The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1907-09-20

We often speak of the slaughter Of
the innocents by Herod, but he was
a novice in the business as compar-
ed with our modern cities. You
shudder with horror over the loss of
life on the Larshmont and in the n.
Y. Central wreck few months ago,
and properly so, but more babies die
needlessly every week in your State
during the hot season than there
were people killed in both of these
disasters, and 1t goes on almost with
out comment And it would be
cheaper for you TO inspect the
dairies or sterilize the milk and save
these babies than it would to buy
them. You had about $50 deaths
from diphtheria and scarlet fever,
all distinctly preventable. You had
500 deaths from typhoid fever dur
ing that year. This means, accord
ing to the best estimate, that you
have about Z 900 cases of this diseasa
during each year. Typhoid fever IS
typical filthy disease. No one can
have it except by getting into their
mouth and stomach some of the dis
charges from bowels or kidneys of
some one who has it. This is not
nice thing to think about. But
nice people ought to think about it
and stop doing it. In cities it often
comes from the use OF infected
water, as in the epidemic now at
Scranton, Pa, less frequently in the
milk, sometimes on the hands, cook
ing utensils or food. In small towns
and country districts typhoid fever
is usually carried by the ordinary
house fly, as it was at Chicamauga
and other military camps during the
war with Spain In short, during
this one year, you had $3.50 deaths
from preventable diseases. Now
State has no more valuable asset
TIM that represented in its healthy
population. According to the poll
tical economists, to say nothing of
the cost of caring for the sick who
recovered from these diseases, this
represents distinct loss to your
people each year of $2,75O.OOO.
Lack of Legislation.
Your profession has tried for
years to secure the legislation which
would prevent these diseases, but the
average legislator honestly believed
that they sought it for their own
benefit. not stopping to consider that
insofar as doctors prevent sickness
they diminish their own income. In
fact 1t has often seemed 10 me tina:
We have been misunderstood largely
because the work is SO purely al
truistic 1t is not remembered TO
their credit that they do more real
Christian charity every day and
every year than all of the other peo
pie put together. Over a third of
your people never paid doctors bill
in their lives, and never intend TO.
and yet no one of them ever suffers
for the want of attention, either city.
town or country districts.
"A board Of health in every city
and county, with an effective corps
OF officers and inspectors devoting
their entire time to their duties. in
the schools daily, at the diaries and
abatoirs. supervising every possible
source of disease and danger 20
Your people, with we'll equipped
laboratories, are indispensable in the
light of present knowledge, and are
constantly becoming more so in the
growing complex problems incident
TO the rapid growth of urban popu-
lation And it will pay TO do these
things, for the greatest tax upon the
people of your state today is not that
paid into the city, county and state
treasury, but is that expended for un
necessary sickness and for funerals
which ought not 10 occur.
Plan of Action.
TO meet conditions so grave,
woven into our laws and, what IS
far more important, into the habits
of thought and life of the people, is
no ordinary problem. Legislation,
however complete, unless supported
by an educated professional and pub
lie sentiment, would have only. an
educational value. Our plans are
being laid along the broadcast line
for creating and fostering this SEN
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