Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1917-06-22
BY Edward Marshall.
Copyright, 1917, by Edward Marshall sly,

soldiers healthy in the war zone?
Sir Alfred Keogil, chief of the British
army medical service, think that no
matter how much hard work may be
required Of the American troops dur
ing the war they will be able to stand
up under it and that the medical de-
t'artment ut the United States army
u,,dec Surgeon Genera Gorgas is cor
tain to he competent for whatever task
may be required of it.
The distinguished British medical
officer ia far more familiar with the
situation in both NJ army and our
navy than I had expected to find him,
and he spoke freely and with enthu-
staSm when l saw him at his office in
London in what now is called Adastral
house but in before the war days was
kooWn AS De keyser's hotel.
You have a Magnificent nucleu for
your medical service" he said very
~euphaticaIly. That it cannot be con-
s'dcrcd more than Il nucleus is cue to
the fact that you have not been. any !
more than we were, II military nation. !
o have not been a war maker or
prepared for war. Germany was both.
Shc began the wal with what we have
built up slowly and what you must
build up slowly. ..-.5
One thing. of course. has predomi-
rated in your army and navy medical
service work us it has here--disease
prevention. This is the primary duty |
of an army medical corps. You have
done magniiicently, especially in re-
search work. When l was in Wash
tngton a few years & at the inter- !
ustionai gathering Of military sur
GeonS [ was struck especially by the
ability displayed among your men.
THIS Ia all very fortunate. Disease pref
ventiOn is the great problem of this
war.
The discussions OF the meeting had
nothing tn do with professional medi-
cal work: they dealt with organiZa-1
tion. sanitation and like matters. 1t
WAS upon the vital topic Of disease
prevention that l spoke. We all have
been learning what sanitation can do.
not only with regard to war, but with
regard, to business. industry, etc. In
the latter fields American work has
been expert and will count in war.
Finding tho Danger in Goats Milk.
To me a very striking example of
preventive work is oar experience in
Malta. The sudden abolition of Malta
fever was as dramatic au episode AS n
happen to know Of in connection with
medical science. Unlike yellow fever
end malarin. which SO have plagued
the world. this disease obviously wa
not transferred by the bite OF mos
Quttoes. but through, an organism the
p vi . " O cttc tllIlG HAS
puZZting.
Presently we fo;sn,l tha. ii was car
rted IN the milk OF infected goats. The
discovery was epoch making. Having
Learned thcstruth we one day stopped
goats milk drinkinl; on this part a..
soldiers and from that mor,aat there
was no more Malta fever among them.
moro or less similar inveatisa-
eton much has been dane Il. the United
States. n if we haze been able to
contribute anything which, will be OF
value to the American army we shall
tie glad and proud. Tor America Ina
contributed SO nsucl, which iia, been
OF value to US. Some al tiln ,io:.t i,n-
portant work Wflic., has been done
here has been III connection VITA
enteric fevcr-anti-enter!c ;nocula...o.i.
When Sir Williams Leisl:!nan lc-.4ive.
tisated SIR Almroth Wright's work t.s
was laid Ior the ihoc;llat:on
Hystem now in use among the E..:,;s;,
troops.
As q matter of fac. | ca.:not say
That we have anything II teach You
with regard to disease lrevcn.ion. OF
co,trse IT is inevitable that through
actuat experience we have !earnel -
great Zeal during the war. ana every
thing that we haze leurred, OF course.
Is at your disposition.
During this greatest OF All wars
n of the greatest OF all episodes i.
the tact That the medical service OF the
tsrttlsh- army has been restricted ut no
time either III money or material. Al
n present moment the British. army
IL NghtlnE five campaigns, and if IN
any n OF them deficiencies of the
sort occur one feels certain that the
place In which to search, for the cul-
ktrlt - at the head OF that campaign.
Tue foundation for all the work has
been properly and generously laid.
Lord Kitchener gave me. an abso-