Arizona republican., 1912-09-23
LONGER LIFE
 |S AIMED AT
Opening International Con- gross of Hygiene and D Demography at Washing ton Today; Whole World Will Be Represented

WASHINGTON D. C., Sept 22-l Longer human life is the object of the Fifteenth International Congress on Hygiene and DemOgraphy. which will | begin a weeks session here tomorrow. Leaders of thought and action in mod | ern sanitary science, from all over the | world, to the number of 45O, will ap- | pear on the platform to exchange in- 1 formation as to the more important i accomplishments of recent years in | prolonglng life in their respective l countries and sections and to make | plans for the future. Health officials | and semi-public institutions, including | immense business organizations, are | planning to help put into practical ef- | feet in this country the more import | ant reforms that will be suggested.
 Germany, France, Great Britain, ! Holland. Norway. Austria, Belgium, l Italy and Switzerland are among the | 27 governments sending official dele 1 gates to the congress. Men prominent | in health work in the United States | are on the program, including health officials of the federal government and of many of the states and cities. American universities and colleges which make a speciality of medical re- search and preventive medicine also are largely represented. Besides the 450 participants in the program there will be several thousand others, in cluding many visiting health officials, in attendance upon the nine sections of the congress which meet simultan- eOusly
 The congress is beyond question the most important meeting of sanitarians ever held :n this country An unusual opportunity will be afforded for com pairing American methods Of protect ing human life with those of older countries The contributions of those European countries in which the av- craze length of life is considerably longer than in this country will be es- pecially valuable
 Many agencies will be at work to utilize for the benefit of this country
 the vast fund of material that will be produced by the 450 speakers at the congress. Side by side with the pub lie health officials will be found repre- sentatives of various large business institutions seeking knowledge that may be practically applied to bring about less disease and more life. The interest of these institutions in the health movement is largely of a busi
 ness character. They act on the theory that better health and longer life mean improved industrial and economic con ditions. Among them is the associa- tion of life insurance presidents, which 1A-.l rINfRtr fI.l congress bv it's general counsel, R. l.. Cox of New York and by it's health committee composed of F. w Jenkins, Binghamton, N. Y, chairman; J. R. Clark, Cincinnati, O.; w F. Dix, New York; J L. English, Hartford, Conn; J. K Gore, Newark, N. J.; pr A. $. Knight. New York; E. s. Scott, Spring field, III. The companies in this asso- citation have in force about '25,OO0,000 out of the 33,00O, 900 life insurance pol icies issued in the United States. They | frankly state that their interest in the congress is chiefly commercial for they believe that as a result of its activities better mortality rate will be eXperi- | enced among policyholders in this country.
 Particular attention will be paid by the associations committee to the ad- dresses and discussion dealing with the control of contagious diseases, incluj- ing typhoid fever, diphtheria, cerebro- spinal meningitis, tuberculosis, etc; the sanitary aspects of public water supplies, including the sanitary con- trol of water sheds, the purification Of water by storage, water purificatlon In Europe by biological methods water sterilization by chemical methods and the disposal of sewage and wastes by the various processes now carried on in European countries. Where 1t IS shown that other countries obtain bet ter results than the United States does in any given situation, the com mittee will try to learn the reasons therefor Such results may be due to the kind of laws or regulations adopt ed to the character of the officers en- forcing the law, to the quality Of pup lie sentiment or to some other cause or combination of causes. When the cause is once ascertained steps will be taken by the life insurance interests to help in applying it or some proper modification of it to the situation In this country It is expected, Of course, to do this kind of work through CO., operation with the various constituted authorities. in the nation, the states and the municipalities.