The Holt County sentinel., 1921-06-24
Meeting Of Medical Society.


Thursday, June is, to which the pub
Tic was invited, DIR. Chandler read a
paper, entitled The Health Officer in
His Relation to the Community"
which we produce below. The paper
was prepared more especially for the
laymen, as the health officer stands
in a different relation 10 the public
than the physician. DR.. Chandler, in
his paper, makes known that the pur-
pose Of the health officer Is not a
mercsnary one. He would prevent ILL
ness. The physician would endeayor
TO restore you TO health when you are
sick. A trite saying, IAN ounce of
prevention is better than n pound OF
cure" surely has application In this
connection.
DIR. Chandlcr's paper follows:
"For the reason that many people
look upon the health officer as n sup
ernumerary and nuisance, instead OF
n help TO the community, shall en-
deavor in this brief paper TO make
known the purposes for which the
health officer is appointed, apd some
OF his duties. Il will, of course, be
impracticable to cover the entire fiel'
of preventive medicine in the brief
time allotted for this address.
"Cloyd says that health conservation
has for its purpose, the prevention OF
sickness and the prolongation Of hui
man life. Disease Is a public peril.
The protection os the people against
all forms OF communicable disease Is
as much n governmental function as is
protection from foreign invasions or
against criminal elements. IL Is a
problem too great TO be ieit 70 nav
oual e,Io,l OF pn'ia.,op"y' s
% .ns.ine,,seg a'""s ~" a s' M" We p''
eecteu against 's wv" 's'
"Disraelli, IN one OF MS most I'M
portant messages TO ms eountrymen,
said; Public health Is the toundation
upon which rests the happiness OF 'ne
people, and the welfare OF the state
Reform directed toward the ADVANCE
ment OF the puonc neal,h must ever
take precedence OF all others'
"Dr. Hubert Work, In his presi-
Dental address before the A. III. A.
at Boston, said: Community health,
physical and mental. Is the foundation
stone Of n nation. Etiology and pro-
phylaxis should therefore engage med
icine's first thought. We can no long
er limit these terms to acute iniecti-
Gus diseases, They apply equally 70
the lengthening Of the life span, TO
the upkeep Of the man-power neees-
sary 70 accomplish the worlds work,
and to the preservation OF integrity
of mind. There Is a new freedom
available to this country through med
icine, freedom from epidemic iniec-
tions and acquired diseases, from prey
ing Of the charlatan and from the
menace Of feeble-mindedness.
"IJntil rather recently the work OF
fhs health officer consisted Of strictly
Enforcing quarantine, and cleaning up
nnisances which were offensive to the
s;yht and smell, principally clerical
and might no done by a layman as well
as nbvsician. However, at the pres.
an, ,ime. we possess q vast amount OF
technical knowledge concerning con-
tavious diseases, and In many in
stance this knowledge Is sufficiently
complete to make sanitary medicine
an cxact science. The sudden develop
n,ant Of new phases of old diseases
and the change in virulence in the
more common diseases, make II reguis
;,e that the health officer be well In
fornad and up.to-date in medicine ant
an,demioloev' To acquire this knowl
lie Il becomes necessary that hi
Len in touch with the brighter lights
80 tbe profession by attending meet
invs where matters pertaining to pub
lie health Is discussed; read the lates
i;t.ratnre ON the subject, and be con
Stantlv alert TO all advancement belnt
made in preventive medicine. .
"About one year ago the health OF
fcers of the state were assembled a
the State University, at Columbia, fol