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

Pleads for Better Protection OF tho
Lives OF Our People BY
Better Sanitation.
CHECK DISEASE ny PREvI1NTToN
Noted Physician Tells About Number
of Important Things That
Are Neglected.


Highly edifled was a large and
representative audience OF citizens at
the Grand opera house Thursday
night by the free lecture delivered
by DR.. ]. N. Mccormack, OF Bowling
Green, KY, a field agent for the
American Medical Association. The
meeting was enthusiastic In the in
terest of the public health and sew
eral short addresses were made from
the audience after DR.. Mccormack
concluded. Among those who spoke
were Senator Stuart F. Reed, the
Rev. S. X Arbuthnot and Attorney
E. G. Smith DR.. Mccormack is
pleasing speaker, has much humor
and entertains as we'll as instructs.
DR.. Fleming Howell introduced DR..
Mccormack.
DR.. Mccormack said In part:
The American Medical Assocta-
tion, through It's various departments
and agencies, and through its 2,47O
county societies with their 10000
members, has enlisted. and 10 trying
to enlist the lay leaders of public
opinion in every community, in one
OF the most comprehensive, far
reaching, altruistica life-saving re-
forms which has ever engaged the att
tention of the people. AS will be
shown in detail later on, one-thfrd
Of the sickness which has occurred
in West Virginia and the United
States within the last year, and every
year, were due to diseases which are
distinctly and practically preventable.
Much has been attempted by the pro-
fession to stop this cruel and un-
necessary sick and death rate. which
imposes a heavier burden on the peo-
p1e OF this country every year than
all OF the taxes paid for county, city.
state and national purposes COM
bined. -'I~~5'Es = 80 Al
Makes Study OF Health.
Within the past five years have
visited almost every State in the
Union, and in many States almost
every county in 1t, talking before lay
audiences and hearing lay responses.
and have thus been able to make a
study OF doctors, of what they are
doing, and of what people think OF
them, in way which has never
been possible TO any other man be-
fore. / spent good part OF last
year in Great Britain and on the
Continent making a comparative
study OF medical and health condi-
tions and methods.
'In my early experience with the
legislative bodies and courts I found
a bias. prejudice, or passive resist
ance 10 every effort Of the profess
sion for the protection OF the people,
even in the minds OF otherwise
broad. fairminded men, and I soon
found that this was always traceabIe
10 local but almost universal dissen
sion5 between physicins of every
school and creed.
Many People Sick.
"One-thIrd Of the people sick In
this State last year. and every year.
and one-third of those you took to
your cemeteries, were sick and died
of diseases which your, medical pro-
fession could and would have pre-
vented If they could have had the in
telligent cooperation of your people.
You had in that year 1900 deaths
from consumption, which means that
You have about 5000 coses of this
disease in your State constantly Tho
common impression Is that this IS
an inherited malady. but this IS an
error. No matter what your mother
and father died OF you can no more
have consumption except by getting
into your body the germs from
previous case than you can raiso
corn or wheat on one of your rich
farms without seed. If all the ex-
perforated matter and the other In
fectious discharges from every casa
OF this disease now in your State
could he collected and destroyed un-
til they recover or die. there need
never be another cas- within your
bordrs unlss 1t be an imported one
You had 500 deaths from the dis
eases OF children caused by using
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