The Mena weekly star., 1922-02-02

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 be transferred, not necessarily Dy the
 individual having the disease, Is Dasee
 ali on the preventive treatment oi
 contagious disease; thus measles ano
 scarlet fever undoubtedly soon will pc
 classed in this group of unnecessary
 diseases avoidable by vaccination. The
 spread of such knowledge over our
 country by four million soldiers VIII
 contribute much to the development 1 If d campaign for national health. As 1 the wounds and diseases of these sol 1 diers were cured they were returned again and again to the lines in order
 that a military decision might result
 The failure of such decision has left
 the world in chaos for three years.
 More than 10000 of the physically
 and mentally best medical men of our country were in army medical service;
 the remaining two-thirds, many of them old, retired and poorly equipt for the profession, cared for more than 1OO. .O0O. .000 persons. 1t is to the credit of our nation during the try ing period in which there were 6O0,- GOO deaths from influenza, that there was so little complaint, all realizing that the shortage of physicians in civil practice gave our boys better chance.
 Toll of Cancer.
 We lost less than 77,000 soldiers in the war, but during the same two years 180,000 persons in our civilian population died from cancer. History shows that in former wars death from disease was larger factor in the terminations of war, since death from disease and death in battle occurred in a ratio of from to l to as high as 16 to l. In the Spanish war we lost in battle 353 soldiers, while 5000 and that many died of disease. Twen- ty thousand soldiers were sick with typhoid fever at one time, due to failure to establish proper medical authority. In the Boer war the Eng fish lost 5000 of 56,000 soldiers sick with typhoid In contrast to this the French report on the great war shows that six soldiers died in battle to one from disease. The necessities of war finally gave medicine an op- portunity to make this marvellous showing when given authority These gfures demonstrate the saving of life that should be possible in time of peace. Attention is called to the lack of public health care as national waste, since we lose 100000 persons year from unnecessary disease; 300,- 900 fail to live thru the first year of life, and 125,000 die within the first six weeks. Our maternity death rate is the highest of any civilized nation, largely from neglect or lack of oppor- tunity to secure special care in many of the farm districts. In spite of such adverse conditions it is prob able that twelve years have been add ed to the average length of human life by applied medical science within the last few decades, largely thru the preservation of children.
 Look to America.
 For some years to come the pro- gress of medical science will depend on America. In England, unfortun- ately, all research investigation of disease has been checked by a perni- ci0us bill, passed thru the influence of the anti-vivisectionists which pre- vents animal experimentation also by the development of generalized state medicine, and the consequent loss of initiative. It may be mentioned that these vivisectionists permit the eours- ing of hares, and wear the furs trapped animals often held suffering for days until visited by the trapper. The influence of such persons is be- coming active in America and must be combated as we combat disease. They wilfully misrepresent expert mental research on animals and are unwilling to believe that such experi- mentation is very expensive, requir- ing buildings, equipment, much labor, and accurate detailed observations carried out with the exact technic un- der anesthetics as is used in operat- ing on patients, yet with far greater difficulty. It is only by the clear and honest interpretation of such work that the enormous economic loss caused by disease in our pets and do- mestic animals, to say nothing of per sons, can be prevented.
 We are not naturally law-abiding people. Civilization is but the state of social conscience of the mass. Forl instance, prohibition is evaded, espe- clally in such states and cities as have a high percentage of foreign born in- who are aided in such eva- sion by the congressmen who repre- 1 sent them Their efforts to take ad- | vantage of the medical profession and make bartenders of physicians, and saloons of drug stores, was doomed to l fail. In the control of the use of al- | cohol Congress should have ascer- l tained the small amount of liquor re- leased Co wholesale and retail drug | glsts for medicinal use previous to the passing of the prohibition act. Pro- hibition is logical in countries with universally pure drinking water like ours, and has reduced remarkably not only those diseases caused by ai- cohol, but the associated diseases of social and moral life largely depend ent on alcohol and it's sale.
 Some National Needs.
 The scope of our national health has become greatly extended over it's former conception in the education of | the people. Many, having developed to adult life on foreign soil, resist | progress m this country, necessitat- ing added supervision in the form of prenatal, maternity and baby welfare elinics; The physical development of the child, and the care and prevention cf disease during school life, also re- qulre national attention Instruction m physical development, the estab- lishment of playgrounds are, in general way, more or less appreciated by the inhabitants of our cities, with the inhabitants of our cities, with the