The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1912-04-25

favorable action VIII De taken at
some time. Heretofore several sena-
tors who have large Christian science
constituencies have opposed bringing
the measure to the floor of the SEN
ate owing to the objections which
have been registered against it by
the Eddy cult in the past.
The Christian scientists and var.
ious other practitioners outside the
so-ca'ied "old school, of medicine
nave fought any attempt to establish
national health service on the
grounds that it would be so run as
20 place it within the control of the
old school" as against the interests
OF all others. An amendment TO the
bill as it stands at present, however
specifically provides that there shall
be no discrimination, and this is ox-
pected to do away with much OF the
opposition heretofore manifest
incidental to the favorable action
of the senate committee on this bill
after months of discussion and deliu-
GRAFTON a delegation of physicians
representing the American Medical
Association, yesterday urged Presi-
dent Taft to use his influence to eff.
feet the proposed consolidation of all
the health bureaus of the government
under one head
The committees report urging the
passage of the bill, drafted by Sen
ator owen of Oklahoma, lays empha-
sis upon the waste of human life and
the consequent financial loss in the
United States and cities what has
been done in the way of improving |
the public health in showing the pos
slDillties of the proposed union of the
heath bureaus.
Life Could Be Prolonged.
h"ran life could be prolonged four
teen years in the United States if |
the people We're properly informed in
Self-preservation, as was demonstra.
ted in the report on national vitality" |
says the report
The annual death rate in the Uni
ted States is approximately to the |
l'ooo, in excess of what it should be
under improved conditions. making
1t an unnecessary loss of life in 90
ooOOOO of people of approximately
o"oOOO men, women and children an.
hually, whose lives ought to be saved.
Ihis annual loss upon any reason
able basis may easily be estimated
at the commercial value of two tbou.
sand millions of dollars annually.
Nearly as great loss is due TO
the loss of efficiency and the loss of
productive power of nearly 5000. 900
persons who are sick on an average
during the year, and who must be
cared for during such preventable i'll
ness.
The pension roll, which costs the
United States over $16O, ,OOOOOO an
nually, is three-fourths due to death
and disease which was preventable.
Preventabe Diseases.
During the Spanish war, in the
four camps Chickamauga, AIger,
Meade and acksonville-there were
over $4,000 cases of typhoid fever.
with loss of 1860 of the finest young
men in America, nearly all of which
was preventable.
THE preventable deaths in the
United States are caused by polluted
water, impure and aduterated foods
and drugs, foul air, bad ventilation.
Ignorance of the health laws of hy-
glene, of exercise, of foods and of self
care and to epidemics and various
preventable diseases, such as tuber.
culosis, typhoid and malarial fevers
A splendid illustration of what can
be done is shown in the control or
yellow fever in Cuba. In 1896 yel-
low fever deaths in Havana, Cuba,
to $50 to the 100000. but
after the American occupation and
the great discovery of James Carroll,
Lazier, Walter Reed and Agrimonte,
the death rate fell in 1900 to 1924,
1901 to six, in 1902 to nothing, in
1903 to nothing and in 1904 to moth
ing.
"Hkcepting for this discovery It
would have been impossible for the
United States to have built the Pan
anna canal. the death rate. even in
the tropical country, is not much
more than one-half what it is in the
United States"
Criticisms Answered.
Answering the criticisms of the
bill on the ground that it promoted
a doctors trust" the report says:
This bill provides that the health