The New York herald., 1920-01-11
By DIR. HARRIS A. HoUGHTON.

Inasmuch as much is now being sait
about the desirability of State supported
sickness insurance. 1t would seem well tS
inquire into what is being done in a prac
teal sort of way for the elimination ot
those diseases which are the largest fac
sors In the production of dependency
lmong those who work with their hands
SO far as illness is the cause of such de-
pendency.
Without question. the malady whici
causes more illness and suffering in al
classes of society is pulmonary tubercu.
lcsls. and that the problem is recognized
by not only social workers and physicians
but by all classes, is shown by the eager
ness with which the campaign for the
elimination Of tuberculosis as cause OF
death is watched.
It is very certain that yellow fev-r will
terrorize the world no longer. The recent
work OF the Rockefeller Foundation in
eliminating 1t from the natural habitat IN
South America, puts in the list with small
pox, which has all but been eliminated by
vaccination. Bubonic plague Is on that
list. also. and in communities well policed
in sanitary sense, about the only dis
cases which are not under at least partial
control are influenza and those resulting
from misconduct
Is 1t possible to put pulmonary tubercu-
losis in this list of vanishing epidemic
sicknesses, and thus decrease dependency
1 n hat axta fayoYifa ar,iura ~
DR.. Herman Biggs. of the State Depart
rnent of Health. has been that public
health is a purchasable commodity. and II
has been proved true in so many ways, SO
many times, that It has become truism.
For years those with vision have con-
fldently predicted that tuberculosis is pre-
ventabIo and for all practical purposes
can be eliminated. No problem OF this
sort is too large to attack and find a solu-
ton. 1t is therefore with great interest
that physicians and social workers have
watched the development of the Framing
ham demonstration, designed to eliminate
tuberculosis from typical American COM
rnunity. In order ath an object lesson In
public health prophylactic measures might
- as W tOHNinCt LflOSS VI uOuDtlIlS
mind and particularly those of non-tech-
nlcal education who hold the purse strings
of the public treasures.
Insurance Company starts Move.
The move was started by one of the
large industrial life insurance companies
with an initial gift of sl0o 600. In the letter
TO DR.. Edward II. Baldwin, at that time
president of the National Association for
The Study and Prevention of tuberculosis.
DIT Lee X. Frankel, through whom the
Eift was transmitted. laid down the limits
or the work for which the money was
applicable, and said that the dernonstra.
ton was TO cover three years. At the end
OF that time, If the value Of the work had
oeen demonstrated 1t was hoped that the
community would thereafter finance its
own public health work
INC National Association for the Study
ana prevention OF tuberculosis accepted
me trust. and a committee, 6f which Dr.
baiowin is the chairman selected Or. Don.
ala Is. Armstrong as director. Framing.
nam, Mass, was selected as the objective
after good deal of preliminary research
work, because IL was typcally American
city with population of 5000 of mixed
races. and study Of the death statistics
revealed tho fact that sickness and death
experience was about similar TO the aver.
age for the country. The population was
fairly non-migrant, and last but most i'm.
portant after explanations the people anc
authorities OF the city were anxious te
get the benefit OF the intensive study.
IL IS obvious that as problem th,
general health of the city would com,
under observation as a basis for fina
deductions, and careful preliminary work
was done in corolating the vital statistic.
of the city for the decade prior to tn,
inauguration OF the prevention pro
grainme. In any campaign against tuber.
culosis by preventive measures, it is also
equally obvious that sickness in genera
would decrease
The committee In charge Of direction de.
cided that the whole work must be carried
out on democratic, educational basis
without tho element OF compusion enter.
ing into tho minds of those who were &c
be the objects OF observation. The people
OF Framingham were therefore fully
acquainted with the motives, methods and
practical objects OF the demonstra tion by
means OF special literature. daily press
articles and numerous meetings. Loca
committees were organized involving the
selection OF groups designed to meet spe-
cial problems arising during the course
Of the inquiry. There was and is a con-
tinuous encouragement to the community
to meet its own health requirements and
TO place the non-exporimental phases OF
the work on permanent basis One OF
the features was the organization Of a
local medical club. with the esta blishment
of series OF lectures and clinics on tu-
berculosis and allied medical problems
the club serving as a channel for reaching
collectively the medical men of the com.
munity.
Demonstration Not Yet Complete.
The demonstration is as yet incomplete
but the information. statistical and other
wise, cannot help but no of benefit gen
orally For instance, two medical dem
onstratIon drives were carried through.
ono in April. 1917, and the second in No.
yember and December OF the same year.
During tho first, 1,ss2 persons submitted
themselves FOR voluntary health examina-
ton, and 2,f3t additional drrlny tho sec
ond drive. These drives were found 10