Cañon City record., 1910-06-09
PROPER DUTIES OF
STATE HEALTH BOARD

good they can do for the community,
rather than as reward for services
they have rendered to some political
party. ring or combination. Then they
should be paid sufficient salaries and
be required to devote their whole
time to this work.
Most people want to be strong,
healthy and happy, and it should be
the duty of the state board of health
to take the lead in organizing a sys-
tematic campaign to secure these re
suits. 1t should cooperate with To-
cal and county health officers and
medical societies TO spread the infor-
nation necessary to do this work.
II short, clear, concise articles on
hygiene and preventive medicine
were sent out to every school district
in the state and given to the school
children to be carried to their pa
rents; if the Little Red School
House" were used for lectures by
health officers, or some one selected
by the county medical societies, the
people who most need this sort of
instr uction would soon have a clearer
idea of the causes of diseases and the
best means OF avoiding them, and
would, 1 believe. gladly help stamp
them out
5-The state board of health should
formulate plans for and assist school
boards and teachers In detecting and
preventing disease and defects among
school children. According to Pro-
fessor Frank Airport of Chicago, eight
million school children in the United
States suffer from some eye defect,
and about eight million from some
ear. nose or throat defect. or, in other
words, sixteen million school chill
dren, or so per cent of the entire pub
lie school population suffer from
some eye, ear. nose or throat defect
which more or less retards their
school progress and a vast majority
OF these diseases could be cured or
relieved. II detected and placed under
proper medical supervision. Children
OF this kind are at a great disadvant-
age in school, and because they can
not see or hear properly, or their
brains are dulled by poisoned blood, !,
they cannot take advantage OF the in
struction presented. they soon fall be-
hind. become discouraged, drop out
of school and help to form the vast
army OF ignorant and Incompetent
people who are becoming a great ex-l
pense and menace to our country.
6-As advances in hygiene areI
made. the prevention and even the
cure of diseases to a large extent de-
pends on knowing the agents or
germs that cause them, the stat
board of health should aid such dis
coveries in every possible way. 1t
should strive to secure the establish
ment or thoroughly equipped Iabora-l
tories where trained experts, WE'LL
paid by the state. can devote their
whole time investigating the causes
Of disease and conserving and pro-
tecting the health of all the people
OF the state. AS such a state of af-
fairs can only be brought about by
a popular appreciation of and demana
for such work. believe 1t is the duty
Of the state board of health to in
auguarate and vigorously wage
of education which will
demonstrate to the people the great
advantages that have already been 1
derived from scientific experimental
Investigations on animals. how
through this means smallpox has
been robbed of its terrors, diphtheri..
rendered comparatively mild dis
ease. and the lives of fifty thousand
children year, besides untold suf-
fering, are being saved by anti-toxin;
how the CHASTITY spectre of the dread
meningitis is receding
into the dim and horror-haunted
past; how the great white plague is
being vanquished by the knowledge
derived from animal experimental
ton; how, In short, nearly all our
knowledge as to the causes of dis |
eases, and how much that we know
about their diagnosis and treatment
have been the direct result of such
experiments.
When the people once know the
truth about these matters and under
stand that their health, strength ana
happiness. as well as the lives of
their most cherished earthly pos
sessions. their children, are protected
and saved by Investigations that find
out the causes Of diseases and meth
DDS for their cure. we will soon have