Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-12-07
SANITARY CONFERENCE.
THE FIRST DAYS SESSION HELD
YESTERDAY.
Boards of HeaIth--An Ounce of Proven
ton Worth More Than q Pound Of Cure

| Local
| Boards of HeaIth--An Ounce of Proven
ton Worth More Than Pound Of Cure.
afternoon Session.
The State Sanitary associationmet in the
rooms of tho Academy of Natural Sciences
at ITO Hennepin avenue and tho first ses-
sion was called to order at o'clock. Gov.
Hubbard presided. The attendance was
rather small. After devotional exercises,
the following essays were read:
DR. oooKBuRN's PAPER.
DR.. Cockburn, the city physician of Min
neapolis, read an excellent paper upon a
health officers work, Of which the follow
ing is an abstract:
pleasure that meet you on this occasion.
The occasion which calls us together is ono
which should be of interest to all good citi-
zens. The meeting of body
for the admission of a
common cause for the advancement of a
science which must rebound to the benefit
of mankind at large, should be hailed with
pleasure. Sanitary science includes every
thing that can prevent disease or promote
the public health.
Any means that will promote the pub
lie health will correspondingly increase
| the well-being of the largest number of
individuals.
am to say few words on the
WORK OF A CITY HEALTH OFFICER,
| and how the people may
assist and support their To-
cal board of health The question
| arises, why should we assist the board of
| health? Is not the health officer the one
to attend to the duties of health dispens-
ing, and why need We make ourselves any
care about anything pertaining to its
duties? This is question if not asked
nor on the the mind many otherwise good
| citizens, is acted by them every day of
| their lives.
TO understand why the people should
| assist the board of health, it is but neces-
sary to consider the object and purpose of
! the board of health and sanitary organiza-
| tons, when I think it will be plain to all
who give it consideration that any assist
ance rendered by the people is but an act
of self-preservation. The objects of boards
of health is to prevent the spread, suppress
the cause, and endeavor by proper san
italy measures to regulate and control the
ravages of disease. This result of public
sanitation touches every home in the land
every man, woman and child in the land
must feel its beneficial influences.
| A study of the reports of the register
general of England shows that during the
| last decade the death rate has fallen off
one in 1000 population per annum and
that more than three-fourths of that fall
| ing off is due to a reduction of death from
| Zymotic disease; and further that one-half
of this decline is in the deaths from fevers,
and in this class of diseases it
| is claimed the best results of
sanitation is obtained. It must be kept
prominent in view of that during the last
ten ysars most active measures have been
taken in sanitary work. This falling off
of eleven in 1000 may seem like small
reduction, but let US consider in its fullest
bearing. It will not do to scan with the
eye the figures, the ciphers and units of
these statistics. We must look deeper.
The JOY and happiness which
flow from this expansion of
life, this result Of sanitary
science, may possibly require a sci
entific mind to appreciate.
| Dr.. Cockourn's was an able and exhaust
i've paper. 1t treated the subject of pre-
venting, rather than curing diseases, in
thorough detail His theory is that an
ounce of prevention is worth a pound of
cure. He showed at length the necessity
of scoring tina cooperation of all public
| spirited citizens in making local, state and
national boards of health effective organiza
tons for the prevention and spread of con-
tageous diseases and expediencies, by en-
| pioying every sanitary precaution posi-
| BILE.
He was followed by an essay on 'The
work and difficulties of health Off Ger un-
der existing laws" by
A. t. CoNLEY,
| the health officer of Cannon Falls, and
showed up many of the inconsistencies of
| the present laws, and the obstacles to be
met with in unsophisticated individuals
people who fail to recognize a single SEN
sible sanitary rule.
He called the attention Of the physicians
and members of the boards of health pres
| ent to the law which empowers the re-
| spective boards of health to employ all the
powers necessary for the preservation of
| the public health. The paper was illus
trated by many anecdotes taken from his
experience in the capacity of health Off
| Ger, and was listened to with marked atten-
ton by his hearers, and the paper, as
| a whole, was pronounced excellent BY
| those who commented uponit.
G. G., Slagle NJ. D., Health officer of Win
nebago City, Mimi, read an interesting
paper, from the which the following is
| taken:
Doctors and Friends of the Sanitary
course: Long centuries ago Cicero declared
that ''Man approaches the gods in no things
SO much as in giving health to his fellow
man." I need not tell you that our work
to-day is not visionary search for the
''eiixir vitaI' of Poracelsus or yet for the
Foundation of youth" On the ether
hand it is practicable, tangible, demon
stratable, and appeals alike to the intelli-
gent sympathies Of humanity everywhere,
as it SO plainly involves the physical and
social welfare.
How shall we popularize our good work?