Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-19
FOR PUBLIC HEALTH
Eminent Men Make Demand
for National Board.
MEET AT CLUB LUNCHEON
DR.. Wiley Again Declares We Are a
Nation of Drug Fiends.
TAKE TOO MUCH MEDICINE
Declares Alcohol Is Sapping Life of
the Nation, and Death Turks
at Our Sides
MEET AT CLUB LUNCHEON
TAKE TOO MUCH MEDICINE

Special Dispatch to The Star.
/ NEW YORK, February lS.-After DR..
\ Wiley OF the Agricultural Department
! had declared that are a nation of
/ drug fiendS' and are wasting billions OF
dollars owing to careless regard for
health, DR.. Eugene III. Porter, commits
sioner of health of New York state; Prof.
y. c. Abbott of the department OF
! hygiene at the University of Pennsyl-
vania: George l.. Flanders. president of
the Association of State and National
Food and Dairy Departments. and other
eminent men at the luncheon OF the r.
publican Club today, made insistent de
mands for national health board.
We don't seem to care anything about
cur health" said DR.. Wiley. We are
the drug habit nation. We don't feel
satisfied unless we take something for
everything We are country OF drug
ffends drug slaves. The present indis-
eliminate sale of drugs threatens the
3ublic health fully as seriously as does
impure food.
Wed all be better off in this country
| if we had no alcohol. We can do with
out ii and I'd like 10 universal proni-
btion. Even the German emperor
agrees with me on that point. 1t is
lOI MN tiIdl oilllt - iitl an
| elective one. 1t would be the best thing
| for us if we would close up every brewery
| and diSt:llery in this country. Alcohol Is
| one of the drugs-only one-thats sap
ping the life CT our citizens.
Counting Death Every Day.
I'VE are counting death every day
through defiance of life rules. Death is
| lurking constantly at our side and yet we
| ignore the monster. Do YOU know how
much money it takes to kill man and
| then bury him after he is dead? \ count
| less amount.
There are 10000 physicians in this
ccuntry-12GGGJ men living on prlncely
| salaries because we ignore the possibility
of our losing our health. Why should
men die at all? But if are to die let
us die ali at once. not plecemeal. Let
| us retain our vital ability unto the last
We cannot afford to die before our time
and cannot afford to let between 100 and
| $50 out of every 1850 of our babies die
every year under five years of age
DR.. Wiley advocated the depopuiatlon
| of cities as far as possible and the more
stringent enforcement of pure food laws,
| as methods of better protecting the ma
tional health
There's no reason why the govern
ment shouldn't maintain national
health department. The government now
cares for the great American hog, out in
Iowa; why not the great American
| citiZen?"
| Health Commissioner Porter, following
the governments expert, was even plain
er in his language.
Three Million Sick Every Year.
There are 100000 persons sick every
year in the United States" he said.
Fifteen hundred thousand of these
100000 are sick of preventable dis
cases. Six hundred and fifty thousand
people die before their time every year
in this country. Not only that, but there
are thousands of half dead men and
women in this country. They are d
terrible Exhibitions of dollars they cost
us. In less than five years, if we could
prevent disease we know is preventable.
with the money saved we could pay our
national debt and buy up that of all
nations of the earth besides.
II believe that if every bar and Sa-
loon in this country We're a. olished tnl:
afternoon we would be a stronger and
better people. Alcohol has never done
any one any good. Furthermore, we are
the most drug-addlcted people in the
world. Patent medicines, home medicines,
and other drugs thrive among us and
find ready, nay, eager consumption
ITO meet interstate questions such as
the care and isolation of epidemics. we
should have national health depart
ment," said Professor Abbott of Pennsyl-
vania.
LET us organize a body of men who
will stand by as advisers in critical times
body which will be national in scope,
but will not interfere with local or state
health departments"