The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1916-09-26
THOMPSON TRUST
EN[ARGES WORK
Trustees Working on Means
of Preventing All
Epidemics
GIVING ATTENTION
TO PUBLIC SCHOOLS
No Intention of Furthering Research
Investigation Best Plan of Eff
fcctive Cooperation Being Studied
Statement by Mr. Bradley.

Various reports have appeared to the
effect that the Thomas Thompson foun-
dation has undertaken to combat the
epidemic of infantile paralysis in or
der to keep it from reaching the chil.
dren of the state.
Richards NJ. Bradley, of Boston and
Brattleboro, the active trustee of The
foundation has given the Reformcr The
following statement:
The Trust has no intention of fur
thering research investigation, to which
large sums and the services of very
able men are already being contributed
in various parts of the country.
As to doing such work in Vermont
the report of the state board Of health
upon the recent epidemic of the disease
in several towns of the state shows
that there is already the best possible
safeguard in the state health authori-
ties, if they have their work properly
strengthened and backed b. the people.
What probably brought about the re
port is that the trustees have for sew
eral wears been interested IN getting
health inspection and health instruc-
tion into the schools of the state, and
lust now the commissioner of education
is having an investigation made as to
the best method Of organizing and pro-
noting this particular line of work in
the schools.
This has a direct bearing upon the
epidemic, as it has upon every epidemic,
the schools being hitherto one Of the
chief means of distributing contagion.
The work done in Brattleboro under
Miss Anna l.. Davis by stopping sever
al outbreaks of contagion with the first
ease has shown that such epidemics
can usually be nipped in the bud b.
proper cooperation between the school
nurse and the health officer.
One of the most effective results of
the quiet talks of the school nurse with
mothers and children has been that it
has proved one of the best ways of
arming the people with the knowledge
that enables them to look out for them
selves and their children and causes
them to assist instead of resist the
health officer when he is trying to pro
| tect the community.
1t is to be hoped that the days, not
| so long distant, will never return, when
doors were barred against the health
| officer and cases of dangerous contagion
were kept in concealment.
To attempt to fight Il sudden cpl
demic By means gotten uD in a hurry
| is like trying to rcpel the invasion OF
wcll-trained modern hostile army b.
individual valor and a few hastily as
scmbled companies.
In the next year more children viii
die throughout the state from diph
iberia, scarlet fever and other deadls
contagious to which we pay little attcn
tion than from this more striking cpl
demic.
/ The machinery for preventing ant
handling these constantly recurring ep1
denies must be thought out in advance
organized and kept in constant workin;
order if we are to guard our children
effectively and with economy,
The best plan, by which the healtl
officer, the school nurse, the medica
profession, the educational system an,
the health department, can all cooper
ate for the health and safety of tn
children is now being studied out, an,
there is every hope that effective &C
tion will be made possible.
Meanwhile Miss Davis has given n
her work in the Mutual Aid association
in order to devote her whole time t
the school problem in Brattleboro an,
in several Of the neighboring town
that have taken hold of the matter