The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1907-09-16
Fairmont Doctors

one 81 her oldiets from re gentapl
sickne fof eseIyS id1r dying rom
wounds and bnt p egeFy 100 ot
taem ser y Z. TIE 1ll hos
pital during the much more severe
aidgprotracted strugg IN Afanchuria
And the report flour Surge on;e eners
Il, recently publishes shows that
even ID time Of peace, with one sxceps
tiol, we have the sickIi lest army IN the
world We have known for years that
this danger hung over our army IN
The event Of a war, and constant, pa
tFlotic, unselfish efforts were made
for lis removal bat. even with the
eontrastiye object.lessons furnished
by Cuba and Manchdria before the
Congress and the country no legislaa-
ton has been secured, and should
foreign war occur under existing CON
dItlons our armies would again face
lpestllence. and the nation possible
danger and disgrace because a large
part Of our defenders would be in the
hospital and cemeteries who should
be on the firing line. From the same
cause mainly we have been delayed
month after month in digging the Pan
ANA Canal. Lay men were given sole
control over a work which at the out
set was almost purely sanitary, and,
while most Of them remained at a
safe distance and drew their large
salaries, DR.. Gorgas, a great trained
expert, was sent down TO do the real
work, but with his hands as effectual-
~ tied as we're those Of Surgeon Cen
eral sternberg during the war with
Spain. His authority was gradually
extended, and Mr. Roosevelt cut all
the red tape and put DR.. Gorgas on the
commission as soon as he took in the
situation for himself, but the failure
to appreciate the necessity for this at
the outset has caused much of the de.
lay, cost hundreds of lives and mil
lions of dollars. Two years ago last
month was in Cuba with representa-
tiyes from most Of the other States
because we feared that yellow fever
was about to break into this country
and we wanted to make close study
Of the methods which had proven so
efrectual there, We decided that New
Orleans was the weak point in our line
Of defenses and, as a result Of our De.
!iberations, DR.. Konke, the great health
officer Of that city, returned home with
ordinances already drawn and, back
ed by the profession of his city and
State, went before his council and
begged for authority to drain the gut
tiers, to screen the cisterns, and to
make It impossible for the disease to
gain foothold. They laughed aim
out Of the council chamber, and when
pestilence came four mc|1ths later
these same people insisted upon dis
grazing this devoted man and had the
national government take charge Of
an epidemic which woald never have
occurred but for them. Thus in all
Of the affairs Of this great nation, civ
IL and military, about which our pro-
fessIon alone has a knowledge, now
and always, those who have the spe-
cial training have no authority, and
those who have the authority haveno
training, and today, except in the
emergency Of an epidemic, the health
service Of this country SIS as idle as
a painted ship upon painted ocean,"
Now this is bad record for us as
a nation, but that for West Virginia is
even worse. one.thlrd of the people
sictin this State last year, and every
year. and one-third of those you took
TO your cemeteriestwere sick and died
Of diseases which your medical pro-
fesslon could and would have pre-
vented If they could have had the
intelligent cooperation Of your people.
You had in that year 1900 deaths
from consumption, which means that
you have about 5000 cases Of this dis
ease in your State constantly. The
common impression is that this is an
inherited malady, but this is an err
ror. No matter what your mother and
father died of you an no more have
consumption except by getting into
your body the germs from previous
case than you can raise corn or wheat
on one of your rich farms without
seed. If all the expectorated matter
and the other infectious discharges
from every case Of this disease now
in your State could be collected and
destroyed until they recover or die,
there need never be another case
within your borders unless It be an
imported one. You had 500 deaths
from diseases Of children caused by
using dirty. adulterated or spoiled
milk. We often speak of the slaugh-
ter Of the innocents Of Herod, but he
was novice in the business as COM
nared with orr mndarn cities. You