The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-01-25

petent visiting school physicians and
trained visiting school nurses
Then, too, our own national gov
eminent is alive to the truth of Lloyd
Georges statement, and is not only
urging progressive health legislation
by all the states. but has voted large
sums of money to assist states in pub
lie health work providing the states
match the federal appropriation dol
lar for dollar. Kansas has already re-
celved a cOnSidera BILE sum of money
for venereal disease control, and the
government offers S1S,350 for next
year provided the state will match it
with like sum. The government also
contemplates a similar provision for
use in rural sanitation. One of the
greatest surprises of the war was that
there were a relative greater number
of reflections of country boys because
of physical defects than of city reared
boys, and that surprise was further
accentuated into what bordered on
CONSERVATION when, during the days
Of the death-dealing epidemic, it was
observed that it was chiefly the coun-
try boys that were dying while their
city cousins were, as a rule, weather.
! ing the storm and recovering. When
the national authorities began an eff
fort toward the solution of this I'M
expected phenomena. they remem-
bered that practically all the public
health work and Improvement in Sani-
tary conditions of living had taken
place i'm the cities, to the almost COM
plete neglect of the country; there
fore the new and greatly needed move
ment for rural sanitation.
The government proposes to give
Kansas $34,393 for rural sanitation
providing the state will meet it with
a like sum. What will the Kansas leg
islature do for rural Kansas? And
now l am going to propose an acid
Ars& TO 4 L.
is this: that every one who believes
! to be true what Lloyd George has said,
/ and who desires that this state should
qualify to receive the government sub
sides for public health work. write a
( letter to his representative ana sena-
! tor in the legislature and ask him to
+ support these measures: the members
want to know what you think about it,
and they can only know if You tell
them. Don't put it off-do it now!
The future of the race is at stake.
! Questions and Answers.
: Question: What is ideal sanitation .?
l.. J. J.
Answer: I think we must answer
hat ideal sanitation is not a fixed set
Of conditions and cannot be provided
by following a definite set of rules, but
must be elastically defined as condi-
tons not in excess of the proper COM
pcnsatory range of the human
This definition is all-embra cling 1t
1 includes the prevention of sickness as
we'll the promotion of health. Thus
! the exposure of a non-immune person
! to smallpox would be a breach of sani-
ta1on of the worst sort; but exposure
of one who = vaccination had been
! adapted to such a condition. is per-
fectly proper proceeding. To race a
miscellaneous lot of sedentary clerks
fresh from their desks. ten miles
across country at top speed would be
criminal-and would set up a series
of defects and disabilities. even
deaths. in those clerks which would be
appalling. To race the same clerks
/ across the same country a top speed
for twenty miles. after their compen-
/ 5. tions and adaptations had beer
properly trained for such task would
not only be quite proper, but perha ps
Il wise precaution against excess ebul-
litions of energy in other directions.
Thus, hygiene and sanitation be-
come not idealistic questions fol
mollycoddles. who hope to control
conditions so absolutely as to dispense
with the compensations and adapta-
sanitation are pre-eminently studies
for the sturdy and energetic who
wishing to meet every emergency and
every condition to which striving en-
terprise may expose them. yet wish
meet them with success and do mo-
count on perishing in a fruitless effor-
to meet them by courage rather thar
: by shrewd foresighted preparation