The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1912-02-02
PUBLIC HEALTH
OFFICER SPEAKS
Or. sMYTH ADDRESSED A LARGE
GATHERING OF LADIES AT THE
COMMERCIAL CLUB ROOMS
GUESTS OF FoRTNIeHrLY LA
DIEs-MRs. STEVENS TALKED.

filled at 3 o'clock with women of the
two cities who came to listen to an
address by DIR. Smyth. the public
health officer. having been invited as
guests Of the ladies of the Fortnightly
club. Mrs. F. II. Wilder, president Of
the club presided and prior to the ar
rival Of DR.. Smyth called upon Mrs.
Maize Stevens of Grand Forks, who
happened to be in the city after a
trip over the state in the interest of
the Anti tuberculosis association,
which is striving to have an up-to-
date hospital at Dunseith, n. D.. for
the treatment of the victims of the
white plague. Mrs. Stevens told of the
efforts of the association to bring the
work before the people, giving the
statistics of the state and the neces-
sity of some place in which to care
for these patients. The surroundings
at Dunseith are ideal and it is hoped
that after the hospital is fairly estab-
hshed, a school for tubercular children
will also be inaugurated. She said
that in order to accomplish what they
hoped, it was necessary to gain the
active interest Of the women of the
state and that that was her mission.
DR.. Smyth's Address.
Mrs. Wilder. in a very clever man
ner introduced DR.. Smyth to the la
dies, saying that a short time ago some
of the gentlemen of the city had the
pleasure Of listening to an able pa
per Of DR.. Smyth and that the ladies
Of the Fortnightly club were very
fortunate in having generous husbands,
for when they heard anything good,
they wished the same pleasure for their
wives and as a consequence she was
able to secure for them the same paper
by DR.. Smyth as their husbands had
heard.
DR.. Smyth discussed in general the
health conditions in the city of Fargo,
saying that many Of the communicable
diseases dated back through our earl
lest history, when whole cities were
wiped out with pestilence and disease.
1t was then considered as a punish
ment for sin and on ccoun of SUPER
stition and ignorance there were no
measures taken to prevent disease
from spreading. Since that time the
people have gradually become better
educated and less superstitious and
have begun TO retain the idea of the
old adage that IAN ounce of
ton is worth a pound Of cure" The
speaker stated that the preventative
medicine was part of the scheme of
our natural Inc that much
had already been accomplished through
science but that the future offered
greater possibilities.
DR.. Smyth cited some statistics that
brought home the necessity for a ma
tional health department very close,
stating the relative ratios of the deaths
from disease in the Russo-Japanese
war and that of, the Spanish American
war.
He said that the committee which
was appointed to investigate health
ported one unnecessary death every
minute, which cost the nation many
millions Of dollars yearly. He dis
cussed the advisability of a national
health department, telling how the peo-
pie had come to be burdened with a
doctors trust. and how through igno-
rance, conditions were left as they are.
He told of the relation of health to
private practice, saying that the diff
ference vas that a health department
would be preventative, while the pro-
vate practice is merely curative.
No One Exempt From Disease.
mo one" he continued is exempt
from disease. The purpose of a health
department in the city is for the well
fare of all, and the ignorance of the
people is responsible for poor health
conditions. The people must be arous-
ed and convinced. The problem of
The public health is a problem of the
people. They need a health depart
ment to protect the body from disease
as surely as they need a fire depart
ment to protect their property or a po-
lice department to protect them from
harm. Life is infinitely more valuable
than property. and the establishment
Of an efficient health department
would be economy of life, suffering,
time, and public health as we'll as
money.
Every case OF communicable dis
ease has a definite origin from some
other case and it should be the duty
of the health department 20 find the
source of communication. Various
~nuisances, such as garbage and waste
matters are not causes but transmit
ers of disease. To eliminate disease
the original source must be located
and done away with. Hence, investi-
cation is one OF the fundamental du-
ties Of the department. of health.
"The personnel OF the board Of
health must be Of the, best. The head
of the department should be trained
for that especial work and installed
permanently. He must be so situated,
to be successful, that his salary will
be SUFFICIENT for living and he must
be allowed to give his entire time TO
the work. The position is a RESPONSE
BILE one, but Is one of the utmost econ
omy. The mayor of the city. must be
a member OF the board of health. the
city engineer is q necessary factor,
and there ought to be a lawyer and
two prominent business men, prefer
ably members Of the city council.
Statistical evidence is necessary TO
the work of the department and the
work must be backed by laws and or
dinances. A free laboratory lis an es-
sential, where . may be diagnosed
and carefully traced.
Fargo Health Conditions.
THE community of Fargo is nas-
urally considered a healthy one, but
in reality there Is much that might
be done here for the public health.
The statistics for 1911 show fifteen
deaths to every 1000 OF population,
these deaths being from all causes
and should not be counted as q health
rate because Q all of the people died.
who were smitten with ~preventabie