The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-02-28

nue. ~ inhalation and swallowing
ton . = Of purulent catarrh, tonsili-
Bpl''s'. severe type, influenza, bron-
! y sstis, sore eyes and boils have fol,
en's ad periods Of dry dusty weather.
ioS. It is too cold to sprinkle the
s .rsats properly or when the city au-
sue .s.;os we're too careless in begin.
w. ~ shrinking of the streets early in
T., ma season. Most OF the so-called
" .,ds are dust infections gotten in
sv Ssces where people congregate, as in
p .ssst cars, theatres. work shops. de-
su stnent stores and moving picture
shows"
..ost eminent medical authorities
nan 'sould receive serious consideration.
= before we can hope to make ma
.sr;al progress in the Improvement Of
M air in our workshops and homes,
se must remove this element Of dan
rho factor of next Importance is
,ood--it is the concern of the employ |
: that his people be protected from
s,ckness caused by adulterated and
contaminated foods. Milk is particu-
,srlv subject to contamination and
sho,,ld be protected by every means
Known to modern sanitation. Health
mist start in childhood, therefore. 1T
| !. most important that the milk sup
NV should be protected.
4
Community Pays the Bill.
The remedy for these conditions
ran come only through the creation of
public sentiment sufficiently enlight-
sned to give moral support to public
health bodies and provides sufficient
appropriations to obtain results. To
mote from an address by DR.. w A.
Fvans, former health commissioner OF
chicago: THE costs of neglected
health must be borne by the commun.
ty and the only proposition that is
before the community is--how it will
hear them. Will the community bear
them through maintenance of poor
houses, insane asylums and jails and
through the support OF such institu-
tons as tuberculosis institute, visit.
ing nurses association, United Chart
ties and the dozen or more other or
carnations existing in the community
that are dscharglng community func
tons? Or will they adopt the less
expensive and more satisfactory way
OF caring for the health of the COM
munity by preventing the develop
ment OF the deficiency that comes
from neglect"
Within certain limits the amount of
protection to health that can be Civ
en- through a health department comes
right back to money. 1t is dollars
against deaths.
II We have $500 (per capita)
health department as they have in
Panama, we can shield our people
from the need of paying out large por-
tions Of their revenues for the care
Of their health. We can secure
health conditions that will constitute
the most valuable advertising force
for our city and for our land that
ANA we are meeting success where
the French had met defeat. What
spelled defeat there for the French
was the fact that every cross-tie over
the isthmus represented a human life.
What spelled success for us is that
the health and efficiency Of the peo-
pie working on the isthmus under the
American government had been pro-
tected through a properly supported
and maintained health department.
We are receiving credit from one
end of the world to the other for the
fact that we have driven yellow few
er out OF Cuba.
Chicago now has a CSC per capita
health department, 25c health de-
partment can hold the number OF
deaths from diphtheria at 500: scar
let fever at 600; typhoid at 800; baby
deaths from summer complaint, 5000
1t can keep smallpox epidemica
twelve years apart, and paralyzins
epidemics OF diphtheria or scarlet few
er about four or six years apart.
AASo1th uSCpdI spCuuiue DUs
per capita should put diphtheria dowr
TO say 100 deaths per year, scarlet
fever to about 500 and typhoid to 100
It should be able to add ten years t
smallpox intervals and three or foul
Years to the diphtheria and scarle
ever intervals.
A $1,000 per capita health admins
tration continued for ten years shoult
eliminate consumption, smallpox, diph
iberia and typhoid, should great,
lessen scarlet fever, should halve thu
baby death rate, should halve tn
poverty and materially decrease GRIM
and should increase the efficiency 0
labor materially.
The economic Importance of sick
ness is astounding when we go int
figures.
Some statistics.
Frederick X. Hoffman, statistical
OF the Prudential Life ms. Co., est
mates the net gain to society owe
and above the cost of maintenance G