The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1916-09-21
TAKES CATASTROPHE
TO AROUSE PEOPLE
The Value of an Epidemic Depends
Upon the Degree to Which It Stirs
People to Action

sit takes a catastrophe to arouse
people to action. If the interest in
public health problems aroused through
out the country by the present outbreak
of infantile paralysis can be so directed
and utilized as to result in establishing
permanently more energetic health
measures all along the line, the outbreak
may prove blessing in disguise.
Sanitary legislation in New Jersey
had its inception in the prevalence of
yellow fever. The organization of
boards of health was undertaken at a
later period because of the prevalence
of Asiatic cholera in the state. If the
public health movement be advanced
a step by the present outbreak, the
profit may be greater than the loss. The
value OF an epidemic depends upon the
degree to which it stirs the people to
intelligent, effective action.
Already the stirring effect of the
policy of frank publicity adopted by
the New York city health authorities
is being keenly felt everywhere. Local
authorities in many communities are
taking speedy and even drastic, though
often ill-advised, preventive meas
ures. As a result there are being re-
vealed long standing conditions that
never should have been tolerated under
any circumstance, and a woeful UMPIRE,
paredness on the part of the local
! authorities in some communities to
meet public health emergencies.
/ "There is danger that the relative
! Importance of infantile paralysis NAV
/ become greatly exaggerated in the pub
/ lie mind. As a cause of sickness and
death, it is not nearly so important as
any one of a number of other diseases
with which people are now afflicted.
"Diphtheria, for example, takes {
greater toll than does infantile paraly
sis. Through the action of specific tox
in, diphtheria also sometimes cause:
paralysis. Scarlet fever, typhoid fever
measles, and even whooping cough, arc
each much more important as causes
of death than infantile paralysis. Scar
LET fever often causes permanent deaf
mess in those that recover. Tubercu
losis is many times more important thar
infantile paralysis, both as regards thu
amount of sickness it causes and thu
number of people it kills. As for thu
babies, diarrhoea will carry off more o
them during a hot summer month thar
linfantile paralysis will ordinarily CLAIM
lin a dozen years. Yet there is no ex
lcitement over any one of these dis
leases.
'Some of them are far more prevent
able than infantile paralysis, becaus
much more is known about them. Ty
Iphoid fever, for example, is a diseas
that need not exist at all if all tina
is known about it were actually utll
lied. The present knowledge of diph
liberia is sufficient to cause its d1saf
pearance if practically and thorough
applied. The diarrhoea of infant
might soon he made a medical curiosit
by the universal application of know
principles of infant care.
J .'Why give so little attention to som
of the most important diseases, and s
! much attention to less important dl'
ease9 Can it be due to paralysis
, the conscience with reference to thos
diseases that are commonf Publ
Health News of the Department 9
Health of the State of New Jersey.