The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-02-20
AN IMPORTANT DOCUMENT.

No document more important to the
state of Utah than the annual report of
the state board of health, as prepared
by Secretary T. b. Beatty, has been
made public this year. 1t should have
the serious consideration of every per-
SOD interested in the welfare of the peO-
pie of the state. AS the report indicates
intelligent cooperation on the part OF
the public, especially parents, teachers
and others having charge of children, is
indispensable to the most effective
work. and to give this corporation it
is necessary that the public be in
formed,
The mission of the state board large
ly is to inform the public regarding
prevention of disease. The Importance
of this work will be realized at once
after reading the statement in the re-
port that there are 1000 deaths from
preventable causes in the state annual
Iy. This means that 100 lives might be
saved every month if the public under
stood and acted upon the information
the state board seeks to convey.
meritorious to justify an attempt to
review it exhaustively here Some of
its more important parts treat of the
efforts being made to assist parents
and teachers in the detection of COM
municable diseases among children,
which reap so terrible and so unneces-
sary a harvest each year; the handling
Of tuberculosis and the prevention of
typhoid, which is designated as the
most easily and surely prevented of all
diseases"
After reading the report. it is easy to
appreciate the justice of the statement
contained in it that People should be
made to realize that it is false econ
omy from every standpoint tc employ
incompetent, ill-paid health officers
not TO mention the cost in lives There
are noteworthy examples in the state of
men who. from a high sense of duty, de-
vote themselves to the thankless task
involved in the performance of their i'm
portant duties, but this is the exception
and should not be required or relied
upon
It is almost an indictment of the in
tellisence of the state. in the face OF
the facts. to admit the truth of the
statement given above, and yet it is
literally and entirely true. It is true
that the really effective work already
accomplished by the members of the
state board OF health has been done
from a high sense of duty" without
adequate material reward and without
adequate means with which to carry on
the work. The meagre appropriations
provided have made il impossible TO
complete the useful programs of in
spcction and education mapped out and
undertaken by the board, and the re-
suits have left much to be desired solely
because the board has been hampered
through lack of money.
20 j. -et enough go c--rr.eS apprecia-
t,0n of thS york done oy tire members
of the board-although even that has
not always been given by those who
should properly give it. The matter is
not one to be met with vote Of thanks
1t requires a vote of money from the
state. The financial requests of the
board are modest, and the arguments in
their favor are so strong as to leave lit
tie room for argument.
Medical science is rapidly gaining
control OF most of the ailments that
were accepted with fatalistic resigna-
ton as incuTable only few years ago.
its strides in the direction OF prevent
ing disease have been marvellous. The
people of the state are entitled to the
benefit of these important discoveries,
and the state board of health is the
proper agency through which this in
formation should be communicated. The
question should be regarded as subor-
dinate to none that may be brought be-
fore the legislature, and the legislators
owe it to the people of the state to give
careful consideration to the matter
with n view to assisting as far as they
may the useful work undertaken by the
hoard. It is difficult to imagine a bet
may be devoted.
sor use to which the funds OF TIE state