The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1911-08-24
half OF ALL ILLNESS
IS QUITE UNNECESSARY
Nation Is Taking Preventive
Steps-A National Health
Bureau Needed.
by w. J. schteffelin OF the committee Of

their result Is capitalized. The fact
tnat most OF this sum may be saved by
proper hygienic measures as well as
humane considerations led to the for
nation OF the Committee. OF Ore Hun
dreu on National Health, to prolong
human lives and to foster efficiency,
nealth and happiness To aid in its
work the committee organized an
american health league with many
thousand members to disseminate
health information and to bring about
needed health legislation.
Inc nation is awakening to the i'm
portance OF the health situation and
the press has aided the work of the
committee. Thousands Of articles and
editorials on public health questions
nave appeared. based on information
we nave furnished. The following edi-
torial from the New York Journal is
an example:
In the United States every year
there are 100000 deaths. Among these,
only a few are due to old age, which
VIII be. barring accidents. the only
cause OF death when human beings
become really civilized and intelligent
"Of the 100000 every year $50, 900 are
due TO preventable causes.
Ihirty-hve thousand are killed by
typhoid alone. And remember that
typhoid fever Is caused always and
only by the swallowing OF filth in food
or In water.
I'm addition to the 35, 600 that die
or typhoid In our country every year
ABOUT 10000 get typhoid and are cured
We have plenty of money and plenty
or good doctors. And when we have
eaten the filthy food or have drunken
the dirty water. VIC spend money and
intelligence to get WELL
1t Is pity that some money and
some intelligence, including preventive
measures by the doctors and efforts
or the health departments, could not
De used to prevent the disease instead
or being devoted entirely to curing it."
Reducing Mortality.
PROFESSOR Irving Fisher, the chair
man OF the committee, has Justly
pointed out that life insurance COM
panies can by taking steps to reduce
mortality decrease the cost of insur-
ance for policyholders far more than
by pairing salaries. Realizing this
the Metropolitan Life Insurance COM
pany has established a consumptive
sanatorium. 1t has engaged visiting
nurses to cooperate with visiting
nurses associations in certain cities to
care for its bed-ridden policyholders;
II has established health magazine to
distribute health literature among its
polfcyholders, available to $4,000, 900
readers. or one-sixth OF the population
In the United States; and It has in
dorsed in several ways and on several
occasions the movement for a national
department Of health.
The Provident Life Assurance So
ciety, the New York Life Insurance
company and others are doing practi-
cal educative work in prolonging HUI
man life.-
The frat.rnal societies have also en-
tered the campaign. Their Journal the
Western Review, now has a DEPART
ment especially devoted to the public
health. Fraternal Insurance compa-
MES have established sanatoria. and
have attempted in ether ways to
lengthen lives and decrease death
claims. ,.e.
Health insurance, one OF the YOUNG
est forms Of insurance, has made a be-
ginning in the field of disease preven-
ton. The Loyal Protective Insurance
company has, within the last few
months. established q health bureau to
issue bulletins and conduct n sort of
correspondence. school of health infor-
nation. ~ "a
But the greatest agency of all, the
national government, has not yet un-
dertaken the work of preventing dis
ease In q way proportioned to the needs
of S1,0O0.000 people, Senator owen has
introduced In congress q bill to estab-
lish national department of health
by co-ordinating the governments
present agencies so they may work
more effectively. DR.. Charles A. l..
Reed. in q recent speech in Philadel-
phia, said that the. United States, with
its health agencies distributed In ,the
department Of the treasury. the depart
ment OF agriculture, and other depart
ments. is the laughing stock OF Europe,
while the people OF this country are
dying from preventable causes at the
rate one one every minute.
Surg con Generals Views.
At one Of the hearings at Washington
on the subject OF a, national department
of health, Gen. George III. Sternberg,
surgeon general ofsthe army. said:
II suppose the only reason why we
have not long since had government
department to look after the public
health, and to take the lead in instruct
ing the people how;to prevent the enor-
nous waste OF human life from pre-
ventable disease, is because our legis-
lators have not heretofore realized the
importance OF this subject. After the
great epidemic of yellow fever In 1878,
congress was greatly aroused upon the
subject of preventing future epidemics
OF this disease and a national board
of health was organized But this
board was not provided either with the
authority or the financial support
necessary to make II n success It's
members Were engaged In other occu-
pations and did not receive salaries
Thev were therefore unable to devote
any considerable portion of their time
t. question: relating to the public
health They did. however. tnaugurate
Investigations which after more than
20 years led 20 a demonstration of the
method by which yellow fever is trans
mitted from tnan to man, and as a re-
suit Of this knowledge we have learned
how to control this pestilential malady
1.-The department OF health measure,
which has had the endorsement of the
committee OF 100, has also had endorse
ments from governors of states and
from leading scientific. medical labor
grange and philanthropic organizations.
The measure Is not. however. without
opposition Ex- President Eliot, OF Har-
ward says In regard. to the opponents:
They also. as a rule, oppose medical
research, vaccination. and the use Of
antitoxins Of all sorts. They are OPP
posed to the use of the collective forces
of the community to protect people
from the results of ignorance. supersti-
ton and deceit. Unfortunately. dis
ease, like ignorance and superstition.
cannot be successfully resisted on the
principle of respecting each individuals
right to suffer- be sick and die. Pos
sibly there Is such a right, but 1t can
not be exercised without grave danger
- ,,aNx nthar fnAlyiduaJo Corto x,n,, O.