The Detroit times., 1913-06-25
Health Board Figures Show
Mortality Rate In Detroit for
the Past Year Greatly
Reduced
CAMPAIGN OF EDUCATION
N LARGELY RESPONSIBLE
This and Preventive Medicine
the Physicians Great Field of
Future, Says DR.. Kiefer

cation OF the public In observance OF
he laws of health offer the great
1eld for future medical advancement,
according to views expressed by DR..
Guy l.. kiefer. whose resignation as
Detroit health officer. effective July
will terminate IL years of unbroken
ablic service.
DR.. kiefer has just returned from
The annual meeting of the American
Medical association IN Minneapolis.
There he presided over the sessions
bf the departments of the convention
designated Preventive medicine and
the public health" of which he was
chairman last year.
1T was an inspiring convention, at
tended by nearly 5000 physicians from
all over the country" was DR.. Kie-
fer's comment after his return. There
were many brilliant and helpful pa
pers read"
One of the addresses In the division
OF which DR.. Kiefer was head, was
given By him. Speaking on the value
OF public health work. he based his
the Detroit department In the last II
Wears.
I'VE have made wonderful progress
IN that period" he said to The Times.
Some idea Of the increased scope and
thoroughness OF the work can be had
from the growth OF the machinery OF
the department.
In 1901. 1t employed "a persons
M Ia
July l, II has an organized force OF
1S9 individuals and Is supported by a
yearly expenditure Of more than $244.-
900. This includes the provision or
hospital facilities for 100 patients.
When FIRST organized. the depart
ment's main purpose was to search
out cases of smallpox. scarlet fever.
and similar diseases, and enforce
quarantine upon them. Compare that
with the manifold duties 1t serves
Take the contagious disease divis-
Ion, started with two so-called medi-
cal inspectors and two clerks. II has
grown and branched into the child
welfare department, various clinics,
land other additions.
NNow there are four medical In.
spectOrs, four clerks and one night
clerk. one chief inspector with 80
medical inspectors of schools, II den.
lists and n nurses. There are the
nose and throat the eye and ear elm
les AZ we call them for lack OF bet
ter name. and the mothers clinic,
where we teach the girls of some OF
the higher grades in the schools to
care for babies.
Then there are many wholly new
departments. for housing, to look at.
ter light, ventilation and prevent over
crowding; the smoke inspection de-
partment. and others, each with its
own duties.
The question which I asked my
sex after presenting these facts was,
Does II pay?' The answer Is in the
percentage Of deaths from the com.
mon contagious and preventable dis.
eases.
I'm the case OF each one of them
the percentage Is lower in 1912 than
1t was In 1901. II pays In hundreds
OF human lives. For instance. in in
FAINT mortality. In spite OF the
growth of the city the actual number
OF such deaths was smaller In 1912
than In 1901. Taking the proportion
Of babies that died in 1906 to the
whole number born that year. and ap-
plying this ratio to the number born
in 1912, gives us figure of more than
1900 In excess OF the actual infant
DEATHS in 1912. So you see that II
THEY had died at the same rate in
1912, about 1900 more of them would
have died. took the ..atistics OF
1906 for this. because that was the
first year in which all births were re-
ported. In accordance with our new
law"
zone Of DR.. Kiefer's additions to the
department was what he called the
Publicity and public instruction d.
vision" To this he devoted a large
amount Of energy In the way OF Civ
ing lectures. In preparink material for
publication and In other ways which
were calculated to educate the people
up to living healthy lives.
That Ia where the battle must be
fought out: education IL the crux OF
the whole matter" he declared with
enthusiasm when asked how much i'm.
portanee he placed upon that phase
Of the work.
1 "You can't make people maintain
healthy living conditions merely by
telling them they have to do so under
penalty OF the law. That is why the
Nprk OF nurses Is so valuable. They
Zach, the people they attend first and
call Ii the law only as last resort.
Gases where that Is necessary are
rare, for when you show them how
their actions would endanger the
health OF their friends and neigh bors
very few persons will fail to observe
the rules demanded Of them. In this
we have made some advancement by
doing away with several positions OF
men known as quarantine inspectors
and \disinfectors, Their duties were
to 70 around and enforce the law and
disinfect after a quarantine was
raised. That work Is now done by
LyHrses. The spirit In which II Is con-
Hycted has changed from one OF en-
forcement Of regulations to one OF
education"
In retiring from public service. DR..
Kiofer takes up the practice OF his
bAApther.in.law, DR.. Carl Bonning. who
succeeded to the practice Of DR.. Kief.
er's father. He has agreed to accept
an honorary position from the Board
Of Health. and look after the public
practice In the hospitals free Of
charge.