Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 305, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 December 1914 — Page 3

How UNCLE SAM FIGHTS DISEASE

by Edward B.Clark

1 w*j ETWEEN the people of the <i * United States and disease and l£w W death stands the government’s I public health service. Perhaps p) ■ it will be urged that the great F ■ body of physicians of the United I ' States is the real safeguard of the people. This is in every high V jv st sense true, but in support of the v—■ ZL3l< first seemingly wide-reaching statement let it be known that the physicians of the public health service engage themselves faithfully and with proved efficiency in the labor of prevention of’ which, as the time-tried saying has it, an ounce is worth a pound of cure. , The surgeons of the public health service are, not only septlnels in the field of warfare against diflease,' but they are the advance guard of the soldiers engaged in the fight. The campaign records show that on many fields by early victories they have made great battles unnecessary. It is a large part of their duty to overcome the enemy on his first Appearance, and in many instances to make Impossible his appearance in the field which he seeks to sow with the germs of disease which JMs weapons, of offense. In the popular prints one reads columns of the activities of government in preparations for possible war. There seems to be a delight In dreadnaughts and abiding interest In battalions. Of the life-saving functions of the

government one reads little. The work of the medical service is as devoted and more dangerous than that of the soldier. The doctor in his investigations, experiments and ministrations faces death in the time of peace, and in the time of war the surgeon with the soldier is on the battlefield. There is a living interest in the dally work of the public health service of the United States. It is carried on for the benefit of' all the people, hundreds of thousands and perhaps millions of whom know too little of the labor in their behalf. The pjiblic health service of the United States is a biirean of the department of the treasury. It falls directly within the office of assistant secretary of the treasury, Byron R.

Rune t rt n ßlu T e h wh UrgeOngeneral of the Bervice 18 comnllshmont i ° B u reßearch work and whose acweH knSwo t neS ° f medical are 1 he prof ession. There are six as-surgeon-generals, Doctors A. H. Glennan. W. G. Stimpson, L. E. Cofer, J. w. Kerr, W. C. £ UC w r M n l/‘ W - Traflk - They are a„ stationed in Washington and have direction over the various branches in all parts of the country. the medlcal council there appeared this brief but conclusive statement of the manfc fold functions of the public health service of the V United States government: " “Co-operating through the health authorities of the states, the. service Collects data upon the prevalence and distribution of disease, administers interstate quarantine, suppresses epidemics, conducts research work, maintains national quarantine, examines Immigrants, regulates the manufacture and sale of biologic medicinal products In Interstate traffic and furnishes medical treatment to various branches of the government service. Officers of the service may be assigned to duty in any part of the world." It is the intention In the present article to take up and describe only one of the works and fields of labor of the public health service. The waters of Chesapeake bay and its inlets and tributaries form the field of an enormous industry. It is from these waters that are taken a large part of the shell fish approved as a delectable food by thousands and perhaps millions who never saw salt water. How many Americans nodding with the approval of appetite over their oysters on the half shell know that it has been made a matter of government concern that the shell fish should be a food as safe to the health as it is grateful to the taste? It has been said that the American people show great Interest in a dreadnaught, a big ship built for offensive purposes, and, if it is not putting it too strongly, mainly for the sinking of other ships and their crews along with them —a killing purpose. Is it not to be hoped that an equal if not a greater interest may one day be created in the little ships of the government whose only work and only purpose are saving ones? In the control of the public health service Is a little ship called the Brattpn. It bears the name of a surgeon of the service who did commanding work tor mankind in a great yellow fever epidemic and who laid down his life for humanity. The scene of the Bratton's activities is on the waters of the great shell fish producing bay which washes Maryland and the tributaries thereto. It is one of the ships helping to guard the lives of ninety millions of people. The work of safeguarding Hie shell fish beds from pollution and thereby performing the work of prevention at a source from which danger frequently springs, fails in the field of direction of Assistant Surgeon-General J. W. Kerr, “ir charge of the division of scientific research." To give an Idea of the Immensity of the field of precaution, prevention and cure coming under the direction of one man it may be said that Doctor Kerr's duties as set forth In the organization chart of the service appear as follows: Laboratories; leprosy investigation station, Hawaii; hygienic laboratory, Washington, D. G.; division of chemistry, zoology, pharmacology*, pathology and bac"teriology. Field investigations: Diseases affect,4ng man, pollution of streams by sewage and industrial wastes, rural hygiene and school hygiene. I The services of the good ship Bratton are given

to the division . of scientific research. Dr. H. S. Cumming is in command of the coastal work of this ship which means so much to the public, which perhaps knows

