The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1908-10-04

] the door. and President Roosevelt, sur
rounded by several Secret Service men.
and with a body guard of a squad of
1 marines, started to walk briskly to the
front Of the hall A great ovation
| greeted MIN when his name was shout
I cd over the gathering.
The noise OF the greeting died down
Tor moment, and Secretary CortelyOu,
stepping TO the side of the President,
introduced MIN briefly:
Presidents Address.
1.-THE President, ladies and gentle
men," he said.
The Presidents address was Charac-
! teristic one He said, IN part:
I could not deny myself the privilege
OF saying a word of greeting to this
noteworthy gathering. 1t is difficult
for us TO realize the extraordinary
progress in certain lines Of useful en-
dCavor during the last two or three gen
crations, and IN no other manifestation
of human endeavor have fine changes
! been quite so far-reachng. as in the
ability 10 EraDple with disease. It Is
not so very long. measuring time by
I history. since the attitude Of man to-
ward a disease, such as that of con
I sumption, was one Of helpless acquiesc-
euce in what ne considered to be the
mandate of the supernatural power
1T is an affair OF decades; I am al
most tempted 20 say an affair OF years,
I I'm which the real progress has been
made. Take for instance, the work that
the United states Government is now
doing in Panama. When the first rail
road was first built across Panama II
was said, with some foundation Of truth.
that every sleeper laid cost the life Of
a man.
Now the work o. the canal I'm that
Identical place is being prosecuted on
aa Indefinitely larger scale. of course.
under conditions which make the To-
cality stand above the ordinary locality
In the United States I'm point Of health.
No Longer a By-Word
THE Istbmus Of Panama. which was
by-word fer fatal disease. has be
come well nigh a sdudtorium. and #
has become SO because Of the investI-
cations Of certain medical men. which
enabled them TO ind out the real causes
or certain diseases. especially yellow
fever and maIariaI fever, and TO take
measures TO overC ONE them.
THE older doctors here. when they
were medical students. would have
greeted the suggestion, regarding mos
QuiJoes as the prime source Of disease
as a subject for mirth. Thus. truly un-
expected results have followed the pa
tient. labOrious- dangerous. and extra
ordinarily skilIful work, that has en-
abled the causes to be found. and the
diseases to be combaJJed with extra
ordinary success.
'I said dangerous work. Doctors have
laid down their lives TO secure the re-
suits 1 have spoken of. showing as
much heroism as was ever shown by
a soldier on the field OF battle.
The changes which enable us to com
bat the disease came when the greatest
experts Of the medical world turned
their trained intelligence to the task It
must remain for them to find out just
what can be done. The task then viii
be for the representatives Of the gov
ernments to give all possible attention
to the conclusions of the scientific men
/ The change In the status of the men
/ of science during the last century has
been immeasuTable- One hundred years
ago he was treated as an interesting
virtuoso. a man capable of giving
amusement. but whom no practical man
treated as standing on the same footing
Of equality