Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-08-09
DR.. Craig on the Public Health

The city's health is Of such vital
interest and the paper read by DR..
G. G. Craig. city health officer, before
the civic department of the woman's
club so potent that the article is here
given in full.
The subject upon which have been
asked to address you, public health,
is vital to every home in the city. The
maintenance OF good health is of the
utmost Importance, andI have already
felt the influence of the Woman's club.
l take this opportunity to express my
appreciation, and extend my thanks
for your good and efficient offices.
Rock Island was formerly not
healthy city, in fact it was SO I'M
healthy that something had to be done.
The health department was organized
in 1882, and made a record that
brought us to the attention of the en-
tire state. Our city is now known as
healthy place in which to live, but to
keep it so requires constant work.
The enforcement of our excellent or
dinances is not sufficient to do this.
1t is also necessary to have coopera-
ton. Without cooperation one cannot
produce satisfying results. The good
newspaper are a great help to a
health department, and our newspap-
ers have always shown the right spirit.
Indeed they have done much more
than is generally realized.
Cooperation of the dairymen in our
vicinity has resulted in our having a
very good milk supply. j am sure that
you will be as much, if not more in
terested in that topic than any other.
In 1912, from statistics more or less
complete, it is shown that in the
! United States 1924 children under two
years of age died from diarrhoeal
troubles. These deaths are due to the
feeding, and milk being the food of
children of that age, shows how neces-
sary it is to keep a sharp watch of the
milk supply. We have As places IL
censed to sell milk in this city. Our
recent inspections show that sanitary
conditions in most of them are up to
the standard, not perfect, but gradual
4 ly improving. Inspections are neces'
sary in order to keep them so, and
suggest that housekeepers should per
sonally interview the dairies from
which their milk supplies come. The
effect will be good, and an incentive to
dairymen to toe the mark or even &c
beyond, and would be satisfaction tc
the housekeepers themselves Most
Of the diaries are accessible. Instead
of your visit being resented as an in
trusion, you will probably find you
dairyman glad to show you around
This spirit of cooperation must bt
maintained. When you go, take parti
cular notice of the flies, workhoust
and employees. If your milk maj
buys of a farmer out in the country
call upon the farmer II at any tim,
you have milk delivered to you tina
won't sour, send it to the health de
partment.
In Illinois the standard for, butte
fat is per cent. Our state does not re
quire the tuberculin test, though SOM
dairymen have used 1t of their own VIC
lition. There is a very Objectionable
law, framed by Edw. Shurtleff of Ma
rengo, Ill, and passed by the IlIinoi
legislature, prohibiting a city from er
forcing tuberculin testing of cows
Such a law, which virtually makes
: lawful for the producer to force mil
down the threats of the consumer
should be repealed. A certain percer
tage of healthy looking cows are IL
bercular, even the family COW whic
, may be recommended for some baby
The tuberculin test should be compu
sorry, and applied to every dairy here
= Every COW found tubercular Should b
+ excluded as a producer OF milk an
, from sale as meat. Here is some poll
r ical work to do in which the wome
can help. and effectively coperate wit
the health department