Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1914-02-26
Assistant Surgeon General W.
C. Rucker Gives Advice to
Chicago Medical Society on
Sanitary Administration
FADS CONDEMNED AS
HARMFUL TO PUBLIC
Well Trained Officers at ADJ
eQuate Salaries Should Be
Employed, Avoiding Foolish
Red Tape Of Amateurs
rsY MORNING JOURNAL SPECIAL LEASED w,.-,

Chicago, Feb 25 Common sense
Ia public health administration was
emphasized by Assistant Surgeon
General ". q Rucker of the federal
public health service tonight In an
address before the Chicago Medical
society.
1T is proper that we insist upon
abolshing the common drinking cup.
eaid he, but when We insist that cups
furnished TO the general public shall
be sterilized the question assumes a
phase as farcical and ridiculous as
would be the individual doorknob.
Already good MANY common sense
laymen are offorlng the criticism that
we are carrying public health meas
ures 90 am unnecessarily fine point
of perfection While this contention
Is not granted, it must be admitted
that some of the recommendations
by muained enthusiasts bear close
resemblance TO the royal society's re-
concentrations with regard 70 bath
ing. These. reduced TO their lowest
terms are. do not battle
Common Sense Much Needed
s'Commdn sense in public health
administration eomprehends the en-
ployment OF well trained health Off
GERS NJ adequate salaries. sufficient
funds to administer the laws and spe-
eifie legislation, having as its tounda-
uon the basis of fact and practical
lty. Fact. not theory. must be the
basis ef eHF action
Disease Is not ghost, but real
ity. The common sense application
of knowledge alone will control it,
The sanitary millennium viii never
come. but research and common sense
administration will bring it nearer
Dr. Rueker compared the practices
of trained and unframed sanitarians
The unframed health officer. he said,
establishes shotgun quarantine
burns tar barrels In the streets and
washes down houses with biehioride
of mercury for yellow fever OUT
break The trained sauitarian merely
destroys the mosquitoes
Too Much tad aud Fancy,
The American people. he said. were
awakening to wholly needless sacri-
flee to pr1ventablc disease and there
was great danger that the public
health movement might be attended
by fads and fanaticism. Two gem
eral sets Of faults in the sanitary laws
OF the country. he said. were a scat
teration of IDEAS and loading down
the health officer with more power
than he could possibly use. Common
sense enforcement Of sanitary laws
he declared, meant the maximum Of
protection with the minimum inter
ference Of trade
THE arbitrary enforcement of the
exact letter Of The law. he said, In
stead Of applying with common sense
to meet the situation. defeats The rur-
poses for which the law was created.
1t disaourages cooperative effort and
sometimts works hardships which
might have been avoided by a more
elastic construction. Arbitrary house
quarantine has brought about a fail
ure TO reach communicable diseases
and disregard for quarantine. that
could have been avoided. in part at
least. by the application Of little
common sense and charity
Results Must BE shown.
"The general public is fundamental
ly practical and il is not enough that
Re are able 10 show that the funds
which 1t has given Tor the prosecution
Of public health work have resulted
in the saving of human lives This Is
all very well, but the hard headed
business man is Interested in the 9TH
er returns from his public health in
vestment We must show In actual
figures that public health Is public
wealth, if We are 10 secure funds for
the conduct Of research or the pro-
phylaxis Of disease Furthermore, no
matter how high our ideals may be
as 20 the humanitarian ASPECTS Of
our profession. We must administer
the public health activities with due
regard for commerce"