Evening star., 1923-07-29
BY BEN McKELwAY.

FfRST-HAND report of health
| ~ and sanitary conditions In
| ~ Chile, Bolivia, Peru and Ecua.
dor, brought to Washington
by DIR. ]. d. Long, assistant surgeon
general of the United States public
health service, indicates the problem
which confronts those interested In
raising standards Of health In South
America, and will undoubtedly ere.
| ate renewed interest in the seventh
pan-American sanitary conference. to
be held in Havana. Cuba, next year
! DR.. Long. who is director of the
pan-American sanitary bureau. at
tended the fifth an-American con-
gress in Santiago this spring as a
technical adviser to the United States
delegation, and on his way back to
| this country visited the principal
| cities in Chile, Bolivia, Ecuador and
| Peru. inspecting conditions and in
terviewing government health au
| thorities. Everywhere, he reports,
| there was a desire and an interest for
/ better sanitation and measures to
| safeguard the health of the inhabit-
| ants. but everywhere officials were
| confronted with a lack of funds. with
lno immediate prospect of securing
the necessary appropriations.
Weary of sickness.
| The people are weary of constant
! Long states. They are, however,
| desirous of working out their own
| problems, but would appreciate
demonstrations in order that they
may visualize the methods of i'm
| proving their condition. They well
| come sanitary advice and assistance
| if it can be furnished in a manner
| that will asst them in expending
to the best advantage such limited
| funds as they possess and Will in
| struct them as to the best methods
! of setting forth their needs convinc-
ingly to the end that additional ap-
preparations may be obtained"
I Dr. Long found that in Bolivia no
| vital statistics were available. and
much the same condition was true of
| Peru and Ecuador, although divi-
sion of statistics has recently been
| ing to collect figures on mortality and
morbidity. He reports an exceptional
ly high death rate among children in
| all the countries visited.
Finds Chile Better.
| Conditions in Chile. he states, ap-
pear to be better than in the three
other countries he visited, but even
| there the unsatisfactory conditions
regarding infant mortality and NOR
tality rates generally is appreciated
by the health authorities and the
population as whole. The President
of Chile showed great interest in
| sanitary conditions. he reports, and
DR.. Long conferred with him and
with other Chilean officials a number
of times. Their principal desire was
TO learn how to expend available
funds TO the best advantage and how
Ito go about obtaining additional funds
and the skilled personnel for carry
ing out needed improvements.
Population Is Stationary.
THE population of Chile" said DR.
Long, lis probably substantially sta.
tionary-the birth rate and deatf
rate being so close to each other tina,
no great increase can be expected in
the population except through immi-
Igration. Sanitary conditions and sani-
tary knowledge, so far as could be
determined, are substantially the
same throughout the republic: typhus
fever being practically continuously y
lpresent in the elevated or mountain
!ous regions. smallpox being more or
tleSS constantly present and the high
Infant mortality rate being prevalent
Throughout the entire country" Ig-
norance on the part of mothers is
blamed for the high infant mortality.
| The high death rate among chill
| dren, estimated to be 40 per cent OF