The Detroit times., 1910-07-25
CLEAN UP,' IS This
OFFICIAL SLOGAN
DR.. Rucker, Health Expert Secured
From U. s. Government, Is Doing
Things in Milwaukee.
BY DOROTHY DALE.

mlAINN <tOAAh july 49,
edent OF national and international
Importance was set by the Socialists
of Milwaukee when they brought DIR.
Colby Rucker, an officer OF the United
States public health and marine SER
vice, to take charge of the health de-
partment here. 1t Is the first time
that a city has called on the govern
ment for help in health matters ex-
cept In time OF disease epidemic.
The appointment was the first step
In carrying out the policy of the So
cialists that city government Is a
great trust that should be run with all
the benefits TO the people, and that II
should be captained by experts, just
as other trusts are, who can get the
best results economically.
But economy does not mean neg
Iecting the needs of the people In any
way" explains Mayor Seidel. The
last health officer turned $4,000 back
into the treasury, while the sanitary
conditions of our hospitals. where
poor, sick children are housed, are in
frightful state"
Had Stamped Out Yellow Fever.
DR.. Rucker was stationed at San
Francisco when the Socialists ssnt In
their call for him. He had served at
New Orleans in stamping out yellow
fever. He had gone through two
bubonic plague epidemics in San Fran
cisco, and after the last had been the
discoverer of the California ground
squirrel as the carrier of the dread
disease. He was determining the SOUR
rel infected area when the call from
Milwaukee came. Ii was only by car
rying his demand past Surgeon Gen
eral Wyman to President Taft that
Mayor Seidel succeeded In getting DR..
Rucker.
DR.. Rucker Is a young man who 10
not addicted to office-chairism. He's
up pointing things out on map, pro-
ducing the records, or taking you to
the spot of discussion while he's talk
ing He goes right out to look for
things himself. That's how he found
the ground squirrel that has become
as great a menace to California as any
plague-suffering crew that ever drop
ped into San Francisco bay from the
ports OF the orient.
In the short time he has been in
Milwaukee, DR.. Rucker has poked in
to almost every corner of the city, and
has set right to work getting wrongs
righted.
Believes In Cooperation.
Although not a Socialist, he believes
that the betterment OF a city can
come only Through cooperation He
has found IL. He sent letter to Mil
wRukee physicians that the citys
laboratory for making blood cultures,
the quickest way TO determine typhoid
fever was at their disposal AS a re-
suit, the number Of cases OF disease
reported has Doubled, and he knows
what the real conditions he has to
fight are. The typhoid condition means
filtration plant, he says.
In one OF the isolation hospitals I
found the crowding 80 extreme that
the day nurse in the scarlet fever
ward had TO sleep in the room with
patients" he said. Sanitary condi-
tons were so bad that there was only
one toilet for II children. The suffer
ing of the poor little tots on account
OF 1t was pitiful. also found the chill
dren had to use bath that was used
by patients with other communicable
diseases. Windows were also not all
screened We are going to have re-
pairs made at once and a shower bath
put in for the use of suspicious cases,
so there will be no danger of COM
munication."
While he talked he was getting
ready to start out investigating.
Rags" he said. Come and see with
me IL women and children are sorting
the refuse of Milwaukee homes in a
dark cellar so that the Europeans may
make US cheap cloth out of them"
The rag sheds were in the heart OF
good Milwaukee residence district
on the West-side. That's what alleys
do for a city. The sheds were piled
with guunysacks. Out OF them stuck
hoofs OF animals, scraps of old iron
and rags of every kind. But there
were no women or children working
In the basement, lighted only by a
trap door, as there had been a few
days ago.
Good" said DIR. Rucker. That much
accomplished" And he climbed up
ladder to a loft where women with
children almost babies, tumbling
around among the bales, were sorting
away with at least air and light to
help them
And Then Comes tuberculosis.
Its just the same in the bag fac
tories" he said. Girls work six
months. and then droop with incipient
tuberculosis. The dusty air they have
to breathe is going to be molstened by
the right kind of ventilation here
after"
DR.. Rucker is going to get out bull
letins for the public that will teach
people how TO take care of their
homes and themselves. There will
be one of these every month. These
bulletins will tell how to prevent and
care for typhoid fever, tuberculosis
and childTens diseases.
Then there will be special ones on
the fly and the rat as disease breeders.
The rat has almost every disease
man has, and determination is the
only thing for him.
Stays His Wife and Self.