The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-02-10

II President Taft's forthcoming rec-i
concentrations to Congress ara follow
ed out by that body. the United States
will at last have q great health or
Eanfzatton commensurate With the
needs OF the nation. This Depart
ment OF Agriculture can send vaccine
virus fer the proteetien Of = fHFna-
er's cattle from hlackieg, but only in
q most indirect way can tho health
agencies take any steps 10 protect
that farmers children from smallpox
or scarlet fever. The Government
stands powerless to check the raw
ages of tuberculosis in the human
family, although II can turn back the
spread OF Texas fever among cattle by
drawing quarantine line north or
which Southern cattle may not -.
except under weIl-defined protective
conditions.
But this Is by ne means the only
feature of the existing health laws
OF the nation which call for q radi.
cal change. There are q number OF
bureaus now in operation in the Gov
eminent that are concerned principal
" with health matters. The Public
Health and Marine Hospital Servtus
ranks first among these. Under the
able administration OF Surgeon Gem
eral Walter Wyman this service has
made itself fnyalUableT 70 The nation
at large Its work I'm stamping ont
the yellow fever epidemic In the
South a few years ago. its labors In
protecting San Francisco from thu
threatened outbreak of pestilences
after the earthquake. its efforts to
bring about Standardization OF all
the heroic remedies and the purity OF
all viruses fer vaccination and anti
toxins. no less than Its duty Of visit
ing every ship that comes to an
American port to make sure that
quarantine laws are observed. have
all been done so successfully that II
has been Justly styled Americas ny
ing squadron for the defense Of the
national health.
The War Department has It's medf-
cal corps. which has distinguished it,
self in many hand conflicts
with disease and death. The triumphs
of ifx sanitary work IN Cuba. where
the death rate In Havana was cut In
twain In a single year. represents
great victory for public health over
the hosts OF pcstiience. The work OF
Major Walter Reed and his co-lahor-
ers in proving 10 The satisfaction of
every medical man the truth OF the
! mosquito Theory OF yellow fever trans
mission. constitutes one OF the most
brilliant chat piers In the book OF I'M
man progress. The labors of the army
doctors OH the Isthsnas of Panama,
where the Reed theories were again
applied to practice. have borne CLIO
rions frtfitage. The navy, also. has It's
medical corps. It's hospitals and It's
dispensaries
The department of agriculture has
Its bureau OF chemistry. and under
the administration of DIR. Wiley this
bureau has effected veritabie revo-
Iusion In the dispensing of food pro-
ducts, BY striving 20 guarantee to
the people protection from mis-
branded and misrepresented products
and securing Legislation to that end
this bureau has made itself a force
that Affects every human being In
the country. The census Office. In
the department of commerce and Ia
her. gathers the mortality statistics Of
the nation which reveal the state at
the public health. Thus four of the
departments of the government have
a more or less direct relation to the
puhIte-h health,
With each Of these agencies active
In les work. It Is inevitable that there
should be great overlapping OF duties.
continual repetition OF labor With
no coordination among them, three
departments at once may be making
Independent investigations OF the rc-
kation OF the water supply to typhoid
ever. At least three OF these ba-
nus may be studying the relation
wcen milk and Tuberculosis at the
ae time. II In Inevitable under
kee conditions that much money IL
expended in duplication OF research.
money that is soreiy needed on ac-