The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1919-02-10
DEFENSE AGAINST DISEASE.
Experience with influenza Shows That
Society Needs 1t.

Experience with lnuuenZa ohOWS 1hdt
Society Needs 1t.
One result of the pandemc OF intlu-
enza has been to show in a striking way
the need of more efficient organization
of the defenses OF society. Civilization
has far greater resources than have vet
been utilized for keeping disease at bay,
Everyone should by this time know that
pestilence is far more terrible enemy
than war A month ago the loss Of life
due to this single plague was estimated
at 100000, and several millions may
have been added since. In 10 weeks it
killed az many a. persisted in the war in
four years, destructiveness 20 times as
great. and how smoothly. silently and eff
ficiently it did its grim work, as though
hooking the frantic efforts of men to kill
each other with their crude engines Of
death. One British medical authority
estimates that if the pest had come in
the first year of the war it would have
taken at least l00,OOO,O00 lives, but the
probability is that it would have forced
an early ending OF the war and concen-
tration of effort on the fight against dis
ease.
To some extent the war may be an
excuse for the complete failure OF man
kind to check this epidemic. Victory
first" was the dominant feeling every
where. and no measures OF protection
could be taken which interfered with
the prosecution of the war, How much
could have been done if the pestilence
had come in time OF peace is an open
question. A good deal might perhaps
have been done If the gravity OF the
case had been understood and ii world
wide organization had been ready to act.
But with the defenses of society so ILL
organized it is probable that even IN
peace the result would have been much
the same 1t is fair to grant that at the
beginning few medical men even compre-
hended the peril; the invader was taken
to be ordinary influenza, and against so
mild q disorder as that it would have
been impossible TO secure energetic ac-
tion.
Yet if civilization had been well served
by its bureau of medical intelligence
there must have been an early rcaliza-
lion OF the truth. In war the highest
scientific skill is kept constantly on the
alert to find defense against new weap-
ons like poison gas; when gas masks were
needed millions Of people collected nut,
shells and fruit pits for charcoal If but
a small part of this vigilance and energy
can be enlisted to defend society in peaca
a great deal can be done. So far as in
diyidual research goes there can perhaps
be no great improvement, for already
scientific men are working with a deyo-
ton and persistence which cannot be
praised too highly. Yet in general among
medical men there is said to be some dis
inclination to the basic study Of fevers,
(which is not regarded as a highway to
success. By putting more stress on the
prevention of infection it should be pos
sible to increase the army Of trained men
who are attacking disease at its source.
Only of late has it come to be under
stood how great part OF the ailments
which cut short human life can be traced
back to some remote infection.
Science has long way to 20 in that
direction yet even our present meager
enough knowledge might be so organized
as to be incomparably more effective
| than it is. Here is a task worthy Of the
league of nations. In these days of close
intprcommmication safeguarding the
| public health has become a world prob
lem No part OF the earth is so remote
! that a plague spot can be regarded with
| Indifference. No part is more remote
| than central Asia. where the plague de-
veloped which has already proved more
deadly than the worlds greatest war.
For all we know this may be but the
s 1,ia l11ait
as have from time to time swept over
the world. Ii this should be the case
mankind, because of railways and steam
ships, is far more exposed to disease UNI
less d strong first line of defense can be
organized, and this requires in the first
place more systematic international CO.
operation, aud in the second place a bet
ter organization of the intelligence serv-
ice Of public health. Nor is it enough TO
stand on the defensive; so far as possible
menacing plaques must be attacked at
their. source and rooted ont of places
where they breed in the filth OF chronic
misery.
1t should be understood, however, that
war on disease, like other wars, in
wolves sacrifices. and that not merely
tbl biihl buNilf GlilNlEIi HtdAAu a. NUE. ~
cal, national, International. To keep a
plague out of country may mean
something like a blockade, and that is
hard to bear in time of peace During
the great plague in London, when Eng
fish goods were barred from Mcditerra-
mean ports, they used to be sent on to
Turkey, which was indifferent about
such matters and then shipped back sur
reptitously to Italy and other closed
countries This illustrates the difficulty
of enforcing regulations that hurt bust
ness. In every city, too, the same prob
lem has to be met; one of the hardest
problems, in fact, is to measure accur-
ately the extent Of the danger and the
probable eciency OF safeguards. When
the danger is probematical and the mon.
ey loss certain men are not easily recon
cled to sacrifice. In short, fuller and
more up-to-date knowledge and better
organization to act upon it are the pres
ent essentials, and through the league Of
nations a hopeful beginning might be
made-Springtield Republican.