The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1910-01-20
Dr. ]. Rosenau Of Harvard Calls
Negligence Of Public Ma
tional Disgrace.
EDUCATION The WATCHW0RD
,ifs Insurance Heads Prepare to Com
bat Diseases Systematically--For-
~ companies Have Big Army
of Workers to Help.

iq more typhoid fever i'm this coun-
ira, than i'm any other civilized land,'
said DIR. NJ. j. Rosenau of the Harvard
Medical school, Boston. Mass, In an
address delivered in this city today be-
fore the third annual meeting of the
association of Life Insurance Presi-
dents "The annual total is $4,000
deaths and over $4,000 cases. This Is
national disgrace and is due en-
,irelv TO lack of education on the sub
iect We probably know more about
tvphoid and it's methods of spread and
the means for it's control than we do
of anv other disease. Yet right here
in our capital city there is an ex-
cessiye amount OF typhoid and this
sad story finds repetition i'm all our
large cities. If the public were taught
TO fear typhoid as il does n case OF
cholera there would soon be an end OF
It,
IN advocating a public health mil
lila in the cause of preventive medi-
cine | do not mean marching col
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 en-
listment in the cause can come only
through education.
"There are two important factors in
public health work. One is the gain
ing Of new knowledge through scien-
tihe research; the other is the diff
fusion OF this knowledge through edu-
cation. with prophetic foresight and
Characteristic energy, Harvard Univer-
sty has established a chair of Pre-
ventlve Medicine ms an integral part
of its educational system. Not only
the medical profession but the. public
at large should be enlightened. The
scientific and professional corps may
he the regular army, but the public
must be the reserve militia i'm any
effective warfare against disease.
when the people understand that
typhoid fever is as preventable as are
railroad accidents we shall have a
casus belli and the courage needed
for victorious campaign. The Gov
ernment now protects us from cholera,
leprosy, yellow fever and other exotic
us against the dangers that are pres
ent as we'll as those that are but re-
motely imminent? Present dangers
such as tuberculosis. pneumonia f, ty-
phoid feversand infantile diarhea. are
infections which reap the highest toll
Of death among us and are foemen
worthy OF our best efforts.
when this matter is better under
stood the state will be required to
protect its citizens against such pre-
ventable diseases and the officials APP
pointed to safeguard us will be. held
responsible just as the law now holds
employers liable for preventable ac-
cdents. Organizations like life in
surance companies with the legions
Of doctors. armies of agents cnd hosts
of patrons could lend an effective and
useful hand in this worthy warfare
against disease. The life insurance
officials not only as organizations, but
as individual citizens. could and should
help in this campaign of education,
and ought to foster fruitful and use
ful legislation of public health char
acter.
1T is the plain duty of the public
health militia to see that our govern
ing bodies whether the Federal Gov
ernment, the State Legislature or the
Municipal Assemblies enact public
health measures of an obvious useful
and tried nature and also provide for
their enforcement"
Army Of Education.
Washington, d. c., Jan. 1.-THE life
insurance companies of the United
states have a vast mine of original
information that could be utilized to
promote public health. and they have
also an army of 100000 trained mon
10 make effective and widespread use
Oh this information, according to DIR.
Edwin w. Dwight of Boston. Mass.
VINO today delivered an address be-
lore sthe third annual meeting OF the
association Of Life Insurance Presi-
uehts, now In session in this city. For
more than sixty years the life in
suranee companies OF this country
nave been storing up ammunition and
ueVeloping an organization which, "
properly used. would be almost suf-
nc'eht In itself TO turn the tide i'm the
oattle Tor public health in favor of the
iorees OF scientific effort" he said.
After stating that the 40 companies
'o'hg business In the United States
VINO are represented In the Association
VI Life Insurance Medical Directors
'"Ve SGoo0 medical examiners and
-OoOo agents situated In every nook
a"u corner OF the country. DIR. Dwight
continued
me only line OF medical endcavor
~" which am familiar. where err
- may be correctly checked up:
~"'re mistakes OF diagnosis are prov
'" without the assistance OF the rare