Los Angeles herald., 1910-08-21
EDITED BY HAROLD KINGSLEY

luUSIGulOolS oplCcbOS llOiA biC SPdNo 80
the street, and anthrax transmitted
from chance flock of sheep. The fol-
lowing diseases are also transmissible
by the same small carriers: Cholera,
diarrhoea, diphtheria, ophthalmia,
smallpox cocus infection, swine
fever, tropical sore and parasite
cal worms. The dreaded pellagra, so
much in evidence in news items few
months ago, is now supposed to be
traced to a certain fly or midge in
Italy. This midge has no habitat in
America, but we do have pellagra, and
it is an open question so far which
one of the American flies acts as the
host of the germs of this disease SO
recently introduced to the physicians
this side of the Atlantic.
In the warfare on flies, Los Angeles
is far behind the common knowledge
and practice. Many places of less size
and Importance are ahead in this mat
ter AS is to be expected, large CEN
ters like New York and Chicago are
giving impetus to the destruction of
these pests. Following the example of
these large cities, under the direction
of the state board of health, Fresno,
Hanford, Maricopa, Taft and Coalinga
are using street traps for flies TO pre-
vent a threatened outbreak of typhoid
fever in the San Joaquin valley.
The board of health of this city in
the last few months has been reduced
to merely an advisory BODY to the city
council It's voice is lifted in protest,
but it's hands are tied. Had 1T the
power usually given to city board
of health these conditions would not
exist With the city council and the
city council alone lies the remedy.
But when importuned TO remedy the
existing conditions it throws the onus
of the solution upon the petitioners
by the question, What better have
you to offer?" The public is made up
of units of many minds which With
out organization has no cohesive
thought except the general plan of
safety and self preservation. And
should plan perfect in detail be
evolved by organization or a single
mind of genius leading the others, there
would be no official strength 10 cause
it's adoption and put it in force. The
council on the other hand, is small
hesive working body, whose members
have been selected, so the majority
of people believe, from among the
most honest and intelligent of our citi-
Zens. They have at their command
a large body of clerks for gathering
data from home and for working out
details from the data so gathered.
If the council is then in doubt, it has
the power to summon a sanitary en-
plans practical for the city's needs
with his recommendation as to the
best one to be selected. Such an en-
gineer, we believe, should be employed.
This was done to dispose of the city''s
LIQUID waste and the outfall sewer is
a monument to the council which IN
augurated it's building. The present
council is losing a grand opportunity
to similar entrench itself in the
ora atitude of the people.
Were one-fourth the number of peo-
pie killed on the traction and railway
crossings in any city as are killed by
flies in the same length of time, the
abuse would be corrected by mass
meetings of the people. But because
this fourfold destruction of human life
is in secret and mostly of children will
not excuse any one sitting complacent-
ly by, asking incompetently what bet
ter there is to offer.
Through the popular press the public
is gradually learning the principles OF
civic sanitation and the means for OBJ
tanning more healthful surroundings,
and as it becomes more gradually
awake to the unnecessary dangers to
which it is now subjected, it will no
longer submit to the shifting of the
responsibility but will demand rich
retribution of those who are respon-
sible and foster that which threatens
not only property and comfort, but
very life itself.
Yours for the public welfare,
GRANT GOULD SPEER, M. D.