Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-01-18
WHAT THE GOVERNMENT Is DOING

in the United States, written by Fletcher
B. Dressler. special agent of the bureau
| and a member of the faculty OF the Pea.
body College for Teachers. DR.. DRESSER
sets forth in general way the methods
| and means employed by the many So
| cieties and organizations working to edu-
| cate the people along various lines OF
health improvement for which each was
! organized. such as the associations organ
! lied for the purpose of helping to rid the
country of tuberculosis, to educate the
| people in matters of sex hygiene. to teach
mothers and nurses the proper care ano
treatment Of infants and societies or
| ganized for other purposes.
The printed page according to Dr.
| DRESSER, continues to be the principal
method of educating the people on health
subjects. Many books, bulletins and pam
phlets are issued by the tens Of thou
/ sands each year. and these help to edll-
cate the people on the conservation OF
health. on the need of medical inspection
of schools, rural sanitation, sex hygiene,
municipal sanitation. tuberculosis, disin-
lection, mouth hygiene. home and school
| hygiene infectious diseases, the care OF
| children and other interesting subjects.
DR.. DRESSER reports to Commissioner
P. B. Claxton. chief of the bureau of ed
| ucation. that many of the publications is
sued to further the work of health teach
| ing in the United States are models OF
popular writing. but that many of them
are weakened because of the fact that
| they resort to the so-called don't
method.
| have tried to protect people by telling
them what they should not do Without
doubt there will always be need OF warn
ing people OF danger. but all who have
! far more effective training and much
| more purposeful education will come
| through a positive statement of facts and
| reasons than the mere listing of Il series
of 'donts.' Most people know by expert
| ence that the temptation OF do {, thing
often develops because they have been
forbidden without knowing the reasons
! why they should not do that thing"
DR.. Dressler believes that it is exceed
| ingly important that honesty and fairness
should be kept in mind in the prepare ton
| Of all literature relating to health teach
ing. He says in his report that some
writer's need to learn the lesson that the
sanest and wisest method of teaching is
to value fact for its exact worth. and
| to remember that in the long run an
overstatement Is always an untruth. He
adds that one can friShten people into a
temporary belief, but he cannot terrify
| them into real education.
Throughout this campaigning for good
health continues DR.. DRESSER, 1.-The lee
! ture method is becoming dominant fac
! tor. With scarcely an exception, all of
/ the societies engaged in any way with
I health teaching have depended on public
!
and kindle enthusiasm. The illustrated
lecture and motion picture method are
| gradually being more and more intro
| duced. When an audience can see the
house fly deposit its eggs in a mass of
| rubbish. and then watch the following
chain of developments. from the egg to
the fuli-grown fly, take place within u
| minute Or two, tremendous impression
IS made and much time is saved. With
| the masses seeing makes for immediate
belief
! Newspapers have also taken an inn
portant part in the work of health teach
ing and educating the people on how to
! develop their health. as well as to pre-
vent illness. The popular magazines have
also, performed Il large share of educa-
tional work by presenting to their read
ers much important matter relative to
public health and hygiene. The extern
| sion OF the rural mail delivery system,
has greatly aided III scattering this ma
terial to all parts of the country.
| 'Of recent years health exhibitions
| have increased at a Very rapid rate until
| now scarcely city or school has not at
some time had series of exhibitions il
illustrative OF the various phases of health
education. Another mode of appeal has
! developed through what is known as
! clinics. AS 4 general thing the word
clinic is now used for any SCR; of public
| meeting place where people are treated
! for diseases or defects, or even where
/
IN a scientific manner. and how to pre-
! part III" proper sort of food.
Mitch important health teaching is also
done at various meetings OF women $
clubs, and at the congresses and conven-
tons. local. state and national, which are
held each year. Many OF the large asso-
Citations such as the National Educational
Association, the American Medical Asso-
citation. the Woman's Christian Temper
ancc Union and others of ranking i'm
portance have special committees whose
business it is to devote their time and at
! tenton to health propaganda.
The national government is doing i'm
portant educational work along the lines
of health through it's public health serv-
ice. the bureau Of education, the Depart
ment of Agriculture and the War and
Navy Departments. The government had
done splendid service in taking the lead
i'll sanitary measures against yellow fe-
Yer. malaria, typhoid and the bubonic
plague. State boards of health and city
health departments are also doing an i'm
portant work in bringing to the people
valuable lessons i'll preventive medicine
and improvement of the public health
::
Germany which is regarded by the
average person and even by most pro-
fessional men
Germany Imports as the center
of manufac-
SAieAAAeaAo' ture of chem
icals which enter into many industries. is
today largely dependent upon this coun-
try for the very chemical products of
which her people are supposed to be the
leading manufacturers. Charles L. Par
sons, president Of the American Chemical
Society and chief of the branch of min
eral technology Of the United States bu-
reau of mines, is much interested in a
tabulation of exports and imports of
chemical products from and into Ger