Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1911-08-31
SAFEGUARDING Of HONOLULUS
Health URGEDB DR.. MCCORMACK


churia, with full authority and rank
for their doctors, Japan lost but one
man from disease for every four Killed
IN Dattle, ana put niteeh OF one nun
dred were III the hospitais. we had
known Of this danger to our armies,
ana had begged Tor proper authority
Tor our army surgeons Tor twenty
hve years. ana since these wars, with
the object lessons OF Cuba ana Man
churia before the congress and coun-
try, we are sui begging. ana prac-
ticaiiy the same hangers yet race our
armies IN the event OF Foreign war.
Facts OF the same KIND almost with
out number might De given to snow
that except In the emergency OF cpl
demics' no other nauoh mas Deeh ana
still Is 80 criminally Negligent OF the
heaith ana liVes Oh Doth its soidiers
ana It's citizens'
bad as is this record for the ma
ton, that for most States is little
better. Probably at least one-third
of those sick and of those taken to
your cemeteries every year are af-
flicted with diseases which ought not
to occur.
"When we have urged legislation
for these purposes, otherwise intelli-
gent Congressman and State legis-
lators have not hesitated to say that
doctors asked for these laws for their
own benefit, without stopping to con-
slider that In 80 far as they prevent
sickness they diminish their own in
comes, the very unselfishness of the
movement causing It to be misjudged,
as Legislators saw no other vocation
there working against its own inter-
ests. 1t was because ours is above
all humanitarian calling. charged
with the duty of saving life and In
daily contact with the sorrow caused
by sickness and death, that It took
up this work, just as for the same
reason II does more actuai charity
every DAY III every year thah all o.ner
people ana ORGANIZATIONS put tose,her.
Again, all Others may pront ny tneir
discoveries or INVENTIONS out doctors
cannot, their vows recurring that
they be made public Tor the good Oh
humanity. All OF this mas nvo'Veo
aitrnistic hoor without para'ei y"
human history, uhapprec'ated anu oD-
structed' largely because Oh the pun
tic sentiment iostered py Tue past
discord IN our RANKS
Had doctors been as united and
taken the same pains to keep In touch
with and guide the people during the
formative period Of our government
as the lawyers did, health and medi-
cal boards would always have been
as much a part OF the warp and woof
Of our country, State and national
machinery as the courts. They ought
to have been, because more import
ant, just In proportion as health and
life are more important than property
interests.
For similar reasons a State board
of health. with ample funds and labo-
ratories and with members SO COM
pensated that they can give their full
time to this life-saying work, is as
IlmpOrtunt as the uDpeliute court COuIu
possibly be. And, still more import
ant. n board of health for each city
md county. or for the two combined,
with frequent inspections of schools,
dairies, abattoirs, bakeries, groceries,
factories, tenements, sewerage and
garbage systems, and with laborato-
ries to which any citizen may bring
water, food, drugs, disease products
or anything else suspected as a dan
ger to his family for analysis, with
out personal expense, Is of as much
practical Importance as any court or
other judicial agency could be. And
II Is not worth while to try to do
these things without health officer
with special training and aptitude for
his work and such a salary that he
can devote his entire time to It; for
no man can be the kind of health
officer here described and practice