The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1910-01-22
Will ORGANIZE
TO FIGHT TYPHOID
Especial to Silver State.)

WASHINGTON, Jan. 22.-In urg
ing the enlistment of a public health
militia to prevent disease, DR.. NJ. j..
Rosenau, of Harvard Medical School,
at the annual meeting of the Associa-
stion of Life Insurace Presidents Thurs
day, declared that the amount of ty
phoid fever in the United States is a
national disgrace. DR.. Rosenau recent
ny left the governments health ser.
vice to organize the Department of
~PreTentatiYe Medicine and Hygiene
at Harvard.
"There is more typhoid fever in this
country than in any other civilized
land said DIR. Rosenau. "The annual
toll is thirty-fve thousand deaths and
over three numbered and fifty thousand
eases. This is a national disgrace, and
is due entirely to lack of education OF
the subject. We probably know more
about typhoid and its methods of
spread and the means for its control
than we do of any other disease. Yet
right here in our capital city there is
an excessive amount of typhoid, anil
this sad story finds repetition in all
our large cities. If the public were
taught to fear typhoid as it does the
cholera, there would soon be an end
of it.
"The public health militia that |
H. . III all. - A. .-1lrnnn% of
all good citizens. Preventative medi-
cine is the watehword of the hour, and
enlistment in the cause can come only
through education. There are we
important factors in efficient public
health work. One is the gaining of new
knowledge through scientific research;
the other is the diffusion of this knowl-
edge through education. The two go
hand in hand. With prophetic fore
sight and characteristic energy Haf-
ward university has established a chair
of Preventive Medicine, as an integral
part of its educational system. Not
only the medical profession, but the
public at large. should be enlisted.
The scientific and professional corps
may be the regular army, but the peo-
pie must be the reserve militia in any
effective warfare against disease.
"When the plain people understand
that many diseases are preventable,
they will begin to ask. why are they
not prevented9' When they ask them
selves this question. it means that tn ~
have enrolled themselves in an organi-
cation that will prevent suffering and
save life. The strongest weapon we
have with which to equip our reserve
force is knowledge, and the most skill
ful tactics will ever be education.
"When the people understand that
typhoid fever is as preventable as are
railroad accident we shall have q
, casus belli and the courage needed for
a victorious campaign. The govern
ment now protects US from cholera,
leprosy, yellow fever and other exotic
plaques: why should it not also guar !
! us against the dangers that are present
, as well as those that are but remotely
imminent. Present dangers, such as
tuberculosis, pneumonia, typhoid fever
! and infantile diarrheas, are infections
, which reap the highest toll of death
among us, and are foemen worthy #
, our best efforts.
"When the matter is better under
, stood. the state will be required 70
protect its citizens against such pre-
ventable diseases, and the officials, APP
pointed to safeguard us. will be held
responsible just as the law now holds
employers liable for preventable acct
dents.
"a good illustration of what may be
accomplished by the intelligent appii-
cation of knowledge has been shown IN
Bilibid prison, Manila, where the death
rate when the Americans took charge
! was two hundred and thirty-eight per
!, 1.0OO-sa veritable Black Hole of Cal
%cutta.' This was hammered down to
seventy-fve per thousand by introduc'
| ing general sanitary measures, such as