The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1907-02-05
MEDICAL
IMPROVEMENT
Dr.. ]. vi. Mccormack Makes
an Interesting Address on
Health Conditions.
DISEASES THAT ARE CRIME

DIR. J. M. Mccormack, of Kentucky,
who represents the American Medical
Association was in Morristown on Sat-
urday and in the afternoon addressed
the Morris County Medical Associa-
tion, and in the evening spoke in Y.
M. G. A. Hall to an audience of physi-
clans and laymen. Unfortunately the
attendance was not large. Dr. Nc
Cormack told of how in the past years
doctors have gone about talking about
each other to such an extent that the
public generally has come to dlstrust
them. The doctors haze learned their
error and stopped attacking each
other and he explained that his mis-
sion was to secure a lessening of the
distrust by others, and to stimulate
associations of medical men for post
graduate study and for enlighting the
people generally on medical and sani-
tary subjects.
Because Of the distrust in the gen.
eral mind, the physicians have been
unable to secure the passage of laws
for the improvement of conditions and
he went on showing from the tabula-
tions of the report of the State Board
of Health for 1904, that during that
year in the State of New Jersey
one-third of the deaths and the
same percentage of sickness was from
preventable diseases, which should
never have occurred. There we're H.
600 cases of consumption with 1875
deaths. Consumption, he said, does
not come through heredity, but is a
germ disease and if all the excretions
of the patients could be collected and
destroyed until all the patients had
either recovered or died, the disease
would be stamped out.
There were 2,423 deaths from diarh-
horeal diseases among children mostly
caused by spoiled, impure or adult
urated milk. An analysis of water
used for the cleansing of utensils used
in some dairieS showed SO per cent. dan
gerously impure, 36 per cent. impure
and only IL per cent. pure.
There were 9lS deaths from diph-
liberia and 4l6 from scarlet fever.
Whenever there was a second case of
these latter somebody was to blame,
He urged systematic school il Spect on
and the disenfection of all ready made
clothing by steam heat.
There were about 1000 cases of ty-
phoid fever with 3S4 deaths. This is
a filth disease and disgrace to any
community or family. 1t comes from
water supply or milk and much of it
is carried by flies. Houses, particu-
larly rooms where food is prepared
or served, should be thoroughly
screened. Flies, he said, breed on
manure piles alone and go from them
to all places in the vicini y. Pneu-
monia, dysentary and many other
diseases he said are preventable.
Referring to national affairs, DR..
Mccormack said that of the army at
the time Of the Spanish War, eighty
| five out of each hundred men was in
the hospital, while with the army of
Japan only fifteen to 100 were pa
tients in the hospitals. He ascribed
the difference to the presence and
authority of trained sanitary officers.
In the United States army the doctor
has low grade and no authority. In
| the Panama Cana, he said the ques-
tion was two-thirds sanitary to one
third engineering, but yet there were
DO sanitary experts on the commits
sion, nor would the President appoint
any when asked to do so at the reor-
ganization. So for three years we
have been there and dirt has just
commenced to fly.
The time is coming when medical
advisers will advise to prevent sickness
instead of being called after it has set
in. There should be an ational bureau
with a cabinet officer at the head.
City health officers should be paid
enough to devote their whole time to
measures for the prevention of sick
ness.
The greatest tax the nation pays is
for unnecessary sickness and funerals.
Capitalized at 81, 1000 each the loss to
New Jersey in 1904 was $l1 $4,000
A vote of thanks was extended the
Doctor for his address,
Mayor Bennell presided.
WEDDING BELLS.