The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-03-03


'|.CAlL FOR ACTION
BY LEGISLATURE
Continued from First Page.)
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gave some reasons for popular lack Of
confidence In medical men,
TT was an unfortunate custom OF
many doctors In my State he
said, ITO speak unkindly Of other
members of the profession. This re-
suited In the public's having worry
low estimate OF the medic profession
have found in later years that this
4 black cloud OF envy and Jealousy COW
cred the whole country. A few years
try realized what 1t had done for u.s.
/ The reform has been meastirably ac-
cotnplished. I have been In session
with your, Richmond physicians ths
greater part Of the day. and have never
been moro impressed with the profess
! sion anywhere.
although this envy has been largely
eradicated. find that the prejudice
among the public at large hasn't died
out propose to show how this lack
OF confidence has affected us as ma
ton. You were told that the profess
sion We're unable to protect our !, SOL 20.
diers during the panish-Amertcan
War. and statistics were advanced
which seemed to prove the assertion.
| tsThe SUPERINTENDENT had no more
authority than the humblest depart
inent clerk. Year after year K have been
in Washington md our associntion hes
begged that this disability be removed.
/ Wa 1xcro fsrlx acont COurteay. ShOUld
| n foreign war occur. not only does
| ncstilencc threaten our soldiers, hut
disaster our nation, because large
part Of our soldiers would he In hos
ritals rather than ON the firing line.
| I'VE are about to fall down on this
Panama ditch. Their problems are
about two-thrd sanitary, and yet no
| medical man was placed on the Canal
| Commission. DR.. Gorgas's hands were
entirely tied by red tape until Mr..
Roosevelt put him on the commission
| few months ago.
! freak into the United States, by wnv
OF Cuba. the health officers Of New
| Orleans backed by the medical pro-
fession. recommended preventive legis-
| lation. 4 and were laughed out OF the
| Council Chamber. and 1t cost hundreds
| OF lives to Justify the position OF the
| doctors.
| DIN the administration OF these nf-
| fairs. purely medical, the men who have
| had trading have had no authority
| and the men who have had authority
| have had no training. The health mn
chinery Of the United States Is to-day
! az idle as a spninted ship on n painted
| ocean,
Conditions in Virginia.
"One-third of the sickness and a
| third Of the deaths in Virginia last
year ought never to have occurred. and
! would not have occurred had there
been proper preventive work.
"You had in Virginia 2,o23 deaths
| from consumption, according to, the
| inaccurate statistics furnished.
IT am here to tell you that consump-
| ton is not necessarily inherited. You
| cannot have it unless YOU. get into
| your body the germs from some living
/ patient.
| III the expectorated matter from AL
| present consumptives could be collected
and destroyed for generation. you would
| never have another case of consumpti III
| in Virginia.
'You had In Virginia last year 1852
| deaths from the kind OF Infantlle diseases
which come from drinking dirty, aduIter.
| ated and Impure milk. The slaughter Of
| the lnnoeents Of Herod Is nothing to the
| slaughter Of our cities during every hot.
season from this cause alone.
| three specimens OF milk were examined
and were found to be dangerously adul-
! terated.t There is now very little chance
to get pure milk in this country. as it is
almost habltually adulterated. In LOUIS
vile we took eghty-thre specimens from
wagons on the street, and found every
! one of them adulterated, and nnety-one
warrants were issued for dairylnen last
| week in that city.
lot the 100000 cows that supply milk
to New York City, over 5000 have tuber-
culoss. It would be cheaper to have
supervision over the milk supply than to
| bury the ba bies.
Is Public Disgrace.
You had in. Virginia. last year, over
900 deaths from typhoid. This is not
only a preventable disease, but 1t is
disgrace. 1t is a disgrace to any one
and to any family to have case OF
typhoid fever.
You cannot get a case of typhoid
except from the kidney or bowel ex-
cretions OF another case. Where the
/ discharges OF one case are thrown out
IN public place, there is no limit to
the number of cases that may ensue.
One neglected case drained into the
reservoir. of Cornell University anu
closed the college.
! In towns typhoid is carried almost
entirely by flies. Flies only breed in
horse stables, and may be easily pre-
vented by mixing lime with the fer.
tilizer.
We have laid before the people
month after month plea to screen
the kitchens and dining-rooms of
I. their houses; but most people pre-
4 fer to employ a doctor. take his
vile stuff and pay his, bill, rather
than. use little preventive work
what possible interest can doctors
have in the passage Of laws like this?
Cali professions do altruistic work.
/ The lawyers. ministers and press do
| work of this sort. The doctors OF
Virginia do more Christian charity
work than all others put together
The country doctors. the noblest speci-
mems of Gods manhood, so from hovei
to howell healing Gods poor. There