Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1909-11-23

URGES COOPERATION.
Laity Can Do Much in Helping Ply
sicians to Stamp Out Diseases.

Laity Can Do Much in Helping Ply
sicians to Stamp Out Diseases.
In his address last evening in the
court house, before a representative
audience of Wausau people, DR.. j. n.
Mccormack of Bowling Green, KY,
said that the greatest asset of any
nation is that represented in vigor-
GUS population. Mines, forests and
other things called wealth have little
more than an abstract value. The
drain upon this asset in this country
from diseases known to be prevent
able is estimated at more than one
third of the entire sick and death
rate every year. There are an aver
age of 10000 deaths in this country
every year. 1920, 900 cases of sickness
affecting the the comfort and happi-
ness OF 5,000,00 homes and 5000, 600
people. Over one-third of this sick
and death rate, tax upon the people
almost beyond calculation, can and
should be prevented. About 2l0O0O
men were killed in both armies dur
ing the five years of the civil war
About 100000 people have died of
tuberculosis in the past five years and
there are 1000, 900 cases all the time
There were 250, 600 deaths and 2, 500, 900
cases of sickness from typhoid fever
during the same PERIOD besides a
high death rate from diphtheria,
measles, scarlet fever and other pre-
ventable diseases. In ten years the
government has spent $40, ,000,0 900 and
now proposes to expend S250,000, 900
more to prevent tick fever in cattle,
cholera in hogs and chickens, pests in
crops and trees and other interests
having money value, while in all it's
history, it has not spent dollar or
lifted a hand to protect its people
from these far more important domeS-
tic pestilences. There are experts and
funds in abundance in Washington
to go anywhere for investigation, or
to prepare literature in regard to any
animal or plant disease, any agricul-
tural resource, water power or other
condition affecting commercial inter
ests, but the citizen will inquire in
vain for information about the pro-
lection of his family from typhoid
fever or other diseases.
For lack of authority for medical
officers during our war With Spain,
we lost sixteen of our soldiers from
preyentable diseases for every one
dying as result of battle, and 85 out
of every 100 were inmates of the hos
pitfalls. During the longer and more
severe war between Russia and Japan,
with full authority and rank for its
doctors, Japan lost but | man from
disease for every 4 killed in battle,
and but Is out of every 100 were in
hospitals. Yet with these object les
sons before congress and the country
'ae are still facing the same dangers
in the event of foreign war. Facts
of the same kind without number
show that no other nation has been
and is still SO criminally negligent of
the health of both it's soldiers and |
Bad as is the record for the nation
that for most states is little better. |
At least one-third of those sick and |
those taken to cemeteries every year
are afflicted with diseases which |
ought not to occur. About one out |
Of every ten deaths is from consump- |
tion. This is not an inherited disease |
and if all the expectorated matter |
from every case now in this state |
could be collected and destroyed, as
health officials and physicians are try
ing to do, until all now sick, either
recover or die, there would soon be-
none but imported cases. There is a |
large sick and death rate in the state |
each year from typhoid fever. This |
is not only preventable, but the most |
typical OF filth diseases. Ii clean
water could be provided and flies
gotten rid of, there would be no |
typhoid fever. There is also large |
sick and death rate from diphtheria, |
dysentery, scarlet fever, measles, |
whooping cough and like diseases, to |
say nothing of the slaughter OF babies
during the hot months from the use
of dirty or adulterated milk. One
and all these diseases are disgrace
to our civilization. With clean,
healthy living, personal and domestic, |
and national, they could be
SO effaced as to have only historic in /
terest. 1t would cost less to do this |
than it does to treat and nurse the |
sick and bury the dead, to say moth |
ing of the pain, sorrow and loss of |
life prevented.
There should be health depart
ment in Washington with laboratories |
and research workers in proportion to |
our power and wealth., as would in |
veStigate the causes of common dis |
eases not yet understood, and to make |
public all facts in relation thereto. |
State boards of health should be es-
tabliShed on similar lines. Still. ceore |
there should be a boala of |
health for each city and county, with |
frequent inspections OF schools, dairieS, |
bakeries groceries, factories. sewer |
age and garbage systems. with labor |
atories to which any citizen may bring |
water, food, drugs, disease products |
or anything else suspected as danger |
Gus TO his family, for analysis without |
personal expense. But it is not worth |
while to try to do these things with |
out a health officer with special train |
ing and aptitude for his work, and |
such salary that he can devote his |
entire time to it. 1t we..s.. be the |
best investment TO proyiuo s1fsn COM |
prehenSiye health systems everywhere, |
as substitutes for the political make
shifts in vogue, because the greatest |
annual tax upon our people is not |
that paid into municipal county,
state and national treasures, but the |
long unrecognized tax for preyentable |
sickness and funerals.
With such aims and possibilities |
before it, fully realizing the magnil- |
tude of the reform, the obstacles and |
self-sacriticing labor required 60 carry |
it on, the American Medical associa- |
tion, which, DIR. Mccormick repre- |
sents, with branches reaching into
every state and county, and about |
Y. 200 members, joining hands With |
ali Others, individual or organized
who will take part in it, has entered
upon a broad campaign of education,
which it is hoped will ultimately
reach every home in the land.
In addition TO its scientific work 1t
is proposed that each county society