Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1910-01-21
TYPHOID FEVER
MENACE: To
NATION
PUBLIC HEALTH MILITIA
URGED TO FIGHT SC0URGE
Prevalence Of MaIady Which
Kills Thiry-FNe Thousand
Annually Declared Due to
Lack of Education,

Washington. .. e., Jan 90
There is more typhoid fever ga this
country than in any other civilized
land,' said Dr H. j. Rosenau OF the
Harvard Medical school. Roston.
Mass. in an address delivered in this
city today before the third annual
meeting of the Association Of Life In
surance presidents The annual total
is $4,000 deaths ana over $50, 900
cases. This Is q national disgrace and
is due entirely To lack Of education on
the subject We probably know more
about typhoid and its methods Of
spread ANA the means for its control
than we do OF any other disease. Yet
right here in our capital city there
is an excessive amount of typhoid and
this sad story finds repetition in all
our large cities. II the public were
taught to fear typhoid as IL does a
case Of cholera, there would soon an
end OF It,
In advocating a public ,ealth mill
lila in the cause OF preventive modi-
cine, l do not mean It marching coll
umn OF men in uniforms armed with
microscopes and disinfectants. The
public health militia that / have in
mind calls for the enrolment Of all
good citizens. Preventive medicine Is
the watchword of the hour and enlist
ment in the cause can come only
through education.
There are two important factors
In public health work. one is the
gaining Of new knowledge through
a..
diffusion Of this knowledge through
education. With prophetic foresight
ana characteristic energy, Harvard
university has established chair of
preventive medicine as an integral
part OF is educational system Not
only the medical profession nut the
public ut large should he enlightened
The scientific and professional corps
may be the regular army, but the
public must be the reserve militia in
any effective warfare against disease.
when the people understand that
typhoid fever is as preVcntable as are
railroad accidents we shall have "a
casus belli, and the courage needed
for a victorious campaign. The gov
ernmcnt now protects us from chol-
era, leprosy yellow fever ana other
exotic plaques; why should it not also
guard us against the dangers that are
present as well us those that are, but
remotely imminent? Present dangers
such as tuberculosis, pneumonia, ty-
phoid fever and infantile diarrheas
are infections which reap the highest
toll Of death among us and are foe
man worthy of our best efforts
"When this matter is bettor under
stood, the state win be required to
protect its citizens against such pre-
ventable diseases ana the officials APP
pointed to safeguard us will be held
responsible just as the law now holds
employers liable for prcvcntablc ac-
cdents. Organizations like lite insur-
ance companies with their legions Of
doctors, armies of agents and hosts of
patrons could lend an effective and
useful hand in this worthy warfare
against disease The life insurance
not only as organizations.
but as individual citizens. could and
should help in this campaign of edu-
cation, and ought to foster fruitful
ana useful legislation Of a public
health character.
at is the plain duty of the public /
health militia to see that our govern
ing bodies. whether the federal gov
the state legislatures or the Z
assemblies enact public ,
health measures of an obvious uso-
ful and tried nature and also provide
for their enforcement