The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-12-10
NEED CHANGES IN
MEDICAL SCIENCE.
DIR, Emerson Says Doctors
Should Treat the Al
most Well
SHOULD PREVENT
DISEASE AS WELL

Instruction In Prevention Would Re
quire Little Time - High Birth and
Low Death Rates Better Than Low
Taxes.
NEW YORK, Dec. 10-If you're feel
ing pretty well but believe even more per-
feet health can be attained, can you ex-.
pect a recently graduated physician 10
offer suggestions which win make you.
physically perfect? DIR. Haven Emerson,
former health commissioner of New York,
believes that you should expect worth
while recommendations from doctors, but
he asserts that they are not taught the
care of the almost-weil III the medical
schools. -
Not only that. but DIR. Emerson con-
tends that the students are not learning
anything about preventing disease. In
fact, he believes the lay public Knows
great deal more about this subject than a
fourth-year medical college student. In
an address made before the Section on
Pediatrics of the New York Academy OF
| Medicine he urged that this condition Oh
affairs be remedied. r. ...
Public health nurses and social workers
who have the interest of the community
at heart are better acquainted with the
prevention of sickness. he said, than are
/ the physicians themselves, and are there
| fore better able TO answer questions about
this matter than medical men.
Teaching Prevention.
How can the students learn proven
/ tion of disease? asked DIR. Emerson. He
told of various methods, including its
addition TO the regular curriculum; its
election by the students who wish 70 make
. il their speciality, and its becoming n
| post graduate undertaking. These he dis
regarded, however, and declared that the
better method would be teaching proven
ton together with care. ...
When TIE instructor is telling the stu
dents the cure for diabetes, for example,
he could at the same time explain how
this disease can be prevented. They
should be given statistics ON the death
rate from the sickness and should learn
at least as much about it as statisticians
of insurance companies. No special
course is required. This information can
be given in a few minutes, he said
/ "A few weeks ago cancer week was
Observed he went on. During il the
public was informed through the n"ws-
papers of the prevention of the disease.
and so complete was this information that
4 the laymen learned more about its pre-
Lvention than is taught the student in the
cancer surgery class"
Should Know Vital Statistics.
4 Neither The DYES geg doctor NOE nurse,
he said. has acqaired shch valuable infOr-
nation as the death or birth rate in his
or her own community, and he urged that
every one in the medical profession learn
that. He suggested also that chambers OF
commerce print this information on THEN
sIetterheads instead of the tax rate in the
town. 4 high birth rate and low NOR
Etality is a bigger boost to the place than
a low tax rate, DR.. Emerson declared,
An attempt has been made in New
York to provide clinics for those who are
feeling all right, but who want to see il
they are really well,' he said They
are persons who are not complaining OF
(any sickness nor have they any particular
/ disability. I'D
The doctors in the main are nonplused