The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1921-05-20
SPECIAL TRAINING
FOR PUBLIC HEALTH
WORK NEEDED
Health Officers New Special Prcpara-
ton for the Ardu0us Tasks
Before Them On Their
Fields.

DR.. Sedgwick points out the low
standards of medical colleges in the
seventies. The school terms were only
about four months; no examinations
were held till the end Of the second
year and then they were short and
easy. Chemistry and physiology were
taught by lectures, without laboratory
work, 81 shall never forget" says DR..
Sedgwick, my regret that | was born
too late, for gathered from my text
book and teacher that everything in
physiology was known and that there
was nothing to be discovered"
After referring to the marvellous COL
leges of today. DR.. Sedgwick points
out that even the best tsill neglect the
field of the public health. Yet today
there are 4S state departments of pub
lie health, which require at least l5O
experts in public health and sanitary
science. The U. S. Public Health Serv-
ice finds great difficulty in getting the
scores of qualified health officers it
needs. The Army and Navy and hun
dreds of counties, cities, towns and
rural regions need whole-time trained
health officers. Private agencies. such
as the Rockefeller Foundation and the
Red Cross, cannot get competent per
sonnet. Men trained in industrial
school, mental, social and dentaly n.y.
giene are al badly needed.
DR.. Sedgwick urges that the present
medical curriculum should be split at
| the end of the first two years. one
line should stay as it is, but from II
another line should branch off, which
should treat of preventive medicine
vital statistics, sanitary science, labor
atory methods in epidemiology, NUM-
cipal sanitation, preventive hygiene
and so on. "The medical school," NJ
ends, "that neglects this is sending ou
its graduates unprepared for some O
the most serious problems they vii
have to face"
The efficiency of the local healtl
officer, says DR.. Robert Olesen, in
recent U. S. Public Health Service re
port( should be judged, not so mucl
bv the number of epidemics he crush
es out but by the number that he pre-
vents. Nevertheless it is good dea
easier to measure cures than to meas
ure prevention of diseas
To meet this difficulty, DR.. Olese'
kuggests that every health ofiiVe
measure his own performance of dut
by the score card so widely used in de
termining the sanitary conditions Q
diaries. restaurants, and the like. sue
use would at least provide miro
in which he could view himself; an
If used .by the state authorities woul
record of the efficiency of the variou
local officers.
The score card would show, for II
stance, how we'll the health officer ma
prepared to avail himself Of aid fro'
III scattered health activities in n
locality. Little as some officers ma
realize it, governmental and prlva'
agencies covering every conceiVao'
fields of health work'are Wiling an
even anxious to help him in solVln
local problems. The smallest reque
for information or aid will amaze M
by the fullness of its response. VINE
emergency comes he will have lit
; time to seek the people best FITTED
supply information or aid; and he WI
/, has learned beforehand where to fiI
, them will probably render the me
efficient service.
, In the score card recommended
, DR. Olesen, public health education
r ranks high, being exceeded in hume
ical Importance only by the "preVe'
ton of communicable diseases al
Laboratory activities" This is an e
. ce,,ent illustration of the modern vie
point regarding the functions OF II
health authorities.