Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-12-13
THE SCIENCE AND ART OF PRE-
VENTING x0rsra<r

THE SCIENCE AND ART OF PRE-.
VENTING DISEASE.
The time has arrived when the phi
losophy of the healing art has given
birth to sanitary science, which has for
its object the prevention of disease In
stead of curingit. This more advanced
science implies very considerable knowl-
edge Of the nature and causes of those
arrangements of the human system
and infections of pain and suffering to
which mankind are subject. Pestilence
has long been regarded, like war and
famine, as expressive of the wrath of
an offended Deity. 1t was a Judgment
sent to punish sin, which, in the Ian
guageof the immortal Milton, drought
death into the world, and all our woe"
But 1t must be confessed that, without
eliminating an overruling Providence
from the universe, the causes and re-
suits of disease are more amenable to
natural or Divine law, whichever we
call it, than our forefathers thought.
God gave us intellect, with which to
battle against ali evil, physical
as well' as moral, and for all prac-
teal purposes the manifestations
Of disease are to be regarded as
natural phenomena, which may be
calmly and searchingly investigated
and understood, as well as the transit
of Venus and the motion and gravita-
ton which appear to keep all celestial
bodies forever in their appointed places
The first elements found in sanitary
science is the fact that all matter is sub
ject to law; and to this universal law
man is no exception, whether he
lives or dies, is sick or well. By in
dustry, frugality and a wise providence,
man prevents famine, with all of its
concomitant sufferings and democrat
izing evils. In this case prevention is
infinitely better than any treatment of
really starving people. So great
would be the gain If all wars were pre-
vented, there is reason to believe that
this good will ultimately be attained.
But what evidence is there in favor of
the prevention of such diseases as yell
| low fever and cholera?
Last month the American Public
Health Association held its annual
meeting in Philadelphia, at which its
President, the distinguished Dr. Smith,
of New York, delivered an instructive
address, IN the course Of which he re-
marked: ''The last meeting was rem
dered painfully interesting by the de-
tailed reports from those cities and
towns Of the Southwest which had Just
been frightfully ravaged by two Of the
most dreaded scourges OF the human
family. These reports reminded one
of chapters on epidemics Of the middle
ages. It seemed incredible that such
scenes Of human suffering and death
from any form of pestilential disease
could have occurred in this age of adj
vanced knowledge in methods of pre-
vention, and especially under our OBJ
servation. And yet, these reports
prove that cholera and yellow fever
spread through those Southern
towns, depopulating houses, dis
tricts and even villages, with
out other more effective efforts to
control its progress than a stampede of
all who could escape. Shreveport and
Memphis especially have achieved a
memorable place in American sanitary
medicine Favorably situated for de-
tense, they succumbed to these forces
without an effort at protection. If but
8 1.-THE Of the moneys expended in the
care Of the sick had been previously
employed in defensive measures, both
these towns would doubtless have es-
capped. And what is trueof Shreveport
and Memphis is equally true of all the
towns devastated by these epidemics.
The terrible lessons which these ex-
periences have taught it has been the
ain Of this Association to gather and
! record IN its annual volume"
Doubtless, many of our readers
would be glad for satisfactory evidence
that 1.-THE, or tenthpart of the money
expended in the care Of the sick in
Nashville during the cholera, would
have prevented these epidemics. As
bearing on this question, we cite evil
dence collected at the Vienna Interna-
tional Sanitary Conference, held in
July Of the present year, TO which rep
resentatives came from the Govern
ment Of England, France, Germany,
Denmark, Norway. Sweden, Russia,
Switzerland, Portugal, Italy, Greece,
Turkey, Egypt and Persia. A sani-
tary conference Of such dignity never
before convened in Europe, nor else
where; and it is to be regretted that
the United States were unrepresented.
1t is at the first glance strange that en-
lghtened and Republican America
stands behind despotic Egypt, and
still more despotic Persia, IN enlighten-
ed efforts to counterfeit the spread of
epidemics. But ours does not profess
to be a "paternal'' government, in
supreme charge of the lives and for
tunes of helpless slaves. Our people |
are presumed to be self-reliant in many |
matters, II hygiene as well as politics.
Besides, the greater density of popula-
ton in Europe and Asia, compared |
with ours, renders wholesale sanitary |
measures more imperative and presses
the attention Of government to the |
matter more urgently. Want of space |
forbids extended citations from the |
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