The bee., 1914-03-24
SOME FACTS PUB
Lie SHOULD KNOW
About Medical Science Told in ln-
terestins Paper by Dr.. Thomp-
son--.How TO Fight Diseases
stamp Out Typhoid and
Malaria
AND MANY OTHER DISEASES

At the meeting OF the Investiga-
tors Club this week paper ON
What the Public Should Know
About Medical Science" was read
by Or. A. l.. Thompson, of M'vtile,
which Was 90 good and contained so
many important suggestions ~ to
the manner Of lighting the various
diseases that The Bee takes pleas
urs in publishiug the article in full.
II should De read by svery.,ene. The
srsisis f6llovs: \ -y3S
Man was created physically per-
<sct and healthy ct the same time
certain fundamental laws wsrs iu.
euleAtsd In the general store OF
knowledgv for the rnsintsnance Of
shis ideal state. But this hIgh
state Of physical perfection was not
10 continue. Primitive man knew
nothing of there laws, aud when ig-
norSnt OF existing conditions, maas
material inciination seems TO lead In
she wrong direction. Being ignor-
ant OF. the laws governing health
they were naturally disobeyed. The
only law man knew was that Of
sslf-preserva alton, and this could
only apply to the protection of him.
self from external violence. This
ignorance resulted in drift from a
state OF perfection to one az fmper-
fection. II remained for future
generations to work out and put in
to use the laws governing health.
IL has taken centuries to- do this,
but, by the patient and untIring et-
forts OF scientists this happy end
has been attained.
Up tethe 18th century mankind
was devastated by VARIOUS plaques
which are attributed TO, divine
wrath OF punishment OF sin rather
than to the ignorance of man. OF
ten, too, pestilences were thought 70
be due to witches and some Of the
woes of the devil. With the 18th
century, however, began an epoch
which may wen be called the Rena-
issance Of Science. In the last
hundred years there has been a
marvellous development of our
knowledge IN all branches of sci
eDce, as chemistry, physics and BIZ
oiogy. but nowhere has It been so
marked as In medicine. Earnest
workers, with the aid OF knowledge
acquired in other departments of
science, have cleared up much of
the my stery which once hung over
medicine, have replaced the old
ampiricism with facts, based on
careful labratory aud cinical obser-
yations, and have developed pre-
venta,ive medicine to a high de-
gree Of perfection. This has result
ed In the complete eradication of
some of the pestilences, which once
decimated the world, from some OF
civilized countries.
lt now remains Tor at least part
OF the accumulated knowledge OF
the medical profession To be dis
seminated among the people. The
profession has, 20 some extent. for
many years tried to impress on the
public the Importance OF prevention
but the ignorance and superstition
which has been handed down from
generation tn generation has barred
our progress to such an extent that
the public is about forty years be-
hind the protest. in this respect.
Heretofore the greatest efforts 10
educate the public on the prevent
abilityof many diseases have been
through newspapers aud magazines.
but today we have more impressive
methods. aud the DAY Is not far
distant when M epidemic Of an IN.
fictitious disease will be positive
disgrace to any community. Thru
the work of such leaders rs Pasteur
Lister, Koch, AS we'll as through
the labors of u multitude Of other
scientific men, it is known today
that many, il not all communicable
diseases are directly due 10 social
conditions beyond the control OF any
one class or profession.
ttPrior 20 the development OF mod
ern bacteriology aud pathology, dis-
ease was largely al indlyiduafma,-
ter between the patient and his
physician. The specific cause of'the
disease as well as the method OF
transmission from the patient 90 an
other was unknown. There was no
means OF preventing these diseases,
or Of recognizing there presence be-