Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1912-09-24
ON HYGIENE
WELCOMED BY TAFT
The International Organization
Meets in u, S, First Time in
60 Years


WASHINGTON, Sept. 23.-Welcomed by
President Taft and attended by some
5000 delegates from all parts of the world
the fifteenth international congress on
hygiene and demography got into session
today. 1t was the first time in sixty
years of existence the congress has met
in the United States
United to rid the human race of dis
ease, these warriors for new and wider
form of freedom gathered for their ex-
change of greetings i'm Memorial Con-
tinentaI hall, the marble home Of the
Daughters of the American Revolution.
To President Taft's 7greetiIJ brief replies
were made by. the head of the delegation
from each of the thirty-three countries
represented. This was followed by an
address by DIR. Max Rubner. Of the En-
peror Frederick William university, Ber=
lin, on IAN. Explanation OF the Meaning
of Hygiene and DemogTaphy in the San.
.itary Administration Of Nations. With
Special Emphasis on Cooperative Inter
national Work and an Historical Review
of What Has Been Accomplished to
Date"
Immediately after the morning session
the congress was prepared to start in on
the long series of lectures and discus
sions which, will continue throughout the
week. Scheduled for today were discus
sions on public health organization and
administration in England and Germany
the hygiene of infancy and childhood the
physiology and pathology of work and
ia tiEue, bacillus carriers and the i'm
portance of flies and other insects as car
riers OF infectious disease, the importance
of shell fish, particularly oysters, in re-
lation to infectious disease. the control
of disease. in the army, the use of hospital
ships and the, development Of vital sta
tistics in the United States since 1900. and
measures needed for the immediate fu
ture
In addition to the 5000 delegates many
Of whom have wives and daughters ac-
companying them, visitors attracted to
Washington by the congress have
brought the total number of guests here
up to probably 10000.
MR.. TAFTS ADDRESS.
1--WE need to develop under government
auspices a bureau in which the funds
of the government shall be expended for
research Of every kind useful in the prac-
tice and enforcement of hygiene and
preventative medicine" said President
Taft to-day in welcoming delegates to the
fifteenth congress on hygiene and demog
raphy THAT something of this sort
may grow out of the public health ser
vice there is reason to believe" contin-
ued the president. 'Ha
Our responsibility in Cuba, Porto Rico
and the Philippines and now on the
Isthmus of Panama said Mr.. Taft.
have so enlarged our knowledge of the
possibilities of the successful sanitation
under the most burdensome conditions
and have so impressed both professional
men and the laymen at all familiar with
the condition with the necessity for
more rigid and comprehensive health
laws, and a strioter enforcement of them
for the general public good. that If the
Spanish war resulted sin nothing else.
1t was worth greatly more than its cost
In this useful development of one Of the
most important functions that a modern
government has to discharge as well as
making clear the need of an additional
branch OF general education In the mat
ter of hygiene of the home and the indi
vidual.
when we first went into the tropics
our purpose was to make that region
habitable for white people. We have
demonstrated that as a possibility. Now
we have gone beyond the mere provision
for those who come from the temperate
zone, and we are engaged in developing
the tropical races into a strength of
body and freedom from disease that they
have never had before"