Evening star., 1926-05-30
WORLD RED CROSS
GETS WIDER CALL
Most Glorious War Is That
on Disease, Dr.. WinsIoW
Tells Conference.

Tells Conference.
A summons for the Red Cross of the
world to mobilize it's resources for a
new and sweeping war on disease, and
TO set up an organization no less pow
erful than that which was created
during the World War, came yester'
day from DIR. c. f. A. Winslow. pro
fessor Of public health in the Yale
University School of Medicine and
president of the American Public
Health Association, in an address be-
fore the Second Pan-Americaa Red
Cross Conference.
With eager enthusiasm the dele.
gates representing the nations of the
Western Hemisphere and many OF
the governments Of Europe and Asia,
demonstrated their approval when DR..
Winslow declared that "our modern
viewpoint demands a broadening OF
the ideals Of the Red Cross, SO that
they may include suffering due to So
called natural causes as well as that
due to shot and shell, and to include
specific measures for prevention of
suffering as we'll as the mitigation Of
its results
Most Glorious of Wars.
THE charter of the American Red
Cross" DIR. Winslow declared. clear
" LAYS upon it the responsibility OF
preventing as we'll as alleyiatin% the
suffering created by preventa ole dis
ease; and other Red Cross societies
have always recognized the conpul-
sion of similar ideal. But the splen-
did resources of devotion liberated un-
der the symbol of the Red Cross dur
ing the World War should be mobil-
lied for the equally important tasks
Of peace-for that war against dis
ease. which is the most glorious of
all wars ever conducted by the human
race.
1T is estimated that the war of
1914-1S cost Europe approximately
5000, 900 lives in the ranks o. the
beligerent armies. More than this
number of lives are lost. however,
every year upon that continent from
So-called natural causes in normal
peace times, and death from tubercu-
losis or heart disease may cause quite
as much suffering as death from
shrapnel wounds or poison gas. The
need for aid is as real. if less dramatic,
in the one case as in the other.
Prevention of Disease.
The problems of peace differ from
those of war in one very important
respect. Behind the battle front the
work of the Red Cross is chiefly con-
fined to the repair OF damage done.
but in the campaign against disease
we can prevent as well as alleviate.
This ideal is a new one. an ideal born
of the experience of the Great War.
and of the noble desire to extract good
out of adversely, to salvage from the
wreck of conflict something of per-
manent good for mankind
THE peacetime health program of
the Red Cross. as visualized in the
reorganization of the League of Red
Cross Societies in 1920-21. is built
around the conception that the ST.
preme function of q voluntary health
agency is to mobilize popular support
for the official health program. The
protection of the public health is
fundamentally a governmental prob
lem, but it is a problem which re-
quires for its solution not only official
action but also the intelligent and ac-
tive cooperation Of the individual citi
zen.
Educational Movement.
Our object is to change the daily
habits of life of the woman in the
home and Of the man at the desk and
the workbench. Such a change can
not be effected by laws, but by the
slow process Of education. In recog-
milton of this fact the public health
movement in the past 10 years has be-
come more and more definitely educa-
tional in its very essence. 1t is in
connection with this great educa-
tional campaign for public health that
the Red Cross finds it's supreme op-
portunity for leadership.
The first objective OF the cam
paign for health education must be
the development Of sound and fun
damental conception OF the laws of
health, which will enable each indi-
yidual man and woman TO care intelli-
gently for the wonderful mechanism
which we call the human body. The
care of the body, however includes
more than the observance of the rules
Of personal hygiene. Every human
machine is subject to imperfection.
and the maintenance of health and
efficiency requires the systematic utili-
Zation of facilities for the early dag
nosis and preventive treatment of in
cipient diseases and defects.
THE second great objective of our
health campaign should be the provi-
sion of the health protective machin-
cry of which every community is in
need. The actual conduct Of a public
health nursing service, of q child well
fare station, of a tuberculosis clinic,
Of a health center, Of a nurses train
ing school, may often be the best
means of bringing the community to
a realization of the Importance of
such agencies and may best prepare
The way for the time when the COM
munity shall officially undertake such
tasks. These direct services should
however, AS a rule be conducted by
the Red Cross during a definite dem
onStration period, to be turned over
as circumstances permit to the duly
constituted health authorities.
Venezuelan Presides.
The topic under discussion yester.
day afternoon was RED Cross Health
Activities" Prof. Juan de Dios Viii
legas Ruiz. president of the Academy
of Medicine of Venezuela, presided.
Besides DR.. Winslow addresses were
delivered by DIR. Nicholas Lozano of
Argentina, DR.. J. a. Lopez Del Valle
or Cuba, DR.. Samuel B. Grubbs. as
sistant surgeon general of the United
States Public Health Service; Miss
Elizabeth G. Fox. director of public
health nursing of the American Red
cross. and Miss katherine Olmsted.
director of nursing OF the League of
Red Cross Societies.