Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1914-08-20
PHYSICIAN FOR
INDIANS ARGUES
\. FOR SANITATION
In Lecture Before Summer
School Dir, Joseph A, Muir
ply Tells Of Great Number
of Unnecessary Deaths.
...e,.l o,.-AreH 70 .o.n,rs JOURNAL

SPECIAL oisrArcH TO MORNING JOURNAL
Santa Fe. Aug. 19.-That 500, 600
people die unnecessarily each year in
the United States. was the statement
in summer school lecture by DR.. Jo-
seph A. Murphy. OF Washington. d.
c., head of the medical service OF the
Indian bureau. Three times as many
Indians as white men die OF tubercu-
losis Twenty and more per cent of
the Indians have tfachoma
The deadly typhus epidemic last
winter among the Navajos at Canyon
cito. socorro county. west OF Albu-
querque. was due to the body louise
and after the employees of the medical
service at risk to their own lives had
exterminated the insect pest, the cpl
demic subsidized. DR.. Murphy told Of
the great advance made in late years
in fighting and preventing disease.
He cited typhoid as an instance In
which vaccination has become GER
tain prophylactic.
At the same time he warned against
typhoid carriers, of whom there is at.
least one in every thousand OF popu-
lation and in city like Albuquerque
there are are at least fifteen to twenty
such carriers. who, although not Ill
themselves. spread typhoid infection
unless sanitation is perfect ANA food
inspection is thoroughly organized.
Bad Teeth Dangerous.
Rather startling was the assertion
that unelean teeth and mouth are the
frequent cause of rheumatism, heart
disease, pneumonia and general de-
bility, the system absorbing the tox-
inc produced on gums not kept clean
1t is DR.. Murphy's strong conviction
that every public school should have
medical inspection. dentist and pro-
fessional nurse to look after the health
Of the children.
From the fact that infant mortality
in New York has been reduced so per
cent In few years. and the death rate
per thousand. altogether through the
adoption of sanitary measures, he de-
duced he assertion that the average
Of life can be greatly prolonged. He
declared the child the greatest econ
omic asset of the state and no effort
should be spared to conserve that as
set.
Older Than Abraham.
Clay tablets with cuneifOrm inscrip-
ton. dating from 800 years before the
days of Abraham. were shown the
summer school this forenoon by DR..
Albert I. Clay, Laffan professor of
Yale university, in his first lecture on
babylonia and Assiria. One of these
tablets was marriage contract and
II was a fascinating story that the lee
turer told Of the days on the Eu-
pirates and Tlgris reaching back
farther into the dim past than any
other civilization or culture. His hear
ers walked the streets of ur in Chal-
dea with Abraham and observed the
intimate life of the people four thous-
ana and more years ago.
The building of many irrigation ca
nals of temples and cities as dis
closed by the thousands upon thous-
anus of documents on clay which have
oeeh unearthed hy archaeooglsts.
passed in review One of these, roy
al letter, with clay envelope, writ
zen 1000 years ago, was not opened
un'ii few weeks ago by DR.. Clay.
NO more interesting lecture has
peen delivered in recent years in Santa |
re. When one remembers that the
cunelform tablets tell the story of the |
ueiuge and of creation, much as it is |
'oiu In the Bible, there develops an
auuiiional interest to many people,
not to speak of the similarity in de-
'aii OF the Babylonian culture with the |
civilization of today.
Religion of the Indians.
Those who heard Miss Fletcher this
forenoon, and it was the largest at
tendance thus far at any morning lee
'ure' carried away with them much |
'earer and loftier conception Of the
'eheious ideas and philosophy Of the
req man than they ever had before.
~ iact, Il must have been revelation I
70 many to gain an insight into the
pos,ic FEELING, the purity and beauty
VI me religious ideals Of the red man
"n'ch arc expressed In his symbolism, !
'is uances, his ceremonIals.
MISS Fletcher with sure and sympa
.neee touch and yet with almost mar
seious eloquence delineated the GUS
.o''is and traditions. including the
"sehs of the Indians. Tomorrow
"'oihing's lecture by Miss Fletcher on
'ne aesthetic Life of the Indian.
""i' u possible. be Of still greater
popular iufareef i1...,4t ~ locfurac Tint |