Arizona republican., 1911-07-09
SAW THINGS
IN FRISCO
How Bay City Doctors Enter
tanned Health Officers
FIGHT AGAINST PLAGUE
Fine Illustration Of What
Can be Accomplished by
Science and the Enforce
ment of Sanitary Regul-
ations

Dr. L. S. Godfrey. territorial health
officer, who returned a few days ago
esting report of his activities, which
We're mainly seeing things" along
professional lines. He went to San
Francisco first where a day was spent
profitably in the annual meeting of
the surgeon general of the marine
hospital with state and territorial
health officers. Then he returned as
far as Los Angeles where he attended
the annual meetings of the Arizona
Medical association. and the Amer
lean Medical association. He con-
Cluded his ten days excuses I'm sci
entific indulgenccs" 10y participating
i'm the annual session of the "COun-
Gil Of State and Provincial Boards of
HEALTH which met at the conclusion
of the American Medical association
convention.
The doctor returned home saturated
with knowledge but So far behind in
his sleep he apologized To his pajamas
when he drew them from his suit
case. But he had a good time and
Just the sort of good time a pro-
fcssional man likes to have, where he
can stimulate his mentality with the
ideas of the most able men i'm his
profession, rub elbows with them in
in a social way and let his own light
shine when he sees a dark place he
can illuminate a little.
Probably the most interesting thing
to a layman. that the doctor has to
tell about in connection with his trip
is the San Francisco meeting of
health officers with the surgeon gen
cral The business sessions We're i'm
the main "A. discussion of Interstate
rules in connection with the carrying
out of sanitary practices for the pre-
vention Of disease and also i'm the
gathering of vital statistics. the basis
of all information for demonstrating
results in the enforcement of sanitary
regulations.
Most readers are aware that there
is a system in vogue which the au-
thorities are trying to have universally
adopted. for the reporting of births
/ and deaths. the classification Of dis
eases, etc, but il is not vet fully per-
! fected. and probably never viii be as
new diseases and new developments
nec"ssitate changes one of these dis
| eases that has given the physicians a
| great deal Of trouble. both in han
ding and reporting. is poliomyelitis.
or infantiIe paralysis. Though most
! common among children. adults are
1 also sometimes afflicted A new form
| was adopted for the reporting of that
| disease
Another matter acted upon was to
| give quarantine officials at ports Of
| entry the same authority as state and
/ health officers, in respcc of the
! admission Of dead bodies, so that if
| such an officer approves of the ad-
! mission. the body may be transported
| through any state or territory 20 It's
! intended destination. without further
! authority. This action Of the conference
! will be followed by an order to quar-
/ antine officials by the surgeon gem
! eraI. Heretofore there has been little
| cooperation between the health au-
! thorities of the states. some favorinC
! and some opposing the admission Of
| a dead body under this or that con-
! dition, or where death ensued from
| some particular diseases. Under the
I old rules, for instance, if dead body
| were brought from the Philippines.
! for interment in middle state, spe-
| cial permission had to he secured
/ from the health officials of each state
before it could be done. 1t is all
! left now with the quarantine officer
But the most interesting and en-
! tightening part of the San Francisco
| event were the visits to the various
| institutions peculiar to a large sea
! port in connection with health mat
! ters. such things as one can see no.
! whore else. even if he be a doctor
in a general way they are of interest
! to the layman also and ii is likely
! that not one person in q thousand
! who visits San Francisco. ever gives
/ thought to the phenomena of disease
and death that is going on around
| him. or has a knowledge of the &C
! tivities of the health authorities in
combating the influences at work in
| that city. more notably perhaps than
in any other American seaport. That
is due to the large Population con-
stantly arriving from the natural
home of leprosy, and bubonic plague
and to the fact that San Francisco
only few years ago had fierce
battle with the last named disease
The surgeon general and the mem
bers of the conference first visited the
quarantine station at Angel island.
Then they went to the immigrant sta
ton where they saw an army of Japa-
nese and Chinese. the latter all sup
posed to be merchants" returning
from visit to the home land. In one
ward there were eleven japanese wom-
en- afflicted with hookworm, hut of a
variety not found in this country except
in imported cases. IT is altogether like
ly there will be due precaution that