The Washington herald., 1907-12-04

eNAAfAAik ~ BIOltCl It's ItiSnpOISt
as we'll as itself, from epidemics.
The day was when there was little or
no reason for international sanitary
agreements, for intercourse between ma
uons was limited. Then came the days Of
world-wandering. and cholera, bubonic
plague yellow fever, and a dozen other
contagious and fatal diseases could start
from one little port and spread their infec-
ton broadcast through the world. Il has
only been a quarter of a century since a
new order Of things was set up Nations
began 10 feel that their own safety from
pesullence lay along the lines of interna-
tlonal cooperation. American govern
ments began 20 cooperate in an effort
10 Keep any epidemic from spreading out
OF the country where it originated Eu-
ropean governments did the same. Now
the international sanitary bureaus AT
Paris and Washington will unite the
hands Of science across the seas and ioin
1he Eastern and the Western world in one
grand effort TO eXterminate everywhere
those pestilential diseases that have long
demanded an annual tribute of thousands
OF lives.
The work OF the Mexico City conven-
ton will treat the question OF epidemic
diseases as practically settled. It will
proceed largely upon the basis that these
diseases are simply the result of unhv-
slenic conditions, that these conditions
are local. and must be handled by the
local governments. 1t will consider the
adFisablity of direct action by the na-
uonal governments involved. They must
properly sanitize seaport towns. mas
much as these are the points of contact
between nations. There will be a wide
range of debate on the subject. The
proponent of this idea is Surgeon Gen.
Walter Wyman, OF the Public Health and
Marine Hospital Service Of the United
States. president of the international
convention, and head OF the Information
al Sanitary Bureau In the past confer
ences plans have been formulated and
reported 10 the various governments par
ucipaung in them. These governments
nave in turn made these plans the SUBJ
jects Of treaties.
The layman does not realize how much
is being done to-day 10 promote national
and International sanitation. Uncle Sam
has watchmen upon the towers in all the
principal ports OF the world to prevent
Immigrants having contagious diseases
or suspected of having them, from start
Ing for America. How far this activity
is carried and how thorough IL Is, is
shown by the reports of some OF the
surgeons who have charge of this work.
At Yokohama, Japan, there were q. $50
aliens who wanted to come 10 the United
States as steerage passengers. OF these
only 1914 passed muster sufficiently
free from lOathsOme and dangerous dis
eases. From Italy there were more than
1900 would-be immigrants rejected at
Naples. Messina, and Palermo But.
thorough as the inspection may be AT
foreign ports. many fan 10 pass muster
when they arrive at American ports. and
thousands are annually returned. out Of
the $4,000 landing az Ellis Island last
year. there were 1851 found unfit to
come into the United States
The science of sanitation has been re-
duced to the point where it can assure
practical freedom from contagious dis
ease if the simple laws of sanitation and
hygiene are followed. The basic principle
may be expressed in the old saying-and
in the light Of recent demonstrations the |
true saying-that cleanliness is next to /
godliness. As men, municipalities, and |
nations have observed the laws Of santa
tiOn, they have seen the span Of life
heightened and the death rate decreased. !
New York in 1879 had death rate of /
about % per 1000 during a year. To-day IL j
has death rate Of about IS per l 900. and 4
no one who has Travelled through the
East Side will claim that the laws of |
sanitation have all been complied with /
even now. In London two centuries ago /
one person out Of every twelve died dur |
ing the year. In 1885 the rate was % per /
1000 and to-day it is down to IS per !. 600 |
Statistics show that in some Of the lead |
ing cities Of the world nearly six years /
had been added 10 the length of the /
average human life in less than a century.
Europe Is said to be ahead of America /
in the sanitation Of her cities There has
been great success in the publication of !
streams, and greater advances have been
made in tenement house reforms. Typhus |
fever. once so deadly a scourge. has been
practically eliminated IN Great Britain. /
In Germany smallpox and typhoid fever
have almost been stamped out During
the whole of last year there were but
twenty-siX cases Of smallpox in the en-
tire German Empire, and only five OF
these cases were fatal There were 1O554
cases in the United States during the
same period In Italy the government has
waged vigorous campaign for the erad-
ication of malaria Malarial marshes have
been drained and knowledge has been diff
fused regarding the use Of quinine and
mechanical protection against mosquitoes
The deaths from malaria have been re-
duced from 1917 in 1890 to 7753 in the
past year. In the Western World. Mexico
has made such wonderful progress in san
itatiOn that she now stands in this re-
speet among the foremost nations of the
earth. Brazil Is awakening fully 10 tho ,
possibilities of eradicating epidemic dis
eases. and Rio de Janeiro is now among
the leading sanitary cities of the world.
The discovery and general acceptance
OF the germ theory OF disease about $50
has been one Of the greatest OF boons to
mankind. II has given TO sanitary science Il
a basis upon which to work. Prior TO
that time scientists had n general idea
that uncleanliness was largely response
BILE for epidemics. but when it came down i
10 malaria yellow fever, and such dis
eases. they were az a loss TO account for
Now il is different. Every
time an epidemic breaks out it can be
traced to the cause. German /
cities some years ago had bad epidemics
OF typhoid fever. The imperial health i
board issued an edict against the use OF
surface water for public consumption /
and the death rate in German cities from