The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-04-12

for solution in the treatment of epidemics.
serious and threatening at sral points
in our State. That they met these dill
cuties with an earnestness ans faithful
ness L believe Will be conceded. We dc not
know what it, board, may have 10 en-
counter during the coming year, threatened
as we are, and may always be. by the in
vasion of epidemical diseases from the
great cities that just lie over our borders.
II hope that your coming together may not
only strengthen yourselves for the
impcrts Mt and responsible duties you
also strengthen by your ready as
sistance and cooperation the State
Board of Health. l welcome, you. gentle
guished visitors from sister States, and
greet you in the name Of the State. be-
good from your conference"
The Governors address was greeted
with applause. and was followed by one on
Dr. ]. f. Hibberd, of Richmond. president
o. the American Medical Association and
Health. THE State Board of Health
said the Doctor. has commissioned me to
cordial welcome to this sanitary confer
ence. and L will add an expression of the
hope that we may all find in its progress
a feast of reason and flow Of hygiene.
and at its close realize that we have ac
CURED fresh knowledge, frightened old
ideas that are good and true and brought
forth fruit meet to strengthen the hands
of all engaged in sanitary work In the
State of Indiana" The, Doctor analysed
ence and cautioned the delegates against
misapplying the limited time of the pro,
success in treating disease instead Of dis
cussing the means of preventing or arrest
ing its spread. This, he said, had been the
mistake of previous conferences. He dis
cussed the obligations of health officers.
and said that in pursuing their mission In
this direction they must bear in mind that
sanitary business is conferred by a law of
Indiana, whose creatures they are. This
a he Arurf los ind rraf toe h0
field OF labor and limits the lines of opera
ton of the $50 health officers of the State
gain a clear conception of this funda-
mental law, what IL commands them TO do
and what it forbids. and then in good
faith to carry out its provisions. In con-
Guiding, he said ii was the Judgment of the
state board that consultation among the
health officers is the most efficient means
to enlarge and unity the technical knowl-
edge Of the entire corps of hygienic guar
dams of the people of Indiana, and he babe
them welcome in this mission.
AN OHIO MANS ADDRESS.
DR.. c. o. Probst, of Columbus, o., sec
| rotary OF the Board of Health of that
State, addressed the members on Some
OF the Difficulties that Beset a State Board
of Health" In beginning he said: "One
of our first difficulties was to get the peo-
pie to believe that the State Board of
Health was created for their benefit, and
not in the interest Of the doctors. II is
moves only in the direction Of self-inte naf
| that body Of men would spend their
| time and money to carry bill through
the Legislature to create a board which
would constantly work against their own
| interests. and the common run of men
| could at first see in such boards only some
| thing for the doctors and a place for DO
| litlcal favorites. This was natural con-
| clusion in Ohio. and not specially reoug-
nant TO popular taste where every man
expects some day to hold public Office
Dr. Probst explained the real functions
| OF State Board of Health as resembling
the position of a general and his STAFF,
| viz, TO plan the campaign against diseases
He told of the difficulties of securing leg
| of local boards. In Ohio, where eight years
| ago there were less than one hundred
local a boards ards there are nov 0 1SSt LEGAL
| Guilty In securing good service is the small
pay provided. Thousands Of collars. the
against fire for one spent for protection
| against disease. The State and local
| boards, he said; were practically powerless
| Take tuberculosis for instance there are
! $4,000 people dying each year from pull
monary tuberculosis alone, or four every
| minute. He said that, although so simple
| a means as burning or disinfecting the ex-
pectorations of consumptive patients was
| at hand, 1t was impossible to check the
spread of this disease because people would
| not adopt the means. The only thing TO
do to educate them and wait. Popu-
lar ignorance of sanitary questions is one
| State Board of Health has TO contend. If
this were removed there would be plain
sailing for the boards. The subject of by;
| briefly and commended as an excellent
thing. 1t is better, the Doctor thought, to
teach the children hygiene. and how to
| avoid sickness and death than to devote
so much attention to teaching the effects
| of alcohol and narcotics on the human sys-
| life than bad whisky. urged the Buckeye
| physician. He very pertinently asked If
| 1t is not largely because they are not in
amples as to what may be accomplished
| in preventing disease that the people are
| not willing to spend Ltheir hard-earned
of health. The difficulty in obtaining ade--
| quate appropriations of money was one OF
the most prominent difficulties besetting
| nual per capita tax for the support of
health boards is one quarter of cent and,
b ba,e Considerably %ii less A contribution of
| but cents a year from each man, wom-
| an and child would enable the State Board
| Some of the New England States set a
| much higher value on human life judging
| from their appropriations, than Ohio or
| while there are many difficulties that
| beset our State boards of health, said Dr.
Probst, in conclusion, much has ALREADY
| been gained and we may justly consider
| that life has been heightened and the sum
| of human happiness been added to by their
'-' GENERAL SANITATION.
| The closing address of the evening was
| bv Dr. ]. w. Scott, secretary of the Illinois
| State Board of Health. DR.. Scott's address
| was devoted to General Sanitation and
he held that experience had shown that
| efforts to extend and enlarge the powers
and authority of health officials based en-
tirely upon philanthropic and humanitarian
| grounds had failed, and must be reduced TO
| a. business proposition. In Illinois he said
i IL rraS difhcnlt to secure birth and death