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Show FOR PREVENTION OF BLINDNESS ; Dr. Fred Stauffer Delivers Able H Paper Before State Board. - jH ' HOW CONTAGION IS SPREAD v H Use of Pencils, Sponges, Towels and ?", il Vtandkerchlefs In Common Is a H Fruitful Cause of Trachoma Pa- , M per Listened to With Interest. H ! Salt Lako City, Jan. 31. Pencils, 'I M sponges, towels, handkerchiefs and 1 H Huch things used In common, nro dan- j H gerous fliul indeed tho chief causes of H trachoma, n species of blindness, nc- 'H cording to Dr. Fred Stauffer, who treated tho subject of "Tho Preven- B tlon of Blindness," In nn excellent pa- H per rend beforo tho health officers of H Utah, this morning, lu tholr second H day's mooting at 19 Knst First South H street. Dr .Stauffer said: H Blindness is properly defined as an H hicurablo total loss of sight in both . H ojea. Tho popular definition is a-con- H dltlon in which sight Is so diminished H that any occupation requiring tho uso B of sight Is Impracticable . H Statistics show that tho proportion B of blind to tho cntlro population varies BBl In dlfforont countries, owing to ocn- HBa patlon, climatic conditions, degrees of BBl civilization and other causes. HBl In nearly all civilized countries. JBl speclnl laws havo been made to pre- HBl tent tho spread of this disease. To HBl this end, tho mtdwlvcs In Germany HB nro prohibited by law from treating M any affection of the oyes or oyo lids M oi me new uoin nunuvui buiu. uu h -the ippeorauco pt the first symptoms ' ' M they aro required to report to' the M parents or others in charge, that mod- M leal nsslstanco is necessary or they,., r M must themselves report to tho local ' M authorities. Neglect of these require ,H ments makes them llnblo to punish; M mont. M In the United States in tho past H fow years many of tho staes havo en- l actod laws requiring that should ono ' M or both oyes of an Infant becomo In- H flnmed, reddened,, or Bwollen nt any '' H tlmo within two weeks of Its birth, it i H shall bo tho duty of the midwife or H 'nurse having charge of tho case to H report in writing within six hours to H tho health officer ,or somo legally H qualified physician of tho town or dls- H trlct In which tho parents of tho child H reside, tho fact that such swelling. H tedness or Inflammation exists. Tho H penalty for falluro to comply' with H this law Is mado a fine not to exceed H $200 or imprisonment not to exceed H six months or both. , , H Legislation Needed. '""" H Tho medical profession of this coun- I H try havo given tholr best efforts, with- I H out cost to the public for many years J H in the study of proventton of diseases H of nil kinds and nt tho present tlmo H there Is an organized movement on H tho part of tho Optholnlologlcal sec- H tlon of tho A. M. A. to procure unl- M form legislation In all the states along H tho line sof provontlon of blindness; H A special commltteo has been collect- H Ing data and making outlines to bo ' M presented to tho boards of health In J M the various states. Every proporly M qualified physician of today Is fnmll- J H lar with tho requirements ror prevent- , MM ing blindness from ophthollnln In the j J new born and, If nono but. qualified V9 physicians wsro permitted to practice mm mediclno, nnd particularly obstetrics, j flfl thoro would bo llttlo need for leglsla- ' 3 tlon or board of health regulation con- j Jg corning tho enro of tho eyes of tho j jH helpless new born child. Under tho ' K existing conditions, It 'is Imporatlvo jfl that all tho staes pass such laws ns Wm havo already boon reforred to, thnt tjm will make it compulsory for mldwlves iSp and nurses to report nil Inflammations ): In tho eyes of tho now born to properly l qualified physicians or health officers, ; Jji whoso duty it shall bo to at onco Instl- , Wm tuto propor treatment. SjH Thoro nro those enses of provontablo wy blindness which resulted from toy pis- iJL tols and nlr guns in tho hands of chll- il drcn. Tho number nt blind from this jH causa Is considerable, and legislation S to protect ngelnst this kind of blind- H The child of public school ago ,'fl Contli.ued on Page 4. ', ,H jy i y Vftrnfr. nVTl ? 1 t "' J i - AVm FOR PREVENTION 0F BLINDNESS (Continued from Pago 1) Prevention of Trachoma, whoso eyes nro infected with trachoma, trach-oma, offers a problem not casljy solved. sol-ved. Trachoma originates exclusively by transfer of secretions from another eye Infected with tho snmo disease. Contnglon by moans of the ntmosphcro us was formally believed, does not occur. In nil probability this secretion owes Its Infections chnracter to n micro-organism tho Indontlty of which lemalns unestablished thus far. Slnco Infection occurs through secretion ulone tho degreo of infectlveness which nny given caso carries with It depends upon the pnofusehess of tho secretion . Ordlnnry trachoma without secro-Hon secro-Hon Is In nil probability but slightly contagious. Tho transfer of secretion from ono eyo to another generally takes place directly through tho mo-dlum mo-dlum of tho fingers, or such artlclos as sponges, towels and handkorchlofs used In common. Henco trachoma spreads most extensively In boarding schools, orphnn asylums, poor housos and barracks, or It may spread In publlo pub-llo schols through Interchange ot books and poncils which is all too common In our public schools. Eliminate Quacks. Tlllnilneiia resulting from unsuccessful unsuccess-ful operations or from acute fjlacoma ness Is nil Importnnt. TWO nLINDNESS neglected or Improperly treated ,can bo reduced only by moro stringent medical legislation, eliminating quacks from vondlng tholr nostrums and prohibiting pro-hibiting nptomotirlBtH from fltlng glasses to oyes thnt aro perishing for wnnt of fnedlcnl or surgical treatment. I am fully nwnro of tho obstacles that tho lalety placo In tho way to block tho wheels of progress In tho lino of legislation to protect the "W2li public against theso calamities which they so much dread. , As theBo sanitary laws nnd regulations regula-tions arOjiisunlly'jvorked out and proposed pro-posed by tho medlcal'professlon, radny ot tho lalety seo In, them somo sel'fiBh motive on tho part of tho doctor, heuco their opposition. A It is only necessary to carry on such campaigns" of lJubilc'educatron against all tho preventable diseases as 'has been going on In thls'bulldlng for. (ho past wo, weejts against tuberculosis, for tho public to understand our motives, mo-tives, and then we shall havo no difficulty diffi-culty in passing proper protcctlvo laws and regulations. |