The Palatka news and advertiser., 1916-02-04
Disease Prevention Easy In Florida.

Disease Prevention Easy In Florida.
What's your choice-to pay a dol
lar for certain immunity from typhoid
fever. or to have the disease and pay
the penalty of a hundred, or several
times one hundred dollars and weeks
of perfectly good, productive time to
be freed from it?
Which do you prefer-immunity
from all the diseases on the prevent
able list-for there are others besides
typhoid-or the risk of suffering Of
becoming a burden to the family, a
menace to the neighbors and of bring
ing your earthly career to a pre-
ture end, because of your own ne
glect? For the choice is yours and
your neglect becomes a sin, even a
crime with a substantial penalty.
Medical science has discovered an
titoxins and vaccines which are dis
ease preventors. The menace of ty-
phoid to the army and navy of the
United States has been practically re-
moved because military law can en-
force the use of the typhoid bacterin,
which civil law cannot.
Diptheria has been robbed of it's ter
rors by administering its antitoXin
Immediately when the disease is dag
nosed.
Smallpox vaccine has almost hun
dred years of efficiency to prove its
worth. Rabies and tetanus are robb-
ed of serious consequences by proper
innoculation. 1t is unnecessary to
have even a cold, and the medical fra
ternity today is investigation pre-
ventives of other human ills with
strong anticipations that they too, will
be added to the list of preventable
diseases.
The high cost of some of the pre-
ventives at first limited their wide use,
in spite of their demonstrated eco
nomic values. Florida's State Board
of Health has recognized these values
and it has urged the use of these pro-
tectives. To encourage the wider use,
it has placed them within the reach of
every citizen of the State and of the
stranger within our gates.
! To the INDECENT it furnishes them
free, when the physician in chargo
of the individual case certifies on
blanks provided that the patient is in
digent and gives other case data. For
those who are able to pay, the board
has arranged with the National Vac
cine and Antitoxin Institute of Wash
ington,> D. c., reduction from for
mer prices, and it has had the dip |
liberia antitoxin and antityphoid vac
cine placed on consignment with a
large number of responsible drug
gists in all parts of the State. In
this way it has brought these preven-
tives within the financial and physi-
cal reach of all residents of the State.
These antitoxins are furnished to
these distributing pharmacists. on con-
signment, that is. they do not have to
invest cent in the stock, and their
return comes from a commission OF
twenty-five per cent on the actual
sales made. The price which they are
to charge is printed in
plain figures on each package, and
this is the price to be paid-no more.
BY this arrangement, made by the
State Board of Health, decided re-
duction from former prices has been
effected. Previously the ultimate
consumer paid for the antitxoin of
diptheria $500 per one thousand
units; $3.50 for five thousand units
and $1,000 for ten thousand units.
Under the present arrangement these
prices are sixty cents, $3.50 and $4.10.
respectively. These prices are based
n the thousand effective units, but
he necessary dose varies to meet the
exigencies of each case. as determined
~ the attending physician.
A similar reduction of the cost of