Vol. 60, 1909 - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

142 THE CHARLOTTE MEDICAL JOURNAL.
ress and a dangerous enemy to our best Prophylaxis In Typhoid Fever.*
business hUerests By W. P. Horton, M. D., North Wilkesboro, N. C.
\\ e are told a house built upon the
sand" cannot withstand the fury of the The triumph which has been reached in
tempest nor the ravages of the storm, nor ^^^ ^^^^ of the medical profession in the
can a life without character as the bedrock
discovery of the real cause and spread of
for its foundation withstand the struggle o^ preventing the propagation of such germs |
for its existence with which it must con- ^^ '^^"^^ '^'^ disease has opened up many ij
tend. possibilities in the improvement of health,
Especially will you find it true in medi- strength and life saving of the American |
cine that her labors are exacting, even People. But there is yet much to be done, !
burdensome at times, and the exigencies of ^°^ effects of bad water, impure food, ill |
environment and the increased demands of ventilated hou.ses, and failing to isolate ,
modern society will call for the highest
contagious and art
infectious diseases is becomand
diplomacy to provide the
»ig
essentials and
more and more apparent every day.
necessaries for the maintenance and sup- ^^^ study which great sanitary authori- ;
.
port of a combined professional and do- ties have given the matter has imposed much |
mestic life. It cannot be said of her that ^°^^ distinctly the burden upon the municher
wavs are ways of pleasantness and her 'P^^' ^^^'^ ^"'^ Federal Governments in
paths paths of peace, but rather a hard booking after the health of the American 1
fought battle, a tense, strenuous life full of P^oP^e.
labor and of duty, but with a reward of
victory to all who are faithful and true.
But my purpose in selecting this is to dis- j
"^^^^ ^^°^ ^ ^°'^^^ standpoint, or more defi- |
Viewed solely from the vantage ground "itely some years observation in a mountain i
of business methods it pays to be a wise *^7"' where complications of malaria can I
man, learned in knowledge and science, f^fely be excluded by location and altitude,
skilled in art and culture, honest and truth- ^'lerefore when a patient presents symp- I
ful, dignified vet polite and courteous, ^*^'"^. °^ typhoid fever we can readily de- humane and charitable, courageous and
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termme what we have to contend with. (
manly in all things that elevate and ennoble ^ ''" '^°, ~^
„,;V'"t °fT ^Tl" T'\ 't'^.
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per cent, of the population , , . of North Wilkes- i
a true character and constitutes a true boro were stricken with typhoid fever, in !
gentleman.
Meet your own obligations to your credfact
this disease spread with such rapidity
^"'l to such an alarming extent that not
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itors and make vour debtors meet
""^^ *^^ health officers,
theirs
but the citizens at
Do your part of 'real charity, or all of it if t''lfj''fnn'Jr ^^'f /°/
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'^' """'" •^""
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vestigation showed , , .
that four years , ,
previous
you wish, but require people who can pay some negroes who lived in the immediate
you to do so—they will think more of you vicinity had quite a number of cases of the
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and you of them. Be just in your charges u^ost malignant type, many of them having
and collect it, but don't render nominal l^emorrhage, and these cases were badly '
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s„vice..„..i„, ,„ ,„„..se ,„,..„de or z':^^:';^:::"^'^ ]sS:t "^^'z
hold patronage, for it will not do it. Meas- water supply and underground drainage.
i
ure your fee by the value of your service. H vvas clearly shown by this history that ;
Don't make other people pay for your own these cases were caused by the germs find- j
mistakes; if you haven't knowledge, then '^n their way through the surface drainage J
j«u,.ow,.d.e, ,o„h„.ispi.„.y ,„ s.,e.
but don t get too wise, especially in your
own conceit. Don't know it all—leave a
^7Si ^:!.::;''\£s::i.'^is^
and only means of preventing the spread of
typhoid fever is to destroy the germs and
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little for the other fellow to prevent atrophy Prevent their accumulation, and the only .j
and stasis when you are gone Try
^^^^^^ that is sure is the application of
to be
^^^j' "o^^'e^'^"-- the first attack should be !
,
professional if thev /=>' will let you Be charit
11 t ,1,
w'" ^et you. He charit made in the treatment of the patient, and i;
able to the old doctor and merciful to the as I firmly believe in antiseptic treatment i
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young. Don't be the dog in the manger, and there is no doubt in my mind but that ri
but be a gentleman of ^-"^' culture and ^'^'"t
charac- had the destruction of these germs ;:
when he recommended as a treat-
ter, a laborer of energy and purpose, and a '" t- f ""[^V
, „ J J » ment 1
good doctor who conserving all the rich tincture of'iodine, three parts of the first to
elements of manly virtue, hopes only for t wo of the latter; this was later improved on
for typhoid fever carbolic acid and •
that which is wisest and best and strives to ,„ , ^ ,
aft5,;„
'^^^^ before the recent meeting it
of the State i
^"^'" "•
Medical Society at Asheville, N. C.
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