The Bemidji daily pioneer., 1915-09-10
A SANITARY SURVEY
Report Telling How Springfield, III.
7' - Could Lower Its Death Rate. 49,

| CouId Lower Its Death Kate.
| The last pages Of the Russell Sage
foundation report on health conditions
in Springfield, ILL.,, recently delivered to
the Springfield survey committee in the
form of a printed pamphlet, sums ul
/ the situation, and tells just what the
city ought to do to save the lives of 20C
residents who die needlessly each year
from preventable diseases. The sani
| tary improvements needed in different
| parts of the city are discussed, as are
the question of cost and relative impor-
tance of the various improvements.
Increased appropriation for the health
department is said to be specially i'm
portant. The report concludes:
"Springfeld has we'll defined and
Isclearly localized public health prob
lem. It has a combination of serious
life wastage from preventable diseases,
ISfairly good sanitary conditions, except
lsfor the presence Of an extraordinary
number Of wells and privies, and a
lspoorly supported and weak health de-
partment. Certain parts of the city,
notably the wards east of Tenth street,
have excessively high rates of mortal
ity from preventable causes, and it is
in these districts that sanitary condi-
tions are specially bad. The plain fact
is that people are dying in parts Of the
city because they are ignorant, because
they are poor, because they are sur
rounded by inferior sanitary conditions
and because the city does not give them
proper health department service.
what is needed at once to meet
Springfelds public health problem is
fairly obvious. The walls and privies
should be done away with, and the
city should perfect its water supply
and sewerage and make the mains of
both systems available to all. The
city should also see to it that the
benefits Of such Improvements are de-
MED no one simply because he is too
poor to afford them. This is to the
advantage both Of the individual and
Of the whole department. to overcome
popular ignorance with regard to sani-
tary matters. Finally, the city should
provide it's health department with
proper equipment in the way Of staff
and funds, so that the department may
adequately cope, with the various ad-
ministrative phases of the needed pre-
ventive work.
S 1T can also be said here that the in
vestment in the health department
will probably, dollar for dollar, save
more lives than will the Investments
for the various sanitary improvements.
This is not to say that the other i'm
provements, as in the water supply
and sewer system, should not be made
It means simply that the health de-
partment need is most urgent and
should be met first.
''The whole question of better health
in Springfield is in no sense limited to
the realm of, theory. It is a thorough
~ practical matter and is squarely up
to the citizens and7the city administra-
t1on. That public health is purchas-
able Is now we'll recognized fact.
Springfield has splendid opportunity
to buy-to save 200 or more. lives a
year and to prevent much additional
sickness. Realizing that the safety
and welfare of the citizens are involv-
ed to this extent, there ought to be no
question of the city's willingness and
determination to find the funds needed.