THE BANISHER

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 246, 5 July 1918, Page 6

THE BANISHER

« SHAKES A STICK AT DISEASE DECLINE FROM 80 TO 4 PER CENT. IN OUR CAMPS (B.V "Sylvius.") "Disease—tliero should, bo no disease. It could bo wiped out in a few months it ,you could only prevail on people to do the right thing!" The speaker was amedical man with military experience. He spoke wit ii tiic pleasant accent of a Limerick uian in the key of G Minor, and there was a wealth of smiles lurking under the grim line of his shortclipped grey moustache. That ho knew he was talking about was evident. "Disease! We could kill disease entirely, lie.said, "if wo Jiad all the civil population ill enmp. They wanted to be disciplined into observing tiic proper laws of hygiene. What do you think— tlle Army wo started this war with illness and diseases claiming 80 per cent, of the men in enmp—now we've got it down to 1 per cent. Well, that's something to talk about, isn't it? When the war started England and the lot of us were unprepared—we'ro just getting into our stride nicely now, and nothing can prevent us winning this war. Make a note of that. . . . Ciallipoli, Mesopotamia, and others—all very bad, awful hut's it's just like England, she mucks along, but comes through magnificently in tho eud. Slio won't fail this time, either! "Disease! Look, you'd be surprised how easy it would be to cure the whole world it wo could only persuade people to do the right thing. Influenza—l believe I've got a touch of it myself— now, look at influenza. What happens? AVe get a running nose, and we have a handkerchief. That handkerchief is used on 'that nose. Is it then destroyed? Oh, dear, no-we place it carefully in our pocket, and use it perhaps fifty times more tho same day. And tlicu wo worry why (lie influenza does'not go its way. It doesn't, because people are reinfecting themselves with tho bacteria of influenza from that old handkerchief all day and every day." Here pulled a large linen pockethandkerchief from his pocket, applied it in the time-honoured way, placed the handkerchief back, and resumed. "Disease! Why, if people would only do as tho Japanese do—use soft, thin paper as handkerchiefs, and destroy them alter one use, you'd soon get rid of influenza. Oh, no, vrc use splendid" carriers in our pocket-handkerchiefs, and when they are soiled and thoroughly ijifeced with our influenza wo pass them on to the washer-woman, who cannot imagine how she came to catch the plaguey thing, whilst all the time she has had it under her nose in the wash-tub. Paper handkerchiefs and public incinerators for their destruction are a cure for many ills. "Disease! I think tho lessons of the camps have been wonderful, and should not be lost on the civil population. What a that? Cferebro-spinal meningitis. Ah, yes, very bad—that was when we nad to have 70 or 80 men in a hut biult for 30 —30 is now tho maximum, lou must have the right conditions, and you must have spcckloss cleanliness, and you must get rid of the flios. Oh if people only knew what a dirty brute tho Hy is! If I had my way I would not allow horses into the city area at all— tho motor every time. And what is more, I would not allow a horse stable within five miles of the city. A stable means a manure heap, and a manure heap is an ideal breeding-ground for flies. J.t you! see a fly in your milk or cream either boil the milk or empty it away altogether. For all you know that fly's legs may be covered with the bacteria'of typhoid, picked up at somo rubbish heap, near or far, \our /ly is your great carnet-. A ever' trust him. He's a muckraker and a live commercial ) ravel ler for a varied line of diseases to which the llcsh is heir. Cerebro-spinal, to getback, we cannot always sure once it attacks tho spinal column, but we can prevent it by swabbing every man's throat as often as possible, locating the carriers, and sea that aire put out of harm s way. Same with diphtheria. Tracheotomy! There should be no such thing! Everyone should be trained to 6wab his own throat and gargle it into a blessed state of hygiene. It is the happy-go-lucky way we live tha't makes disease part of our being. We want to be disciplined into health. And it will come in time-some day! Good-day!" And lie vanished down the stairs with a good-liumonred chuckle, sniffing a profound contempt for all the diseases in the human calendar. •