Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1915-11-19
STATE FEDERATION
OF WOMEN'S CLUBS
President Shedd Urges Co-optration
To Improve Healsh Conditions
in the State Of Washington

For several years we, as state
federation, have been privileged to
cooperate with the state board of
health in advancing, through legisla-
| ton and otherwise, the health prob
lens of our state.
The following 10 AN excerpt from
an address given by DR.. futile,
Washington state commissioner of
health, to the Northwest District
Federation of WOmen's Clubs held
at Mount Vernon last month. We
are grateful for this opportunity of
endorsing his plea for whole-time
health officers.
The old-time health officer is q
yalueless health officer, and he Ia
also an old-time health officer: that
is, he devotes his odd time to sani-
tary conditions and the evidence of
insanitary conditions must be very
apparent to everyone before he de-
tects them. The old-time
health officer recognizes his lack of
value by accepting the office with
out compensation.
Competent whole time health Of
ficers are the cheapest advertising
medium community can have.
Clean cities, sanitary surroundings
and low death rates attract citizens
who are looking for a home and not
mere investors whs hold property
that increases in value at your ex-
pense.
No man engaged in the practice
of medicine can make an efficient
health officer. The practice of med
icine is a business, and no one can
conduct a successful business and at
the same time earnestly endeavor to
stop the source OF his income. The
very duties of a health officer make
it impracticable for him to engage
in the practice of medicine in COM
petition with the physicians of his
district. Physicians must report all
communicable diseases to the local
health officer, who must quarantine
or packard the house where such
disease exists. IL the local health
officer suspects the presence of
disease in his district, he must In
vestigate. II physician is in doubt
about the nature OF case under his
care, the health officer should be
called in consultation. If two
physicians disagree as to whether a
patient is suffering from a contagi-
Gus disease, the health officers de-
cision is final. The health officer
must investigate and see that all In
sanitary conditions are abolished In
his district. These are only few
of the duties of health officer, but
enough to illustrate my point.
Now think of health officer
with whom half of the physicians in
his district are at outs land every
mayor here knows 1t is not hard to
find such a physieian) and you will
realize the situation.
Now take the same health Off
Ger, employ his whole time, and
things will be entirely different. He
will not be in competition with the
physicians of his district; there is
no possible excuse for jealousy; he
can not only investigate freely, but
the local doctors are glad to have his
advice In doubtful cases. They will
not only report promptly, but they
will cooperate with the health Of
ficer In his efforts to improve sani-
tary conditions. Under such circum-
stances, appeals to courts are rare
and when necessary, result in sue
cessful prosecutions and general i'm
provement of sanitary conditions In
the locality.
What is accomplished by such
work? In 1910 the city OF North
Yakima showed 80 deaths from
typhoid fever. to say nothing of the
high death rate from other prevent
able diseases. In 1911, the city COM
bined with the county and employed
whole-time health officer with an
efficient corps of inspectors. AS a
resnlt there was enc death from
typhoid fever in 1914. Communi-
cable diseases are reported promptly,
the whoie-time health officer is free
ly called by the physicians OF the dis
trict In determining the nature of
suspicious case. Jealousies are abol-
ished and che result shows that with
the increased population this county
shows an actual decrease of over 100
CONTINUED On last pass)