The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-09-23
FIRST Time HERE
International Congress of Hy-
giene and DemOgraphy
COnvenes in Fifteenth Quad
renniaI Session.
WELCOME BY PRESIDENT TAFT
Three Thousand Delegates and
Ten Thousand Visitors.
Public Health in All Its Phases
to Be Discussed.

Washington, Sept. 23.-Welcomed
by President Taft and attended by
some 5000 delegates from all parts of
the world, the fifteenth international
congress of hygiene and demography
convened today. 1t was the first time
in sixty years of existence the con-
gress has met in the United States.
United to free the human race of dis
ease, these warriors for a new and
wider form of freedom gathered for
the exchange of greetings in Cont
mental Memorial hall, the marble
home of the Daughters of the Ameri-
can Revolution.
To President Taft's greeting brief
responses We're made by the heads of
the delegations from each of the thir-
ty-three countries represented. This
was followed by an address by DR..
Max Rubner of the Emperor Fred
erick William university, Berlin,
president of the permanent interna-
tional commission of the congress, on
''An explanation of the meaning of
hygiene and demography in the san
itary administration of nations with
special emphasis upon cooperative
international work and a historical
review of what has been accomplished
to date
Immediately after the morning ses-
sion the congress was prepared to
start in a long series of lectures and
discussions which continue through
out the week. Scheduled for today
in the various sections into which the
congress has been divided, were dis
cussions on public health organization
and administration in England and
Germany, the hygiene of infancy and
childhood, the physiology and pathol-
ogy of work and fatigue, bacillus car
riers and the Importance of flies and
other insects as carriers of infectious
diseases, the Importance of shell fish,
7 a Tf fNI 10 WY
fections diseases, the control of dis
ease in the army, the use of hospital
ships and the development of vital
statistics, in the United States since
1900 and measures needed for the
imm ediate future.
A garden party at the White House
scheduled for afternoon was expected
to be the first of a series of enter
tainments arranged for the social side
of the congress. In addition to the
three thousand 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.
The exhibition hall in which are
displays showing what the nation,
states, cities and private social bet
terment associations are doing to i'm
prove the health of the peopel was
thronged all day with visitors.
Rf0SllenL 1a1t'S Address,
1--WE need to develop under govern
ment in which the funds of the gov
eminent shall be expended for re-
search of every kind useful in the
practice and enforcement of hygiere
dent Taft in delivering his address of
welcome.
That something of this sort may
grow out of the present United States |
public health service there is reason |
to believe" continued the president |
but it will need far greater appropri- |
ations and a widening of its scope of
duties before 1t shall have filled the
place that the medical profession CT
this country mas right to expect the
general government to create in the |
progress of hygiene and topography"
Referring to the subject of tropical
hygiene, President Taft said:
. "Our responsibilities in Cuba. Porto
Rico and the Philippines and now IN
the Isthmus Of Panama have so er.-
larged our knowledge of the possibi.-
ties of successful sanitation under the
most burdensome conditions and have
so impressed both professional men
and the laymcn at all familiar with
the conditions with the necessity for
more rigid and comprehensive health
laws and a stricter enforcement OF
them for the general public good that
If the Spanish war resulted in nothing
else, it was worth greatly more than
it's cost in this useful development OF
one of the most important functions
that modern government has to DIS
charge as we'll as in making clear the
need of an additional branch of general
education in the mater of hygiene OF
the home and the individual.
Record In the Tropics.
when we first went into the trop-
les our purpose was to make that re-
zion habitable for white people. We
nave demonstrated that as a possibil-
ty. Now we have gone beyond the
mere provision for those who come
from the temperate zone and we are
engaged in developing the tropical
aces into a strength of body and frae
iom from disease that they have never
had before.
Il consider it a proud record of the
American army that through its medl-
al corps engaged in hygiene work in
he tropics so many important diScov-
cries as to the transmission of disease
Ind methods of stopping its spread
,ave been given to the world, and all
If this is dated chiefly from the tine
# the Spanish war.
eft is very certain that but for those
discoveries the construction of the ca
laI which now since 1904 has been 60
ng on with giant strides, and which
will be completed within a year, would
lave been impossible. The possibil.-
les of Improvement through govern
mental hygiene of tropical countries
ire so great that it makes one who
las any conception of what they are,
row enthusiastic in the contem plation
# what centuries may bring forth in
his regard Ia