The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1921-07-16
PCSTPON1NG YOUR FINISH.

The people are told by the Federal
Health Service that public health il
purchase BILE; 'fthat within natural
limitations community can determine
is own death rate; that education is
better than legislation.''
The three things enumerated above
are the basic truths Of the public
health cause, and they may be rolled
into that venerable adage concerning
the superiority Of prevention ove1
cure. Public health is purchaseable;
the prevention of disease-which also
means to educate the people and re-
duce the death rate-has to be pur
chased. And the cost of either cure
or failure to buy and use the means
Of prevention is much greater thar
that Of the purchase.
That is why health officers are tie
most important factors in any division
1T government. Cities can, and often
rio, forge ahead despite the mediocrity
Of their political governing bodies .,
boards; but no city is safe in che way
Of advancement or in the way Of the
mere retention Of its citydom that
'loes not provide adequately for pro
lection of it's people from disease, even
if it lacks the spirit to protect them
from other forms of violence and
;buse.
Documents of governmental depart
n'cnts are usually dry, of necessity
for they deal with statistics and ex
detrimental work, but if the average
nan would read them understandings
ho might profit without much strair
IN his time. Most important to MAI
IN common are the bulletins of thu
Public Health Service, on of which
list issued, calls attention to the fac,
that expectation Of life after forty
Years is much curtailed by our Inter
lay methods of living.' This bulleti1
shows that "the muscles and arterie;
ia those Of sedentary life begin t
degenerate, bringing on heart, kidney
and other organic weaknesses. TIL.
prevention is simple-so simple thai
hardly anyone will take the troubl,
- adopt it. 1t is exercise-just two
hours day of exercise. Not thu
heavy work in gymnasium, but WALL;
ing, gardening, playing golf, wheeling
he baby, filling the lungs with fresh
air, keeping a cheerful disposition
looking on the bright side Of life. The
man who coops himself up all day il
an office, rides both to and from work
goes to bed early, sleeps like 10.
and eats like pig, thinks he is dong
himself favor, but he is Mistaken
Perhaps it is expecting too much tt
ask man over forty to start in saw
ng his life, but that is for himself
to determine. It needs no bulletin
from the Public Health Service to es
abEsh the value of exercise and III.
ranger OF over-exercisc, any more thai
It needs medical advice to demon
:trate the folly Of fast eating AM
a2urotic living. Every man knows. in
atlnctively, that he requires exercise
every man knows what of the thing
mat he is doing are bad for him an;
What OF the things he omits that would
he good for him.
Every dollar expended by the ma
f'oA or by state, municipality O
county, to promote the efficiency O
ITS public health service is publ;
investment that yields an interest no
10 be estimated or reached by an
known system Of reckoning. There l
no other department of public servic
on which they should spend 50 nue.
as on their departments Of health. Th
public health is to be safeguarded onl,
by spreading the propaganda of pro
lection, and the campaigns must b
conducted along generous lines.