Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-09-02
Or. KEPFoRp SUGGESTS NEW
LINE or WORK FOR STATE
kspferd Reports to Board Of Control
That tuberculosis and Other Dis
eases Ars Social crims-sanitation
in Homes and in Factories Important
Method Of Prevention.
special to Times-Republican.


made. II the suggestion of DR.. A. T..
kepford to the board Of control il fol-
lowed. The suggestion Is in written
report made to the board of obserya-
lions and ideas gathered at the ma.
tional conference Of charities and cor
rection in Seattle attended by DR..
Kepford on behalf Of the state of Iowa.
I have taken the position in Iowa
for some years." says Dr.. Kepford,
that this preventable disease. tuber-
culosis. is a social crime ana that it
IL necessary to arouse all the social
forces of the state in q combined at
tack upon its defenses. Bad housing,
poor food. insanitary and unventilated
public buildings. especially school
buildings. factory employment. under-
waging. Undertaking, overcrowdins.
lack Of Fairgrounds. lack Of hospital
care for sick. whether with tubercu-
losis or ether disease. lack Of vital
statistics. in fact inadequate health
administration due to an inadequate
appreciation Of human values. are re-
sponsible for the ravages not only Of
tuberculosis but Of other preventabIe
diseases. such as typhoid and pneu-
monia. Here. therefore. are the things
which exerted themselves upon me in
my attendance upon the national coin
ference of charities and corrections.
and am bold to state that every pub
lie effort for Interchange and exchange
of thought concerning social. economic.
educational and moral questions, is Of
significant Importance to any civilized
community. Iowa would do we'll to
make provision for an annual convoca.
ton to deal with the great social ques-
tons Of disease, degeneracy. delin-
cuency and crime
Compensation for Disease.
Referring to q notable ADDRESS at the
conference on workmen's compensation
for Industrial diseases and the labor
problem. DR.. Kepford says:
"The necessity for careful study Of
the standards Of living and labor in
the state Of Iowa Is apparent even to
the most casual observer. and there is
no doubt that with the establishment
of an industrial department by the
state, these questions will receive care
full and elaborate study. It may be
stated that no people can rise above
their environment; that the conditions
under which they. labor and live must
develop their characters; that our peo-
pie should be happy, prosperous and
contented, needs no argument here. To
build great state we must have great
people, and the greatest people OF the
world are the home builders and those
who perform the labor Of the world. To
protect the workman against accident,
diseases of occupation and bad housing
conditions. are Of the utmost import
ance, and no scheme Of government
should fail to take this great industrial
class into consideration.
1T is unnecessary" continued DR..
Kepford. ito infer that the co-ordina-
ton Of official and private activities in
public health work is Of greatest pos
sible Importance. We have been slow
in Iowa to understand this. Maybe not
more than other states but certainly
with our campaign Of education on
preventable diseases and the knowledge
Of effective health administration, we
have not as fully entered into the spirit
and genius of cooperation as we
should The state has failed to apprecf-
ate what adequate vital statistics mean.
We have no special bookkeeping worth
the name Of so great a state. The
health administration, it Is true. Is
doing the best 1t can with the facilities
at hand, in receiving reports of deaths.
but we have no method Of ascertaining
the status Of our productive power,
humanity speaking. We may UNDER
stand the value Of our livestock, our
Industrial equipment and our land. We
may have some notion about our COM
mercial activities in . limited sense, but
we do not as state have any notion
Whatever of o,,r productive mower as a
people-2,225,00 human beings not
properly standardized nor measured as
relates to productive power and public
health. We do not know what re-
sources are bound up in the men, wo-
men and children Of this common
wealth It IL high time coordination
takes place. 1t is high time that from
the highest administrative office Of the
state to the obscure health officer Of
the rural community there should be
established an intimate personal CO.
operation by which TO control and
measure this productive power. No
greater service can be rendered to the
business interests Of this state than to
thoroughly saturats the business men
with the knowledge Of the value Of
human beings from the infant to the
old man."
The Heusins Plan.
DIR. Kepford found that at this ma
tional conference there was . great
disease" Dven the housing problem
OF how people live. Tho question Of
sanitation, food asid waite. Was
presented from many angles. The ad-
dress Of the president related to social
f,,afira IN In vl6aat aeooA which IN.