New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-09-08
Medical Schools Behind
Insurance Companies,
Association Hears.
SEDGEWICK CITES
HYGIENIC FAILURE
Typhoid, Sewage and Other
Problems Not Yet Completely
Settled, Convention Told.
BY SAMUEL HOPKINS ADAMS.

Rochester, Sept. T.. Strong medicine
and not wholly pleasing TO the taste
was measured out to the physicians and
hygienic experts OF the American Pub
lie Health Association tonight. at the
opening public meeting of their forty
third annual convention. by their pres
ident, Professor William T. Sedgwick,
OF Boston.
So much time had been occupied in
formal speeches of welcome and con-
graduation that when Professor Sedg-
wick. the last speaker. came forward
to deliver his presidential address on
achievements and Failures in Public
Health Work" he proceeded to save
time by the radical method Of cutting
his remarks in half and delivering only
the last half.
1T will be quite as profitable" he
told his audience, "for you to read
about the successes and achievements
of American hygiene as to hear me
enumerate them. and you will have the
opportunity of reading that portion Of
my address in the journal of our organ
ization. Meantime, 1t may do us some
good to consider our failures. So, as
suming that our public health achieve
ments have been many and splendid, Let
us turn briefly to the other side Of the
shield.
I'VE hear much of our improving
water supplies, and il is true that we
have done well in this department.
But our sewage disposal system is still
far from satisfactory, and we are only
too likely 10 pollute with our sewage
the very water which some other com
munity must purify before 1t Is mt to
drink.
Typhoid Another Failure.
Another of our failures is typhoid.
We have done much, but we do not
wholly control the situation. As lorg
as any typhoid problem remains we
must blame ourselves for some short
comings in this respect.
perhaps our most obvious and prev
! alent failure in a common and funda-
mental health measure is the lack Of
u
! our cities. We look to the hotel and the
barroom to supply this want. know
/ Of one fine old New England city Of
/ 100000 where the leading newspaper
recently congratulated the community
on the establishment of a central sani-
tary station. II had taken ten years OF
effort TO attain that much
"Our high infant mortality, lessening
though II be, is an indictment against
us We have our hot weather to con-
tend with; we have not yet thoroughly
mastered the lesson that our milk sup
ply must be pasteurized, and there is
the prevalent ignorance and careless
ness of the unframed parent TO con
tend with. Here education is sorely
needed.
1--WE have failed to pay proper heed
to our American climate, vivldly de-
scribed by one visiting critic as Polar
tropic. Herein we shall perhaps hnd
in time the cause of our typical Amer
lean nervous tension and high excita-
bility.
Only Scratched the Surface.
"In rural and industrial hygiene we
have but scratched the surface. we
have done by no means all that we
should do in the prevention of tuoer-
culosis. blindness and cancer. Our
vital statistics are incomplete and
often untrustworthy. Our public health
officials are sometimes of the best type
OF devoted scientists and Conscientious
public servants, and in other cases mold
overs of a worn and political system.
ave pay far too little attention to
the individual So concerned are we
with disease that we pass over the I'M
portant matters of overeatlng, over
working, overdrinking, exercise, sleep,
ing. family hygiene-the individual
nroblem. We have done much in pre-
ventive medicine, little in preventive
hygiene. This is perhaps the most seri-
Gus failure of all.
"The whole matter OF the teaching
of hygiene and sanitation is grossly
neglected Even the best medical
schools do little The most practical
instruction that the public gets to-day
comes. not through the schools, Dut
through the work Of the best boards
of health and Of the progressive life
insurance companies, mortfying re-
Aection upon our medical schoIastc
system 49,.
That doctors can sometimes take
their own medicines without wry race
was shown by the hearty reception
given to the presidents criticisms.
Welcomed by Governor.
In welcoming the convention TO the
state. Governor Whitman said:
"In the present state OF society II
seems essential that we be prepared
10 fight human foes. am in favor o;
preparedness. II is equally essential
thai we be prepared 10 night those
more subtle forces, which are more
destructive than all the armies OF the
world, the diseases. / am glad 10 wei
come you, who are engaged IN the no
Continued on page 3. column