The Waterbury Democrat., 1932-01-30
JAMES 9. BURKE RECEIVES A PENSION

! In the third session Of the list congress ad
journcd last March, there enacted Act
Private Law No 299, which approved Jan
uary 81, 1881. authorizing a pension of s125 g
month for James G. Burke, in compensation
for disabilities contracted by the pensione
while serving as Il subject for experimentation
during the Investigations Of malaria in the
Philippine Islands.
| James G. Burke earned his pension. When he
volunteered TO undergo the pain and the risk
to life which nc knew the experiments involved
he was actuated by no mass emotion. no cheer
ing crowd. no great patriotic fervor, no hope
Of heroisIn. In fact he knew perfectly well that
the world would probably notice his
service. The world is little impressed by really
| great acts of atrusm and seif-sacciice which
| lack the spectacular or sensational element
Here and there in this great headline de-
| vourng country may find an individual who
| has heard the name Of Walter Reed somewhere
| or other but probably the individual would re-
call that a hospital in Washington bears some
such name but the reason why has been for
| gotten long ago. Not one in q million citizens
| not engaged in special teaching could name
finland as many as three immOrtals who have
| given their lives volunteer subjects of med
| ical experimentation or tests Of the manner of
spread of dread diseases. But every one knows
+, who Dewey, Hobson and Sergeant York were
| and what they did.
| It is a post dcplorable mistake. nothing
less than Il national crime to grant this pen
sion to James G. Burke. Burke should never
have been permitted to risk his life need
| lcssly. We had plenty of just AZ good human
material rOtting in our prisons for that pur-
pose. 1t was very poor human economy to Sc
lect good honest man who had done nothing
wrong and owed debt to society. II such Il
mans life is worth only $125 month to the
country, then this country is doomed to some
thing worse than plain degeneracy.
In order to appeasc the morbid sentimental
ity of certain groups of idle, parasitic, chldless
people, and keep the worst form of political
corruption in smooth working order We frown
upon all proposals. to use human material now
going TO waste in prisons or even to give such
offenders the chance to redeem themselves and
IA I'M 40 ia n
they have wrought against society or any OF
it's members.
Instead Of enacting picayunc law TO pay to
James c. Burke a misery pittance in recog-
milton of his service to the whole world, why
did not some member of congress at least in
troduce a bill authorizing the country's public
health service officers to choose material for
their Investigations from the unlimited guam
titles of it which the country Keeps in comfort
tons which cost the people much more thar
$l25 a month per inmate? That's easy-the
politicians in congress prefer to keep the pris-
on system just it is, for it Is such darned
valuable patronage In their racket.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Ugh, Ugh, Yourself
VIII you please send me your bell breath
Ing exercise Ugh, ugh. that Is an odious term
(Mrs II. j. E.)
Answer-Gladly. If you incosc with your
request a stamped envelope bearing your ad-
dress 1t isn't the term, Madam, but youl
mind. Webster's definition No 8 says the belly
| anterior or front wall of the abdomen. 1t Is
incorrect to say abdomen" or stomach" II
you refer to the belly There Is no other term
in English.
Bum Engineering
In your article about the danger of one
drink, you Tor maybe the paper) had II that a
| car travelling at IS miles an hour will go 20
feet farther In the three-ffths OF a second the
drivers reaction time il delayed by alcohol. II
IL so per cent farther than that-thc car will
travel 30 feet In that time. (W. X. Civil En-.
ginccr).
Answer--Thank you. IT does figure out to
about 51.3 feet second or 3O.8 In three hfth'
of "a second, az you explain. Room for plenty oil
tragedy however, in even 20 feet
People After Barnum's Heart
Many OF my relatives think X-ray machines
are wonderful and they say my doctor IL al
wrong when he tells me X-ray examination will
not locate cancer tumor or almost any Other
| internal disease. Mrs X. q. ~
Answer-Barnum would have been delighted
to serve your relatives. OF COURSE x-ray exam
| nation will not locate any or all diseases Ir
fact think any person who seeks an X-ray ex-
| animation his own, without the advice
| or recommendation of his physician. Is gull
| lible person. Only backwoods quacks pretend
| t1%t they can look at your insdes" with the
wonderful X-light" gadget.