Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1911-08-24
HALF OF ALL ILLNESS
IS QUITE UNNECESSARY
Nation Is Taking Preventive
Steps-A National Health
Bureau Needed.
BY w. ). schieffelin of the Committee of

their result is capitalized. The lact
that most of this sum may be saved pN
proper hygienic measures as we'll as
humane considerations led to the Tor
nation of the Committee of One Hun-
dred on National Health. to prolons
human lives and to foster efficiency,
health and happiness. To aid in It's
work the committee organized an
American health league with many
thousand members to disseminate
health information and to bring about
needed health legislation.
The nation is awakening to the inn
portance of the health situation and
the press has aided the work of the
committee. Thousands of articles and
editorials on public health questions
have appeared. based on information
we have furnished. The following edi-
torial from the New York Journal is
an example:
there are 1900, 900 deaths. Among these.
only a few are due to old age, which
will be. barring accidents. the only
cause of death when human beings
become really civilized and intelligent.
o the 1,300, 600 every e $50, 900 are
due TO preventable causes.
"Thirty-five 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 $4,000 that die
of typhoid in our country every year
about 800. 900 get typhoid M are cured.
We have plenty of money and plenty |
of good doctors. And when we have |
eaten the filthy food or have drunken
the dirty water. we spend money and
Intelligence to get we'll.
1T is a pity that some money and
some intelligence. including preventive
measures by the doctors and efforts
OF the health departments, could not
OF 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
h 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 it's bed-ridden polictiolders:
1T has established a health magazine to
distribute health literature among its
p-olicyholders, available to IL, 1000. 900
readers, or one-sixth Of the population
S OAASO0 0IdIcSS anu IL mas IN
: oorsed 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 eoucatlve work in %prolonging hui
man life.
Tn fraternal 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
ave attempted in other ways to
claims.
Health insurance. one of the young
est forms of insurance, has made a be-
ginning in the field of disease proven
tlon. The Loyal Protective Insurance
company has, within the last few
months. established a health bureau to
issue bulletins n conduct. a sort of
correspondence school OF health infor-
nation.
But the greatest agency Of all, the
| national government. has not yet un-
dertaken the work Of preventing dis
ease In a way proportional to the needs
of 8 1000. 900 people. Senator Owen has
introduced in congress a bill to estab-
lish a national department Of health
by co-ordinating the governments
present agencies so they may WORK
more effectively. DR.. Charles A. L
Reed, in a 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 ART
dying from ~preventable causes at the
rate one one every minute.
Surgeon Generals Views.
AT one OF the hearings at Washington
on the subject OF q national department
OF health. Gen: George H. Sternberg
surgeon general Of the army, said:
Il suppose the only reason whv we
nave not long since had a government
department to look after the n,,hIi,
health, and to take the lead in Instruct.
Ing the people how to prevent the enor.
nous waste OF human life from pre.
ventap!e disease. Is because our legis.
latOrs have not heretofore realized III.
Importance Of this subject. After ths
great epidemic of yellow fever In 1879
congress was greatly aroused unon ~.
subject OF preventing future epidemic,
Of this disease and a national boar
OF health wa organized. But thi,
was not provided either with th,
necessary to make It q success. 81,
members were engaged in other occ,s,
pations and did not receive aalariss
They were therefore unable to devot,
n considerable portion Of their tim,
to. questions relating to the pnhii,
health. They did. however. inaue,,raf
Investigations which after more TIA,
20 years led to q demonstration ofsfh
method by which yellow fever 70 trans
United from ma, to man. and q q rs
suit Of this knowledge we have learno,
how to control this pestilential maiady
The department OF health measSrs
which has had the endorsement az ~
committee ofs10O. has also had endorSe