Evening star., 1924-03-16
Real Workers i'm the National Capital

conditions in the devastated countries,
| with special attention to the dangers
| to US due to the food Of immigrants
| that threatened to swamp the United
| States.
1t was while he was in the near east
| that President Wilson made him sur
!. geon general Of the public health serv-
| ice. Some Of the men who most warmly
urged his appointment were wholly un-
known to him. They knew him only
| through his work. The duty of caring
for the sick and disabled service men
was dumped on the bureau during the
the United States Veterans Bureau.
The public health services hospitals
were increased from twenty-five to
sixty-seven in number, and the en-
ployes from 1000 to $4,000. 1t was an
emergency job and, naturally enough, a
costly one. But no scandal attached to
! the public health service. Now 1t is
able to get back to it's own work
That work fills two pages of an in
dex in the annual report. Lepers were
| being unkindly treated in some Of the
, states; that is. there was no intention
Of unkindness, but Ieprosy is a disease
feared by every one. The sufferers were
isolated and largely uncared for. Many
of them go blind, and the agony they
experienced waiting for a rotting death
is inconceivable to an ordinary happy
man. Now they can at least wait for
death in comparative comfort. Not
much more can be done for them as
yet. The widely promised cures are not
wholly to be relied upon.
Plaques S",v Under Control.
The public health service, in CO.
operation with the other health serv-
ices of the nation, has largely de-
stroyed the danger from yellow fever
There are still yellow fever centers
in the world. There may be such
centers for a century to come. But
no fear of an epidemic is felt. Small
pox and the plague are under control.
The worst thing we have to fear is
that we have become SO healthy that
the class of immunes no longer ex-
lists. The service has shown that
botulism is largely due to incorrect
! methods of preserving fruit and vege-
tables. Yet at one time it threatened
the very existence of large canning
industries.
Our greatest disease dangers. per-
haps,. are those arising from malaria
and influenza. Americans have done
more to conquer malaria than any
other people. Yet because of our
habit of continually breaking fresh
ground in our building and farming
operations malaria persists to plague
US. Influenza still has it's own way
very largely. In some of the south
ern states there are areas in which
trachoma was almost unchecked until
DIR. Cumming got after this dread
disease of the eyes. The health serv-
ice is fighting spotted fever in some
of the Rocky mountain states and the
other minor epidemics which spring
up in isolated localities almost un-
heard of at a distance.
Educating the Public.
One of the great accomplishments
of the service is in educating the
peOple lo OetlcE hhctiooS "a SANTA
tion. A rural health service teaches
the farmer and the small town man
how to keep healthy. Lecturers. the
mail and the radio are the means
employed. The fight on the social
diseases is succeeding. Slowly. per-
haps. but nevertheless succeeding. If
the figures seem to contradict this
ctafement If is because the figures
are more complete than ever before.
Little by little the states and cities
are granting more complete co-opera-
ton with the government.
American health is better than it
ever was before. 1t will be better as
TINA OnaS on