The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-06-03
Unanimous Vote Taken TO Edu-
cate Public Sentiment
PUBLIC HEALTH DISCUSSED
American Medical Association Takes
Up Vital Subjects at Convention
and One Man Urges National
Sanitary Police System.

Chicago, June 2.zVivisection came in
for much attention by delegates to the
convention of the American Medical
association which opened here today,
and was the subject of significant at
tention by the governing board of that
organization. BY unanimous vote tn e
house of delegates approved a recon-
mendation to the board of trustees to
create a commission the sole duty of
which shall be to watch and oppose the
enactment of laws intended to abolish
vivisection. While this action was un-
der consideration DIR. w. B. Cannon
chairman of the section on pathology,
advocated a campaign of education
against opponents of the practice who
are accused of untruthfulness and ig
norance, and in another meeting-that
Of the section on surgery-results of
animal experimentation were being de-
scribed by DR.. Alexis Carroll of New
York.
The report passed by the house of
delegates was indorsed originally by
DIR. p. M. Jones of San Francisco and
was amended by DR.. Frank Billings of
Chicago.
At the evening session one of the
chief addresses was delivered by DR..
William S. Thayer of Baltimore, Md. He
spoke on Some Relations of the Popu-
lation to Public Duties and Opportuni-
ties"
"The crowding of the population IL
the great cities" he said, has brought
with ii new dangers. A poisoned well
may affect one or two families. but the
poisoned water supply of a great oity,
may affect thousands Scarlet fever in
country town has few victims. but
In congested tenements, populated bv
ignorant and suspicious aliens, it is a
widely different problem. These new
dangers involving the broad questions
of public health and prophylaxis de-
mand the individual attention of men
who have had special training"
Charles H., Harrington. M. D., of Bos-
ton Mass. took for his subject State g
Rights and the National HEALTH" and
suggested that the movement for ma
tional control of the public health
should be focused either into a de-
partment, represented in the cabinet
or a division of an existing depart
ment with commissioner for a chief.
Whether the department or division
be established is of no very great i'm
erly have as its nucleus the present
bureau of public health and marina
hospital service, to which should be
added various existing bureaus scat
tered about under different depaNt-
ments and additional bureaus to be
created.
ITS head should. as occasion re-
quires, draw on the whole scientific
world to secure experts for the in
vestigation of large problems of san
itary Importance"
DR.. Harrington also suggested the
formation of a national sanitary police
system, 'to suppress the rioting of epi-
denies when the state is powerless or
neutral to act"
He added: ut seems not unreasonable
to suggest that the right of the state
to be a national health nuisance might
properly be abridged by a constitution
al amendment giving the central gov
ernment authority to act for the COM
mon good when local neglect or ina
bility makes it imperatively necessary.
but only them"