Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1913-08-07
HEALTH OFFICERS
IN SCHOOL HERE
Fifteenth Annual Gathering
Began Monday at High
School Building.
GOVERNOR IS 4 SPEAKER
Ur. G. S. Caverly, President of
State Board of Health, Re-
views Work Of Year
Past.
GOVERNOR is 4 SPEAKER


don.
Mayor Burke delivered AZ. address of
usscome, and was followed by Governor
Alien M. yletchcr, who spoke briefly Of
the duties OF health officers. Former
Secretary Il. D. Eoldon was present
'If yoN accept the position" said the
Governor, you owe a duty to society 1t
ia your province to do your duty as a
public officer who accepts Office You
should not be swayed by any motive other
than the right, justice and advancement
of the States interest You should sup
port the State board of health broadly
and you Will then get like support at
once. Follow the law. but do 1t with dis
creton."
DIR. CAVERLY'S ADDRESS.
Or. c. s. Caverly, president of the
State board of health. responded, speak
Ing in part as follows:
There are not half rs many deaths a
year now from typhoid fever or diphtheria
as IA years ago. The former disease
has been largely eliminated by improving
and guarding our water supplies and the
latter by the general use of the antitoxn
furnished during the last five years at
State expense.
Tuberculosis has been cut down IS per
cent during these years, and last year
there were only 347 deaths from this
disease. The educational campaign, for
which special appropriation Is made has
been an undoubted factor in this saving
of life. AS to tuberculosis. l regret that
this must be said: The medical profess
f,,r1 ITO,
two responsiveness of this disease are not
reported as required by law. and the
disease is too rarely discovered and prop
er treatment started IN its incipiency-
There have been 19S cases Of this dis
ease reported to the secretary of the state
board of health the past year. greater
humber. | believe, than in any previous
year, but still only about half the truth.
HOPE FOR VICTIMS
1T is a generally recognized fact that
a great majority of the cases may be
cured, If treatment is begun while the
disease is in its incipency. There can he
no doubt that there are several hundred
iat least 500 such cases in the State all
The time, yet the Vermont sanatorium for
ncipient cases. with accommodations for
"a cases. seldom has n quarter of its
sooms filled with such. The medical pro-
fesson fails in these respects to help on
the crusade against this disease.
I'VE stil have smallpox with rs. There
is no prospect that the mild form of this
disease, which has prevailed over the
North American continent during the past
decade. will be arrested in the near future.
It's very mildness is Il serious obstacle to
its suppression We all know that there
Is only one effective preventive Of small
poX-general vaccination The disease
cannot exist In a well-vaccinated COM
Snunity
1T is the same loathsome. disfgurng
disease, OF yore II demorali2es the So
5al and business interests of the COM
,nunitv. The old methods of dealing with
It by means of quarantine and disinfection
are bunglinE and costly. and worst of all,
in the absence of general vaccination, are
Ineffective.
ABANDON QUARANTINE.
Several progressive States of the Mid
die West have abandoned quarantine in
this disease and thrown the burden OF its
suppression on the public The public Is
told in plain language that vaccination
alone will prevent 1t. and if they wish 10
avoid the disease, they must be vacc!nat-
ed. This action is entirely logical, and
in view of the situation in Vermont
deserves our attention. Two hundred
and twenty-sx cases of this disease have
been reported to our board during the
past IL months, and. while no deaths have
occurred. TIKI. public burden on the com
munities affected has been considerable
II is worthy OF serious consideration, II
the responsibility for this buIden oueh
not to DO piaoed where it rightly belongs
On individuals rather than on the pub
lie, on those who neglect or refuse tho
only known Irophylactic treatment of III;
disease and thus keep 1t alive
Measles and whoopins cough contnu,
10 sweep oyer the country In waves. Dur
Ing tho past year we hove had IN Yer
mont wave of the former 1857 cases %
this disease. measles having been re
ported to this board.
The only marked advance that can b,
reported in our management Of measles
and whooping cough is that each IS nov
reported more closely than ever before
We are unfortunate in not knowing de
fnitely the cause of measles. and Their
is no known way of surely diagnosing /
before IT is contagious.
THE SCHOOLS THE KEY.
The schools furnish the key 10 III
situation, in the present state of on
knowledge. Medical inspection OF the pub
lie schools may do something to checl
waves of this disease,
1.-TWO popular fallacies in regard t.
these diseases should be noticed. First
that they are harmless children's dis
eases, and second. that the younSe
they are had, the more harmless.
During the first five months o
this year, 1913, there were SO death
from measles in this State. as agalns
10 from diphtheria, seven from scarle
fever and ten from typhoid fever
This is not of course a high case NOR
tally, yet In the gross il Is worthy O
serious attention. Nearly twice a
many deaths I'm five months fror
measles as from diphtheria, scarle
fever and typhoid combined! These fig
ures should not DO lightly regarded
They lead to the question. while W
are cutting down death rates fror
the old seriously regarded infections
why do we not pay more attention I
these harmless diseases OF childhood
The second fallacy. that these diseas
Ass LnarN hSx1alGsA EbSn bad xanni