we know of is to thoroughly disinfect the mouth after seeing a patient, with solution of bichloride of mercury, gargling thoroughly. That is my practice, and I never had a sore throat in my life.

THE DUTY OF GOVERNMENTS TOWARD THE INDIVIDUAL IN THE MATTER OF GENERAL HYGIENE.

BY WALTER KEMPSTER, M. D., OF MILWAUKEE.

What can government do to protect the individual from disease? Has government, either local or general, a duty to perform with reference to the control of disease? Are governments, either local or general, performing their duty in this direction? ·

These questions are full of significance to those who spend the best years of their life in combating diseases, and in an endeavor to promote healthful conditions in their respective localities. There can not be a question among physicians as to the answers which should be given to the foregoing questions. It is not, however, to the physicians that we now address ourselves. On this fiftieth anniversary of the corporate existence of this Society we address ourselves to citizens generally; those who are not supposed to take time for the investigation of such matters as have been, and are yet to be presented at this session.

To the general reader it may at first appear strange that the action of government, either local or general, can have much to do with the prevention or removal of disease.

From the earliest recorded accounts which we have of disease, contagious or otherwise, we find frequent mention of the interest manifested by governments the world over, in maintaining the healthfulness of their people.

In semi-civilized countries, even in earliest times, the prevention of disease was a subject which engaged the attention of governments; nor is this to be regarded with surprise, for the idea that the health of a people gave stability to the country soon became a proverb. The only strange thing

about it is, that we should consider it necessary in the closing years of the nineteenth century, to present as solid an array of facts as it is possible for us to get together to convince the people in one of the most intelligent States of the Union, of the necessity for more active and thorough-going methods for the preservation of health, and the prevention and cure of disease.

There are, however, many things which must be done by local and general governments to accomplish the end in view; things which cannot be done by private individuals, no matter how well disposed they may be; because they have neither the necessary education which would enable them to determine the existence of disease germs, nor have they the apparatus required. While the knowledge, and the apparatus required, is neither great nor expensive, it is not to be expected that even the most intelligent, or the wealthiest in any community should possess them. It is to be expected before desirable results are obtained that each community, no matter how sparsely settled, nor how far removed from the metropolis, shall have at least one man, who possesses the ability and the necessary apparatus to make tests, which have now been so simplified that they are comparatively easy. It is not saying too much when we affirm that every community, no matter how small the population, should furnish the requisite outfit to enable each local health officer to make the tests referred to.

The presentation of papers in the several sections of this association, will, in some detail, give the reasons why such things must be done to relieve communities from the burden of disease, which now sometimes oppresses them in many ways, more especially, by the loss of life, which should be stopped; and the consequent loss to the community, of the labor supplied by those who are thus sacrificed.

It is but necessary to instance a few of the contagious diseases, which intelligent physicians the world over believe may be entirely prevented by taking necessary precautions.

We now know with certainty that typhoid fever should not be permitted to exist. We know with certainty that it is communicated to the people through the medium of drinking water, and that with a supply of pure water there will be no more typhoid fever. The germ of this disease, although microscopic in character, can be as readily recognized by the trained observer, who possesses the necessary apparatus, as the symptoms of other diseases which are observable without the aid of instruments of precision, and which are not microscopical in character.

The literature pertaining to this subject is abundant, and establishes the fact that typhoid fever may be communicated through the medium of water. So well is this understood by our profession, that whenever typhoid fever appears in a given locality, search is immediately instituted to discover its origin and the drinking water supply is first examined. These facts are so well known that it seems almost like a waste of

time to produce proofs. They may be found, however, in the reports of the State Boards of Health throughout the Union. And it is only necessary to call attention to the very serious outbreak of typhoid fever in Ashland, Wis., and Duluth, Minn., and the outbreak of the same malady in the city of Chicago during 1894-5, which followed the contamination. of drinking water by the germ of the disease in each instance, to substantiate the statement.

In the city of Milwaukee, where the number of deaths from typhoid fever is comparatively small, the cause can frequently be traced to the water used by the family; and generally that the water-supply had been obtained from old wells.

Not only is this true of typhoid fever, but it is equally so of diphtheria and other dangerous, contagious diseases; the germs of which are now recognized by their physical appearance, form, color, etc., just as we distinguish one seed from another, the only difference being that a special knowledge

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