The Republican., 1922-05-04
COMMUNITY MEETING AT
LOCH LYNN HEIGHTS
Which Was Well Attended and
Interesting to All Present.

ITO be good animal is the first re-
quisite to success in life, and to be a
nation of good animals is the first
condition to national prosperity"
With this quotation DR.. Henry Nc
Comas, County Health Officer, opened
his address last Saturday evening at
the Loeb Lynn Heights community
meeting for promotion of health and
sanitation This meeting, DR.. Nc
Comas said, was, he believed, the first
of its kind ever held in Garrett coun-
ty.
The prevention of disease is one of
the greatest works our government
has to perform for its people, DIR. Nc
Comas asserted. According to recent
statistics about one-fortieth of the
population of the United States is
constantly sick, which means that full
ly one-eighth of the people are suffer
ing, directly or indirectly, from the
effects of diseases. Most of the dis
eases from which these people suffer
are subject to ameioration and MANY
of them are absolutely preventable.
The people of this great country
are going to have a national depart
ment of health, the Health Official af-
firmed. The frightful death rate of
the United States makes it entirely
feasible to add twelve years to the
average length of life in this country
by means of the simple measures
which are already well known and
provided. In Sweden, where modern
scientific methods are applied most
fully the average length of life is now
fifty-two years. To appreciate what
science has accomplished there, one
must remember that a Swede of the
seventeeth century could reasonably
expect to live only little over twenty
years. 1t is surely of much import
ance to newborn babe whether his
period of expectancy shall be twenty
years or ifty-two.
tuberculosis is a preventable dis
ease, DR.. McComas stated; 100000
people now living in the United Sta
tes are destined to die of tuberculo
sls:that is equivalent to all the people
in the state of New York; It's, 900 will
probably die from that cause during
the coming year. The government
could take the knowledge already at
tanned by science and, without further
medical assistance, prevent yearly
many, many thousands of deaths.
How dearly we should prize the saw,
ing of some who are sacrificed upon
the altar of delay!
Good health is, DR.. McComas claim
ed, the most important prerequisite
for physical efficiency and happiness.
Vicious heredity, ignorance or lack of
conformity to the known laws of ma
ture are conditions which initiate
against good health. All of these are
susceptible to amelioration thru
knowledge and education.
Miss Martin, Chief of the Division
of Public Health Nursing of the
Maryland Board of Health, also de-
llvered an address at the Loeb Lynn
health meeting. She explained clear
ly the work of the public nurse in
Maryland. To carry into every home
of the State knowledge of the rules
of hygiene and of the best methods of
caring for the sick, is the aim of the
Nursing Division. This work is done
IN such a way as neither to violate
the sanctity of the home into which
1t is carried, nor to ignore the author
ity of any attending physician.
That Garrett county shall soon
have public nurse is the hope of the
State Board of Health. Miss Martin
assured her audience that great care
will be taken by her as chief of the
Nursing Division to secure Just the
right kind of nurse. This nurse
should be fitted by previous life in the
country, by natural disposition, AMI
by special training, to understand
conditions here and to deal sympath-
et4cally with all the people of the
county.
Superintendent Frank Rathbun
showed, by his presence at the Loeb
Lynn meeting, his interest in educa-
tion of the public health matters. In
his address he made a strong appeal
for activity in raising health stan
dards. Very definite lines of educa-
tion must be outlined and carried out
before great progress will be made.
The gain to Garrett county would,
Supt Rathbun said, be incalcuable if,
for instance, every village should
learn effectively to stop the breeding
of the fly; or if every man, woman
and child in the county should learn
properly to care for his teeth.
The spirit of cheer and of merri-
ment, which, they say, is conducive to
good health was given to the gather