Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1910-04-01

IN the last I've years the state OF
PENNSYLVANIA has been engaged In
conservation work Of an extremely
important and fundamental kind. With
President Roosevelt It believes that
the preservation of the peoples nat
ural resources should begin with the
preservation Of the people themselves.
The public cannot conscientiously per
mlI the wasteful sacrifice Of its forests
and It's other forms OF natural wealth
but even less conscientiously can II
permit the wantom sacrifice Of IT.
children's lives.
In maintaining a fully equipped
state health department and engaging
on a large scale in this great warfare
against disease, Pennsylvania has TAX
en- a foremost stand for real modern
civilization. The creation Of govern
mental agencies for the preservation
OF the public health marks a new con
ception OF governmental responsible
fly. The work thus far marks only
the beginning-merely suggests the
good which this department, under
"
the commissioner, has In view.
In the last thirty years the atti
tude Of the public towards Ill health
has radically changed. Until the re
searches OF that resourceful genius
Louis Pasteur. disclosed the real
cause Of contagious diseases the aver
age mans conception was practically
that which had.pEevafIed IN the mid
Hisuom OF ProVtdence. expressions oi
divine wrath; punishments for sinful
human kind. Even the scientist re
SArded them as fundamental facts oi
nature. like death itself, which every
one must uncomplainingly accept Pas
teur. however. in 4 few mastery ex
periments. brushed aside all this iR
horance and superstition. He showed
that al contagious diseases had 9
clearly defined and obvious oriRin
They were not mysterious visitations
without tangible cause and insuscep
dble to tangible control. They were
caused by an infinitely large universe
Of infinitely small forms OF vegetable
and animal life. He demonstrated
that the connection between these
maleVolent micro-organisms and the
ensuing disease was as close as that
between sunlight and heat And he
also immediatelP drew the inevitable
conclusion. II the world were once
Yid OF these organisms. he declared,
It would be rid Of contagious diseases.
1T Is now within the power Of the
World'-sueh was the deduction
which he drew from his experiments.
TO rid itself Of all contagious dis.
eases"
Setting Pace In Health Work.
This was the goal at which Pasteur
aimed; that has been the goal at
which all movements for improving
the peoples health have necessarily
aimed since. And this was the ultI.
mate ambition which led, i've years
ago, to the Organization Of the Penn
sylyonia State Department of Health
Pennsylvania in which there shall
be no young men and women Ian
gushing away with tuberculosis. a
Iet nsylVanla in which no children
shah die Of diphtherla; a Pennsylya
MIA In which there shall be no ~.
phoid, no scarlet fever no smaIlnor
no meningitis, no dysentery. no ma.
iaria-this is the kind OF Pennsylvania
which the State Department OF Health
ropes ultimately to create. II does
not expect TO reach this goal In a
year. or ten years. perhaps not IN A
single generation. but this is the idsaI
that It has constantly in mind. II re-.
eognizes the fact that, so long as anv
OF these diseases exist, their preva.
ience is a distinct reproach To the
state. II Is 8 reproach simply he.
cause the method eliminating them IA
known. The old theory OF government
as power which protects It's oiti.
renS only from foreign foes and native
marauders is giving way to new stan
oaros OF civilization. The greatest
enemies to the state are those which
are unseen, and the first duty Of an
enlightened commonwealth Is to pro.
teet its people against them. Other
states are gradually rising to this new
conception, but Pennsylvania now
clearly heads them all, for in no
other state Is the battle against the
common enemy being Wsged on so
large a scale as here. The expert
ment therefore. is not only Of er.
treIae importance to PennsylvanIans.
nut as an example to the nation and
the world.