little of what is being done in its behalf. This ship’s commander is also a doctor, a surgeon and a scientist. On the ship knowledge is trained against the enemy. The Bratton’s cruises are made in behalf of the welfare of American citizens and they constitute no menace to the country of any people on earth. It is the first duty of the Bratton to safeguard the oyster industry of the waters in which the ship sails. Safeguarding the oyster industry means safeguarding the health of the consumers of dystera nndr other shell fish. In 1912 a . law was passed which gave into the hands of the public health service the work of field investigation into {he causes of diseases affecting man, and the duty of enforcing rules of safety at the sources of trouble. Under the same law the service was charged with the work of the study of the pollution of streams by sewage and by industrial wastes. The work in connection with the oyster industry falls within the field of the duties imposed upon the service by this law of 1912. The Bratton steams all through the coast waters of the Chesapeake, making incursions into the inlets, bays and tributary rivers. Under the direction of the surgeon in charge shell fish are taken from the beds at all the sources of supply. With them are taken samples of the water at different depths and also samples of the material which forms the bed of the coastal waters, the bays and the streams at the points where tt>e test is to be applied. Bacteriological and chemical examinations are made of the shell fish, the water and- the bottom material. The bacteriological examination is the .most important. It discloses the total number of bacteria and the-number of colon bacilli which are present The presence of colon bacilli in great numbers shows the presence of fecal matter and arouses Instant and earnest attention and painstaking examination and report. The layman probably knows in a general way that typhoid fever through the method of its introduction into the system is one of the grave dangers which threatens the people through its food supply. It must not be supposed for a moment that the work of the scientists on the Bratton cease when they have taken their samples and have detected the presence of elements which may constitute danger to the public health. When there is suspicion that the coastal waters, the shell fish bed, or the waters of a beach which are used for bathing purposes by the people, are affected by dangerous deposits, the land whose drainage flows into the suspected waters instantly is studied. AH useful information concerning it is obtained and means are taken to correct conditions which have contributed to the pollution of the waters or have wholly produced it The study of the section of the' land which is suspected of supplying through its drainage the matter which on deposit becomes. a menace through the shell fish supply or otherwise to the public health, comprises an inquiry into the pres-

THE EVENING REPUBLICAN, RENSSELAER, IND.

ent and past conditions of health of the community, whether or not typhoid and other communicable disease are or have been prevalent, the number of cases of such diseases and their location, the general sanitary condition of the houses, the land and the inhabitants. It is a comprehensive work and it is carried out in every locality where there is a thought that danger may exist. At Cape Charles the public health service has an experiment station. It is a well and picturesquely located building, fitted with all the needed appliances for the scientific work which there is prosecuted.- ’At a little distance is a building which is used for a tank house in which are placed all the material which is to be the subject of bacteriological and chemical examination. From the beginning of each working trip until the final results of the examinations of the material collected are known, the work of the service men. is most thorough. Nothing is left to chance and nothing is omitted which might in any way help the safeguarding labor. In this study of possible shell fish bed, or water pollution, the public health service has conducted some work in the Mississippi sound. In the time to come unquestionably the field of labor will be widely extended. The value of the service is unquestionable and it has been so recognized by the scientific world. The shell fish industry is an enormous one and it is of surpassing value. The public health service not only works for the people, but for4he industry itself, which, of course, cannot its product becomes charged with danger to thewubllc health. In a word, one of the great works\f the public health* service is to see to it that onegreat part of the food supply of the United States is made and .kept safe. The reports of the public health service are made pubHc and the government and the individual states profit by them. In the agricultural de-' partment there are two governmental agencies which make use of the information which the public health service supplies. There are pure food and agnitary laws in the United States and there are means of reaching offenders against them. Three departments of the government, the treasury, agriculture, and, if occasion requires, the attorney-general’s department, constitute a partnership of correction and, if the case justifies, of prosecution. The Bratton is a small ship, but fender the direction of the service and of its complement of scientists it is doing a great work for the public health of the people of these United States of America.. ,

PLUTO’S PET.

Cerberus was barking at the gates of hades. “He’s all right," Pluto ruminated, “but I do hope they won’t tax me for three dogs this year." Even he had his troubles.

COTTON FOR WINTER

ATTEMPT 3EING MADE TO MAKI IT FASHIONABLE FABRIC. Can Be Prettily Made Up in a Number of Designs, and for Many Reasons the Idea . Should Meet With Favor. There is a strong attempt to make cotton velvet a feature of the winter’s fashion, because France took it up with quite a show of vigor, and be-

Ostrich Trimming on Blouse.

This«blouse of sheet 1 batiste, made more substantial with stitching and tucks, made still daintier with ostrich fringe effectively put on. With it is worn a huge' purple velvet hat, trimmed with a pink rose and a bunch of grapes at side.

cause the patriotic American woman knows that the more cotton fabrics she buys, much sooner wiU the present supply be exhausted and the new cotton in the bale be demanded to go into the mills, giving work? where work and money are frightfully needed; for, mind you, not all the suffering in this war will be in Europe. This is the second time in the half century that the South will be hit hard by battle. The campaign for cotton gowns is a good one and if successful will serve the country in several ways. There is little need to tell any woman of the loveliness of a cotton frock, or how she shall make it, especially if that woman has spent any time below the imaginary boundary line, in a land where the trick is turned in a graceful manner. Organdie and cotton chiffon and batiste, point d’esprit, and “footing” have been the staples of the Southerners’ wardrobe for more than a century, and any woman, especiaHy a debutante, looks well in them. If they will not servte for the formal occasions among women who are turned out smartly in society, they will serve /or the informal life of the house during the winter. / A debutante who wishes to do something individual should take organdie and colored muslin for her social uniform, make each gown according to the best style, vary them as much as her ingenuity suggests, proclaim her program, and the result would be that she would be written down as one of intelligence and originality, and she would have all the followers that every debutante craves. Added to this, she would be inexpensively dressed, which is an item of more importance this winter than it has been in ten years. Are brocades to be reckoned among the new silks? If so, they would take and make durable and attractive

