Evening journal., 1907-12-13
WANTS FEDERAL
HEALTH BUREAU
DR.. J. N. Mccormack Tells Of
RaVageS Of Diseases That
Might be Prevented

Mccormack, Of Bowling Green. Ken
lucky. deliver an address in the New
Century Club Building last evening on
Things About Doctors Which Doctors
and other People ought to Know" Dr.
Mccormack is chairman of the organiza-
ton committee Of the American Medical
Association, and is devoting his time to
lcoturing throughout the county in an ef-
fort TO dissipate the strong prejudice that
he says exists against physicians gener-
ally. and to interest laymen in co-oper at
ing with physicians in stamping out and
preventing diseases.
The meeting was held under the
auspices Of medical profession of New
Castle county. Chief Justice Lore pre-
sided and DR.. p. w. Tomlinson intro
duced the speaker.
S5.0CO,000 Persons Affected.
Not to speak of the available suf-
fering and sorrow. the drain upon the
material resources Of the people Of this
country every year from preventalle
sickness and deaths and from vicious
living is almost beyond the concep-
tion of the finite mind. In actual dol
lars and cents it is estimated to amount
TO more than the taxes paid for all
purposes. Last year 100000 persons
died and 100000 were sick, inVolving
the comfort and material prosperity Of
100000 homes and 25.O0000O people.
Medical men believe that at least one
third of This was distinctly and prac-
ideally preventable with existing lSnOwl-
edge.
-As an argument for peace yau are
told that 10000 men died as a re-
suit Of battle ia both armies during
the Civil War AS an argument for
better health laws and policies we tell
you that 100000 persons died of tuber-
culosis in the United States in the last
four years and that at least 100000 are
constantly sick with it. Should not
IN effort be made to prevent this dis
ease, as we'll as typhoid fever. diph-
iberia. scarlet fever, cholera infantum,
desentery and the other domestic pes
tilences?
Causes of tuberculosis.
"One-third of the people sick in this
State last year and every year. and
one third of those taken to your ceme-
te~ies, were sick and died of diseases
which present knowledge make prac
tically preventable. During the year
about / in 10 Of your deaths were from
consumption, and you now have large
tubercular population. 1t is a common
opinion that this is an inherited dis
ease, but IL should be known that even
If your father and mother died of It,
at the worst you can only inherit the
kind cf constitution which makes you
especially liable if exposed 10 it, but
no matter what you have inherited
YOU can no more have consumption
without getting into youv body the
germs from a previous case than you
can raise corn on one of your farms
without seed.
The Slaughter Continues.
"You had last year heavy sick and
death rate from disease of children,
caused BY the use of dirty, adulter-
ated or spoiled milk. We shudder with
horror even yet over the slaughter of
the innocents by Herod, but he only
Killed a few of the first-b born males
snd was novice in the business COM
pared with our modern cities, which
rake no discrimination as to sex or
order Of birth.
"a great central health department
at Washington. endowed in accordance
with the power and wealth of our Fed
cral Government, is just as much OF a
necessity. if our people are to have the
benefit OF modern scientific knowledge
applied to their daily needs. as the Su-
preme Court Of the United States.
Following the address of DR. McCor-
macl, General Charles Bird gave an in.
teresting talk on what the Delaware
branch Of the Red Cross Society intends
to do in cooperation with the Anti-Tuber-
culosis Society in its fight against con
sumption.
]. Harvey Whiteman read an interesting
article dealing with the medical profes
sion from its beginning to the presen
time.
The Rev. Alexander Alison, Jr., prom
ised his hearty cooperation in an en-
deavor to have the trustees Of the cit,
join in the movement