The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1920-03-04
ROCkEFELLER'S FUND
FOR PUBLIC HEALTH

WI O16A0 lille II
Editorial. Southern Medical Jour
mol. Journal OF the Southern Medical
association. January, 1870
There was a time when one OF the
churches declined to accept a gift from
John u. Rockefeller because its self
anointcd saints said that the money
was tainted This brings up the
memory of the old darkey who said
that "Rockefeller's money is twice
tainted--'taint for you ard faint for
me-. This was in the days when there
were but few multi millio naires and
before John D." began to give his
millions Ior many worthy causes.
There are many now who see the hand
OF Providence In the bencfcient use Of
money accumulated by such men as
Rockefeller and Carnegie. 1t is GER
tainiy true that the world is being
made a better place In which to live
by the millions that Rockefeller has
given to education, for medical research
and for the prevention of disease.
Rockefeiler's recent donations OF
see, 900, 600 to medical education and
$50, ooo. 900 for medical research to pre-
vent risease bring the benevolent gifts
OF this one man nearly to half billion
dollars and make him one OF the great
est benefactors to mankind in the his
tory OF the world. The details OF the
expenditure of this vast sum of money
have not been announced. but it will
be handled by boards either existing
or to be appointed by Mr. Rockefeller,
who will see that 1t is expended IN
ways that will do the INST good Many
people have opinions about parceling
out money for benevolent purposes; and
the Journal could make some sugges-
lions to the Rockefeller foundation and
the eehe@-ersa H4BatiaHs that will have
charge of these funds.
| HOOKWORM AND MALARIA.
! Mr.. Rockefeller has been generous to
| the South. The money that he has
, given to various causes has been wisely
depended. and in ways that have i'm
proved living conditions in many states
The 5000, 900 which he gave for the
Ieradication of hookworm helped mill
lions of worthy people and improved
industrial conditions tremendously in
certain districts of the South. No
Ilnoney was ever expended to better ad-
Vantage than this: but there are still
millions of people in the rural districts
of the South who are i'll. or who are
Handicapped In their earning capacity.
because of the easily preventable dis
case, uncinariasis. The various local
| and state health authorities are keep
| ing up the fight on hookworm and
|
Reasonable to hope that this disease,
| which came as one of the penalties OF
slavery, having been brought by ne
grose from Africa, may be entirely
eradicated.
The Rockefeller foundation has pro-
ytded money for the intensive study
and the practical prevention of malaria
| in certain localities in Mississippi and
Arkansas. These Investigations have,
lproved that malariascan be eradicated
| from any community at a comparative
ily small cost If n part OF this recent
gift could be spent in extending this
anti malaria work into every infected
| locality. there would be hope of ac-
ltually eradcating malaria from the
UNITED States. has been done with
yellow fever. The Rockefeller founda-
ltion proposes to eradicate yellow fever
from the world; and one Of the great
steps toward freeing manki na-fFotn
the ravages of hookworm and malaria
would be to demonstrate that II can
be done in the greatest country in the
world says the Southern Medical Jour
nal
OF course there are many other great
problems in medical research and in
the prevention of disease that affect all
the people of the United States which
should receive consideration; but in no
other way can the same amount OF
4
merit good than it's use in Kidding tho
| United States of tropical diseases.
MEDICAL EDUCATION AND RE
SEARCHES IN TROPICAL DISEASES.
| The South should receive consid-
erahie share of the s2eeea e9a for med
| tcal education for the reason that the
educational institutions in the various
Southern states have limited endow-
ments when compared to those that are
llccated In the North and East. This
is due to the fact that the North and
East happen 10 be the sections of the
country in which the great money
industrial centers are located; and
those who have accumulated great for
ltunes have endowed the institutions in
v hlch they or their sons were edu-
Gated, or those near them because their
needs were better known to them. Dc
spite the limited resources, medical cd
lucation in the South has made won
derful advances in the past decade un-
til now there are very Few medical
schools in the Southern states that have
not been placed in class a. These
schools need financial assistance rela-
lively speaking more than those which
ALREADY have large ~endc wmcnts.
IT is understood that from these mill
fYo ns There wsia s,e large }e<sn t.thHtkeas
to medical research in communicable
al seases II would surely seem that a
eeodly portion should be spent I'M
81 adying malaria: the tri-chomonas
and other intestinal parasites;-a and. GER
tain other tropical diseases that are
endemic in ut least half the United
states
The etioloEy OF peliagra lis sim al
,TitefISi tIyi wrfcf rifere @9sF " dfeffed7'
opinion. Many believe 1t TO be due 70
an infection Of some kind while others
are convinced that Coldberger's
theories account for the disease. Gold
berger's experiments should h. carried
out in Maine or in other localities Fri
" hich there Is no pcllagra: and the
work begun by Lavinder, FrancIA SiIsr-