Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-09-26

The important address al this morn-
ing section sessions of the fifteenth in
ternational Congress on Hygiene and De-
megraphy was delivered at the session Of
section t. on state and municipal hy-
siene. The speaker was Dr. Rosali.
Slaughter Morton of New York honorary
Chairman Of the American Medical A.
sociation's committee Oh public health
education. Dr.. Mortons subject va,
'The Value OF Public Lectures i'm the
Education Of the Public In Personal Iy-
giene."
Declaring that. according to the latest
and most complete statistics the averss,
illness In the United States is equal 10
ten days incapacity for each individual
or the population. DIR. Morton stated that
1t Is urgently necessary that all should
work together in the matter of educating
the public generally on health lines
'All we do" she said. viii n.
needed If We are going To lower this ap-
pallng total OF preventable inefiicienc,."
Work of Committees.
In part. DR. Morton said:
The plan of organization of tho
American Medical Association for publi.
health education among women is the
county medical societies throughout the
l hited States. of committees on public
health education. of which the New York
committee may be taken as a typ..
"A series of twelve lectures ha, been
given 10 men, women and children nf an
classes of society. The wide public inter-
est which has been shown IN the prcs.l-
vation OF plain facts regarding health :
shown b. the fact that the seating
capacity of the hall is 81, persons aud
on every occasion the adjoining rows had
TO be thrown open. and frequently there.
has not been standing room. the aver
age attendance being 800 one evening
the number reached l,uS. and il was
necessary 10 have the overflow meeting
i'm another part of the building
The value of popular lectures j. in
direct. as Well as direct Interest has
been stimulated by prizes for tho best
essays written on public health subjects.
as in North Carolina. Our committee
officers have helped to secure medical i'm
spection in schools in several localities;
have promoted the opening of more play
grounds, in Dubuque: have selected u
travelling citizens sheaf' OF books on the
of disease: have compiled and
published comprehensive list of books
on personal hygiene in all its phases,
have secured better ventilation Of street
cars in certain citjes; have been granted
governor of a state to he observed an
nually. in Georgia: have established
courses of lectures in connection with
clinics. as at the Nomen's Clinic IN
Washington, ID. g, and have made edu-
cation SO popular that one woman asked
for book on ii to take home TO read to
her husband in the evening, and one little
girl of five years ranged her playmates
in a row and lectured TO them on health
Instruction on Epidemics.
I'm states which have been visited
with special epidemics during the year
has been given TO the pub
lie in the prevention and quarantine Of
the disease.
I'm many states the newspapers are
being used as a medium of communi-
cation and distribution of accurate
Information
In other places the county commit
zee for public health education. work
ng with the librarian in the public
library. reviews all the popular books
IN hygiene on the library shelves. rele-
eating to the back shelves those which
ire sentimental or out of date. and
publishing for the benefit of the pub
ic lists which are authoritative.
1.-The efforts in each community are
o teach the people how to prevent
hose diseases which are preventable.
,earing in mind always that IL is the
Individual we wish to reach, as COM
nunities cannot be educated en- masse'
Discusses Typhoid Fever.
DR.. John y. Hurry. former president
f the American Public Health Associa-
ion and secretary of the Indiana state
oa rd of health. declared this afternoon,
efore section VI, on state and municipal
" ygiene. that the farmers of the United
tates are responsible for the greater
art of the typhoid fever and other in
Il of ..ts.-
CITY people, said DIR. Hurry, go to
he healthful country to spend their
'acations. There they drink milk that