The Dickinson press., 1909-11-06
ALL MAY HAVE HEALTH
DISEASE UNNECESSARY
Contagious Diseases May Now Be Prevented-Science Has Made
Great Progress Along This Lne-Co-Operation of the People
With Physicians Necessary-Flth, Flies and All Breeding
Places of Disease Must Go.

Places of Disc
DR.. J. McC ormack spoke be-
fore a good sized audience of the
representative men and women of
the city at the armory Monday
evening. He was introduced by
Supt. P. S.Berg of the city schools.
The doctor is an easy, fluent
speaker, and his talk on better
sanitation, the prevention of dis
ease, better food, ETC., should fur
nish matter for deep thought and
resultant deeds on the part of
those who have charge of the
city's interests along these lines.
The text of DR.. cCormack's
lecture follows:
The greatest asset of any ma
ton, its most important resource
to be considered, is that repre-
sented in its vigorous population,
it's children, women and men.
In fact, farms, mines, forests
factories and similar things
called wealth, have little more
than an abstract value, except as
there is such a population to op-
crate and enjoy them. The
drain upon this asset in this
country from diseases now known
to be preventable, and as a re-
suit of vicious and immoral 1iv-
ing, is estimated at more than
one-third of the entire sick and
death rate every year. The rec
ognition of this drain and it's
causes, and a comparative study
of the results of better santa
ton in other counties, and in
some sections of our. country,
have so impressed economists,
teachers and other leaders of
thought that the american Health
League, a lay organization of
50, 900 members, has been formed
with headquarters at Yale, to
arouse and educate public senti-
ment or the subject.
These economists figure that
there is an average of 1,50O,O 900
deaths in this country every
year, with 1900, 900 cases OF sick
ness, affecting the comfort and
happiness of 5000, 900 homes and
Is, 600, 900 people. After careful
study they tell us that over one
third of this enormous sick and
death rate, a tax upon the people
almost beyound calculation, can
and should be. prevented. As an.
argument for healthier living, it
is shown that 100000 persons
have died from tuberculosis in
the last five years and that about
1000, 900 are constantly sick Of it.
They show $50, 600 deaths and
$500, 900 sick from typhoid fever
in the same period, and a large
sick and death rate from diph-
liberia, measles, scarlet fever and
other diseases preventable with
present knowledge, and urge
that with proper governmental
assistance, this life-saving know
ledge should be constantly ex-
tended. It is then shown that
iii ten years our national govern
ment has expended $40, OOO,O 600,
and now proposes to appropriate
$25O,OOO, 600 more, to prevent
tick fever in cattle, cholera in
hogs and chickens, pests to crops
and trees, and to protect other
interests having money value,
while in all its history it has
never spent a dollar or lifted a
hand to protect the people from
these far more important domes-
tic pestilences. There are ex-
perts and funds in abundance at
Washington to go anywhere for
investigation, OF to prepare lit
erature in regard to any animal
or plant disease, any agricultural
resource, water power, or other
-- ~ r. : ..