Omaha daily bee., 1908-10-11
ZEE PrRLEc 4 L


The recent world congress at Wash
ington for the interchange of opinions
on tuberculosis, its causes and meth
DDS Of treatment. together with the
concerted action hat is o being
planned for fighting cholera and the
bubonic plague in all parts OF the ciy-
ilized world, are certain to have an in
structive and inspiring effect in calling
attention to the Importance of safe
guarding the public health, as distin-
guished from the health of the indi-
vidual.
The public health, in the broad
sense, is essentially the greatest asset
of a nation and should be one Of the
nations chiefest concern, but the rec
ord shows that this development has
come late in modern civilization. Pa
ternalism and Capitalization have man
ifested themselves in some degree in
every other phase Of activity, while
but too little attention has been given
to the public health. 1t is perhaps
strange hat lawmakers, students of
economic conditions and sociological
experts have devoted much time and
thought to the relations of the individ-
ual to the community or the nation in
all other matters, while giving but
scant attention to the ~socializing of
the health question, the broadening of
the base SO as to include whole popu-
lations instead of individuals.
Selfishness and Indifference are
probably at the bottom of this neglect
of a question that vitality concerns the
public. The average citizen is prone
to feel that he has done his part when
he takes care of his own health and
that of his family and shows a reason
able interest and concern in the health
of his neighbors. Recently there has
been an awakening of the individual
to his responsibility toward the public
health. Science has been active in
proving that most epidemics and con-
tagions are due to conditions which
could be removed. Thousands of citi-
1SAo ~ oAhAuhllF HUH DlCNtuNdblt
diseases, and this fact places a respon-
sibility for the whole people upon each
individual. In the face of such con-
tagions and epidemics the individual
is helpless, regardless of his ability to
employ the best medical service, and
the duty of p~recaution becomes a pub
lie, mo- an individual, responsibility.
In a recent article in Science Prof.
William T. Sedgwick advances the
theorem that for every death prevented
by the publication of a water supply
two or t~hree-deaths are avoided from
other contingent causes. On this
feature of public sanitation Prof. Sedg-
wick says:
Working under my direction, Mr.. Scott
MacNutt has recently been able to confirm
this surprising theorem, and even to estab-
fish 1t as conservative. We have also gone
further than Hazen and discovered what
the other causes are from which deaths are
thus avoided; and, although they are not
yet all published, 1 may say that conspicu-
Gus among these "other causes are pneu-
monia, pulmonary tuberculosis, bronchitis
and infant mortality.
Prof. Sedgwick uses the filtration
plant at Pittsburg as an illustration.
The record shows that the installation
of this plant has saved 100 deaths from
typhoid fever n at least 200 more
from other contingent causes The
Importance of a pure water supply is
being Impressed upon the people every
where and with it the necessity of con-
sidering environment and general con-
ditions in their relation to the general
health. This new awakening is caus-
ing special attention to be paid to san
itation in factories, the cleaning up Of
pest-breeding tenement districts and
general regulation of the systems of
sewage and garbage disposal and street
cleaning. The arousing of the public
interest in this public question is the
more welcome because IL is belated.