The Washington herald., 1913-11-25
THE DISEASELESS
CITY TOBE GOAL
DR.. Woodward Outlines Ideals
to Anti-Tubereulosis
Society.
SICKNESS Is ON WANE
DR.. Barton Compliments Health De-
partment on Work Against
Typhoid Fever.

Work for a diseaseless city; IL is
possibility to have Washington so in the
near future, with proper cooperation.
This was Health Officer Woodwards
message to the members OF the Associa-
tion for the Prevention of tuberculosis
Of the District, assembled at the annual
meeting of the organization at the Pub
lie Library last night.
washington may be more sanitary to-
day than most of the other cities OF
the country said DR.. Woodward, who
was one of several prominent speakers
at the meeting. ''Washington's death
rate may be lower, but that does not
mean that We should stop where We
are. It is possible to have the nations S
Capital City the model Of sanitation to
the civilized world. 1t is the aim Of the
local health department TO make II 80.
and our dream is not far from ac-
complishment do not say that We can
bring about such perfection that sick
ness will not be known, but do know
that comparatively the communicable
diseases Of which we suffer can be
practically eradicated."
Typhoid Is on wane.
Besides DR.. Woodward, former Surgeon
General George NJ Sternberg, DR.. w. M
Barton, Henry p. Blair. president OF the
Board of Education, and the Rev. John
Van Schaick, jr., also made addresses
the latter taking Commissioner Oliver r
Newman's place on the program. Dr.
Van Schaick explained that he was asked
TO appear for the Commissioner and eX-
plain that the latter had been prevented
from attending the meeting. Dr. van
Schaick stated that the Commissioners OF
the District were heartily in favor OF the
campaign being conducted by the asso-
citation against tuberculosis.
Quoting statistics showing the decrease
i'm the number of cases Of typhoid fever
cases in the District during the past
year, DIR. Barton declared that the time
was near at hand when that disease
would be a rare malady in Washington.
Owing to the great work of sanitation
accomplished by the Health Department.
declared DR.. Barton, the disease which
was dreaded so much several years ago
is being gradually eradicated in the Dis
trict. ! can remember when 1 first
started to practice medicine II was a
usual thing tc see from forty to fifty
patients in ward, all sufferers from ty-
phoid fever. Now it is q hard matter to
get enough patients with which to teach
the coming generation of physicians and
nurses the phases and workings of the
Cisease, so greatly has it been decreased" >"
Henry P. Blair, president of the Board
of Education, urged the appropriation OF
money whereby corps Of visiting nurses
to inspect and supervise the public
school pupils could be appointed. He
pointed out that there was at preseHS
only eleven inspectors to look after 5000
children. and declared that the work
mapped out for these inspectors was Of
such immensity that they could not at
tend to it properly.
Society's Report Read.
But the parents must not think that
everything is to be done by the State
or city" declared the speaker. Par
2 ents should bear in mind that they owe
the strictest cooperation to the civic
authorities for the eradication of tuber-
culosis and other communicable dis
cases"
Gen Sternberg read the annual report
OF the association. entitled Buying A
City's Health" The report was prefaced
with the slogan of the New York public
health department, Public Health is
Purchasable."
- steady diminution in the death rate
from tuberculosis from 1880 to the present
time is shown" declared Gen. Sternberg.
"In other words, if the same death rate
which prevailed in 1850 from pulmonary
tuberculosis had prevailed last year, in
stead of there being 725 deaths from con-
sumption in the District of Columbia,
there would have been 1867 This shows
a saving of SS7 lives in q single year.
notwithstanding this record. figures
OF the health office are quoted, show
ing that two persons die daily in the
District of Columbia from consumption.
The question is asked. What should
we say ii there were similar death rate
from smallpox, diphtheria, or typhoid
fever?' Yet tuberculosis, like these other
diseases, is largely preventable."
Following the public meeting the board
of directors of the association met and
reelected the officers of the organization
for another term as follows: Gen. George
II. Sternberg, president; Emile Berliner,
vice president; Col. John Van r. Hoff,
treasurer, and Walter S. Unord, secre-
tary.
The following directors were elected
for three years ending November 1916:
DR.. G. W. Cabaniss, Mrs. Hennen Jen-
nings, DR.. George NJ. Kdber, DR.. D. Olin
Leech, DR.. G. Lloyd Magruder, DR.. A
J.. Murray, DR.. Jesse H. Ramsburg, Gen
George NJ. Sternberg, DR.. Harvey w.
Wiley, and Rev. D. E. Wiseman.