Evening star., 1926-09-27
HEALTH SESSIONS
OPEN IN CAPITAL
Pan-American Conference Is
Opened by Surgeon Gen.
eraI Hugh S. Cumming.

Characterized as IAN epochal event
in the worlds sanitation" distin'
guished representa- tives of y nations
of the Western Hemisphere gathered
here today at the Pan-American Union
| for the inaugural session of the first
pan American conference of national
directors of public health, dedicated
to close cooperation between the
American republics IN combating
disease
The conference. which is being held
under the auspices of the Pan-Amefi-
can Union and the Pan-American Sani-
: tary bureau. will last through We'd
nesday.
Plan Sanitary Code.
Primary among considerations be
fore the delegates is detailed SAM
tray code approved by the Pan
American Sanitary Congress which
met in Havana. Cuba. in 1924. This
code. designed TO prevent the spread
of disease as we'll as its eradication
in affected areas, already has been ac-
cepted by seven nations. including the
United States. and is being considered
by other of the republics.
yellow lever ana the possibility
of it's determination from every
quarter of the globe. treatment and
cure of leprosy, malaria and other
plas will be discussed in papers
by members of the conference. and
reports will be made showing what
is being done in man% countries IN
their efforts to stamp out infection
through the operation of public
health departments
Welcomed by high officials of the
American Government the confer
ence opened its first session 1t 10
o'clock this morning. with Surgeon
General Hugh s. Cumming of the
United States Public Health Service
presiding.
Joseph G. Grew Speaks.
Under Secretary of State Joseph
&. Grew paid high tribute to the
delegates in a brief welcoming ad
dress. You are the torch bearers
in the field of science of health" he
declared
Pointing to the tremendous saving
Of human life that has been accom-
plished in the past through public
s9nitation measures. Mr.. Grew at
tributed to international co o-opera ton
much of this advance.
1T is not too much to say that in
the last quarter of a century improved
ga nitarN conditions and improved
quarantine procedures and closer CO.
operation between the sanitary au-
thOritleS of the american republics
have saved hundreds Of thousands OF
lives. made possible work which is
Sa wing millions. even billions. of dol
lars, and haV" led to the accomplish
m"rt OF NA@' was once thought 10 be
nlrns&ib!e." ." Mn. Grew said.
Cites SanitatiOn'S Value
"Nithout our present knowledge Of
yellow fever. learned through the ef
1iI> and cooperation Of scientists OF
Tie different Americas republics, the
rarin}a Canal would have been i'm
possible. Without cooperation such
oS has existed and does eXiSt between
ne sanitary authorities Of the Amer
icaE republics our international com
merce would still he taxed by the re
&trictive quarantine measures of 20
Years ago.
The problems of sanitation and Of
disease prevention. While they may
vary somewhat with geographical To-
ca ion and with the type OF disease.
gre in many respects identical. and
the methods of combating disease are
much the same whether in Caracas or
in Washington.
What scientists know about the
care of the body and the prevention of
disease particularly the latter. is out
of all proportion to what the world at
| large is doing toward the application
of this knowledge In other words,
the worlds knowledge Of the science
of the prevention of disease is shared
by relatively few laymen in each
| country. and until this knowledge is
possessed by the masses and applied
by them the world will not reap its
| full! measure of benefit, and yours i.'
the task Of popularizing this knowi-
edge"