ALL NOW WEARING JEWELRY

Imitations of Expensive Stones Considered In Good Taste and Are En7 joying Wide Vogue. v Much more jewelry has been worn in the last two years by all classes, of women. Semi-precious stones, artistically inset, are now used as daytime jewels. There used to be only two kinds of Jewelry in America, the genuine and very expensive, out of the reach of all but the woman of wealth, and the very cheap sort, that no woman who was used to the right thing would think of wearing. Now there has been imported and made here an in-between sort Some of it is set as expensively as the real stones, in platinum, which has replaced. gold, but the larger diamonds, rubies, emeralds or-sapphires are synthetic stones; that ie to say, stones that have been manufactured to represent the real and made from the same component chemical parts as the real stones. They are set up in the same designs as the r‘4al and have often been mistaken for them by those who ought to know better. Besides this jewelry there are the semi-precious stones, like turquoise matrix, coral, jade, etc., These have shapes and settings designed by artists of talent, and they are worn by those who know how to dress.

DICTATES OF FASHION.

Black moire coats continue in favor, i Taupe 1b and promises to be the favorite gray tint Navy blue charmeuse capes lined with white are much In vogue.

evening frocks. Time was wheo ths belle of the day did not feel hers/lf properly fitted out unless she had fan. amethyst or pink faille evening frock trimmed with expensive lace ini a weave we never see now. One of the dressmakers started a fashion for making blocks on the black faille with strips of black velvet, and many dressmakers are now doing this. The shops also sell the fabrics already arranged in squares. It is not attractive as an entire gown; it must be past of a frock. For Instance, there is a model with a gathered skirt of the blocked silk and velvet that just escapes the floor, and above it is a short chemise of black velvet, the softest weave that the milliners use. There are long sleeves fitting the arms like gloves, and a medieval decolletage that shows more of the shoulders than the chest Trying, but ultra fashionable.

TO HOLD THE CUT FLOWERS

Bamboo Stand That Fits Into Corner of Room Is a Simple Ornament Easy to Make. Workers in bamboo should find no difficulty in constructing the novel and pretty stand for cut flowers shown in the accompanying sketch. Bamboo poles can be purchased very cheaply, and they can be -aslly cut up into the required lengths for making the stand. The canes should be plugged at the ends with wood, and fastened together with long, thin, sharp nails, holes having first been burnt in the. bamboo for them, with a fine red-bob' skewer. To finish off the upper ends of the three longest upright pieces of cane, small brass balls, similar to those used for finishing off the ends of bamboo curtain poles, are screwed. The canes are, of course, hollow and out. of the sides at the places Indicated in the sketch, pieces are cat and in the holes so made flowers with damp cotton wool wound round the stems may be inserted. Diagram Am at the top of the illustration, shows a; front view of one of the canes, with, the piece cut away, and diagram BL gives a side view and shows exactly* the shape of the portion that should! be removed. < • The stand fits into the corner of thel room, and in the sketch it is shown; only half filled with flowers, and thishas been done in order that the way in Which it is constructed may b* clearly seen. A stand of this kind is useful' throughout the year, as in the summer all kiiids of blossoms are available to fill it, and in the winter; holly

or other evergreens can be used. A corner of a room is always a difficult space to fiH prettily, and a stand of this nature containing dainty blossoms will look wonderfully weU and is inexpensive and easy to make.

Children’s frocks are made of flowered crepon, one of the loveliest of materials for a little girl’s frock. Beautiful afternoon frocks are made of taffeta, crepe or poplin, trimmed with Roman striped or plaid ribbon. One piece dresses have unfitted backs, which fall freely away from the figure without any suggestion of waist line. One of the dainty evening frocks lately exhibited showed a ruffled tulle skirt over which was worn a satin basque, with the fronts extended Into long ends that crossed In the back and knotted in a sash in the front The new sash Is made of chiffon or messaline; It is draped very high in front and plaited in fan effect In. the back it Is very Simply knotted, and the ends, which are cut diagonally, hang exactly the saine length on both sides. \ f

Beaded Net.

The beaded hets that are sold by the yard are fascinating to the woman who likes lovely fabrics. There I* something decidedly interesting In the combination of heavy metallic em-' broidery and beads with thin and filmy net Some of the nets, in black, are marked off in diagonal lines with white china beads and others have little bead flowers of pink and silver alternately placed at two-inch intervals.

New Place for Flowers.

Eight or nine small roses ranged along the right side of the decolletage line are very Interestingly placed. The flower on the shoulder, too. Is very attractive, and some of the new evening frocks show shoulder straps of aJrtfifc dal flowers.