New Britain herald., 1915-11-05
TUBERCULOSIS CAN
 BE STAMPED OUT
Fight Against it "A Public Duty, Second to None," Says Whitman

OCGUuu u NUu6, OdyS uultlldu
 Albany, N. Y., Nov. Ex-Governor l Charles s. Whitman characterized the i fight against tuberculosis as "a pub
 lie duty, second to none," in an ad-
 dress last night before the joint meet
 ing of the North Atlantic Tuberculo- sis conference and the New York
 State Tuberculosis conference Im-
 ant and telling blows had been deliv-
 cred in many fields in the eight-year
 anti-tuberculosis campaign in this
 state, said Governor Whitman and ne
 believed the white plague could be
 completely stamped out if the proven I tative work was pushed by all agen-
 cies as hard as it might be.
 Governor Whitman said the move
 ment against tuberculosis had been
 more widespread in New York than in
 any other state, but this work had | been carried on largely by county
 and municipal organizations, and now | the state ought to give far more as- sistance than it had in the past. He quoted Surgeon-General William c. Gorgas, U. s. A., as stating ''that the biggest thing that needs to be done in public health work in the next five years is to concentrate our energies, l time and resources upon the proven tion of tuberculosis.
 The joint meeting will pass upon a survey of the tuberculosis work ac- complished by the state organization as we'll as by the North Atlantic con- ference, and upon this survey will be based the plans for the campaign of the next eight years.
 Text of Address.
 Governor Whitman said:
 Modern science has discovered many means for safeguarding health and promoting physical and intellec- tual vigor which can be effectively ap- piled only through wise community action. Among the pressing duties and opportunities in public health ad- ministration, none looms so large and so immediate as the prevention of tu- berculosis. The number of deaths from this disease at all ages, but chiefly in the productive period of life, the long period of illness and i'm capacity which it brings, the enormous resulting poverty, the fact that we know the cause of the malady and how to deal with it-all these make the prevention of tuberculosis a pub- lie duty second to none. This is the impression which must be made on anyone who studies the subject even casually.
 1T attended the meeting of the American Public Health association in Rochester. During the course of that ] Surgeon-G General William c. Gorgas, of the United States Army, the man 1 who made the Panama Canal zone habitable, said the biggest thing that needs to be done in public health work during the next five years is to con- centrate our energies and devote our time and resources to the prevention of tuberculosis. He added that tuber- culosis could be stamped out in this l country at this time as leprosy was 1 stamped out in England in the 18th | century by the establishment of ade- 1 quate local hospitals.
 Clear Cut Program.
 ''I am glad that we have in this l state a we'll defined policy and a clear cut program for the control of tuberculosis. Eight years ago the anti-tuberculosis movement in this state was planned on definite lines and since then has been very effective ly organized. We are not groping in tile QdTh dS IO IdCtS, wC aAC HUI arousing the interest and sympathy of the people without pointing out what to do about it; and we are seeing to it that the necessary steps are actual ly being taken. We have passed through the preliminary stages of re- search, public education, and organi- zation and are now well launched in the field of accomplishment
 "I have been greatly impressed and pleased with the progress already made. Seldom has any movement in- volving the cooperation of large num- bers of people, the action of large numbers of public authorities, and the expenditure of large sums of money been maintained .over period of years with the increasing momentum, cal results which this movement can
 show. The medical profession, the nursing profession, the state Grange with it's membership of over 100000 men and women, the state Fedora tion of Women's clubs, the State Fed eration of Labor and number of fraternal organizations-are assisting effectively in the movement. The state has it's own hospital for incipient
 cases at Ray Brook in the Adiron- dacks, and performs certain duties through the state department of health. Many of the counties have tuberculosis hospitals established or in the course of construction. Any large locality which has not it's tu- bercuIosis visiting nurse is considered exceptionally backward. Many cities