Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1910-01-26
$4,000 PER YEAR
TOLL OF TYPHOID
NATIONAL DISGRACE DECLARES
NOTABLE AUTHORITY TO
NATIONAL MEDICS.
DISEASE AS PREVENTABLE AS
RAILROAD AccIDENTS-NEEb
OF LEGISLATION.

Washington. D. c., Jan. 21.- There
is more typhoid fever in this country
than in any other civilized land,
said DR.. H. j. Rosenau of the RaJ-
ward medical school, Boston, in an
address delivered in this city yesteT-
day before the third annual meeting
of the association of life insurance
presidents The annual total is 3d.
600 deaths and over $4,000 cases.
This is a national disgrace and Is
due entirely to lack of education on
the subject We probably know more
about typhoid and it's methods OF
spread and the means for its cor
troll than we do of any other dis
ease. Yet right here in our capital
city there is an excessive amount OF
typhoid and this sad story finds rep
etition in all our large cities. II the
public were taught to fear typhoid
as it does a case of cholera there
would soon be an end of it.
I'm advocating a public health mil
tia in the cause of preventive med1-
cine, | do not mean a marching COZ
umn of men in uniforms armed with
microscopes and disinfectants. Tne
public health militia that l have in
mind calls for the enrolment of al
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
gaining of new knowledge through
scientific research; the other is the
diffusion of this knowledge through
education. With prophetic foresight
and characteristic energy, Harvard
University has established a chair OF
preventive medicine as an integrai
part of its educational system Not
only the medical profession, but the
public at large should be enlightened
The scientific and professional corps
may be the regular army, but the
public must be the reserve militia N
any effective warfare against dis
ease.
typhoid fever is as preventapIe as
are railroad accidents we shall have
casus belli, and the courage needed
for a victorious campaign. The gov
eminent now protects us from ch0i
era, leprosy, yellow fever and otnG'
exotic plaques; why should 1t not
also guard us against the dangers
that are present as well as those
that are but remotely imminent
Present dangers such as tuberculo-
sis, pneumonia, typhoid fever and in
fantile diarrheas, are infections which
reap the highest toll of death among
us and are foemen worthy of our
best efforts.
Dr. Rosenan declared that when
this matter is better understood, the
state will be required to protect its
citizens against such preventable dis
eases and the officials appointed to
safeguard us will be held responsible
Just as the law now holds employ
ers liable for preventabIe accidents.
Organizations like life insurance com
panies with their legions Of doctors
armies of agents and hosts of pat
rons could lend an effective and use
full hand in this worthy warfare
against disease. The life insurance
officials not only as organizations,
but as individual citizens, could an0
should help in this campaign of edu-
cation, and ought to foster fruitful
and useful legislation of public
health character
1T is the plain duty of the pub
lie health militia to see that our
governing bodies, whether the fed
eral government, the state legisla-
ture of the municipal assemblies en-
act public health measures of an oh
Yious useful and tried nature and
also provide for their enforcement