Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 26, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 January 1916 — Page 2

Gen. Gorgas, U.S.A., Enemy of Disease

H"" E HAS MADE HEALTHY 9 SPOTS. CONGRESS HAS GIVEN HIM SOME SRECIAL HONORS. I MOST OF THE WORLD’S GREAT \ UNIVERSITIES AND SCIENTIFIC u SOCIETIES HAVE BESTOWED j V\DEGREES. HE IS VERY SHY C V\AND DOESN’T AT ALL Z \v\ LIKE TO DISCUSS HIS //a Vi ACHIEVEMENTS. CZv

a A By EDWARD B. CLARK. Ek JR AJ. GEN. WILLIAM CRAWFORD 9k Gorgas, chief of the medical crops of the United States army, is by many men accounted the greatest /Bi /Jg soldier of them all. He has met \ J/U and overcome disease on many )B fields, and disease is accounted, even in war time, the greatest enemy of the human race. When one writes of this modest-appear-4 ing man, who never speaks voluntarily of his own achievements on the sicknessstricken field, he is writing of one of the most famous men of any nation. He does not belong to Washington, nor yet to the United States, but to the world. , Here is a doctor and a soldier w-hose record Stands unique. In- order to honor him congress in a way upset its traditions and changed a line of legislative action which for years ran one unvarying course. Last spring the congress of the United States ns id General Gorgas the highest compliment that it is within its power to pay. It gave him the thanks of the congress of the ’ United States; it promoted him to the grade of major general, and it so changed established custom as to enable him to remain at the nf rhe medical crops of the army for some months after the four years allotted for such service shall .have expired. In other words, through the action of congress. General Gorgas, instead of being surgeon general of the for the term of only four years, will hold that ofiice until he retires from active work at the age of. sixty-tour years, - The. thank s of congress. promotion to the rank Of major general and the provision which would enable the incumbent to remain surgeon general for a longer period than the usually allotted time came to tlufe ddfifor, as the resolutions of congress show, because of his great work in routing disease from the Panama Canal zone and in making a former plague, spot one of the most healthful districts in the world. It is virtually impossible to get the records of all the great scientists of the world for purposes ■of immediate comparison, but it seems to be safe to say that no other man has been so honored by educational institutions and by learned societies as has William Crawford Gorgas. He received his modest A. B. from the University of the South at Sewanee, Tenn., in the year 1875,. and his M. D. from Bellevud Hospital Medical college in New York city four years later. From that time to this honors have been piled upon him, and he has borne them all with a modesty that resembles meekness. It is held by many that doctor of science is the*highest honor —yrhich any institution of learning can confer upon a man. Seven great universities, including Oxford, Harvard, Pennsylvania, Brown and Princeton have conferred the doctor of science degree upon this Americajuaxmy doctor. 1 To him have come LL. D’s from Johns Hopkins, and from many other universities.- By the decree of Yale, Georgetown and Washington universities heitf 3 a doctor of laws. He has medals from societies, from medical associations and from national academies of science “for., distinguished achievement in’the interest . of mankind.” He has the Seaman medal from the American Museum of Safety, and he has the ..., .Mary-Kisdslcy -merlal Tro m... the. LdLverpoollEngland) School of Tropical Medicine. He is a member, either active or honorary, of virtually every great scientific society in the world. The honors have sought him out. He has gone on with his work seeking nothing except that which will benefit his fellow man. Gorgwl was born in Mobile, Ala., 0>

tober 3, 1854; was educated at the University of _ the South at Sewanee, Tenn., where he studied from 1869 to 1875, graduating with the degree of bachelor of arts. He graduated in medicine" at the Bellevue Hospital Medical college in 1879. -Jl® served-ep the house staff of the Bellevue hospital from 1879 to 1880; entered the United States army m 1880, and served in Florida and on the . western frontier until-the Spanish-Amer-ican war broke out in 1898. He went to Cuba with the expedition which captured Santiago. After the fall of Santiago General Gorgas contracted typhoid fever, and was sent back to the United States. He went with the expeditionary force which occupied Havana in December, 1898, where he remained as health officer until the fall of 1902. During his incumbency as health officer of the city of Havana the army medical board made a discovery with regard to yellow fever - and-fotnid that it was conveyed by the -Stegemyia mosquito. As health officer, with his subordinates he devised plans and measures -whereby this discovery was put into practical ’ service. As a result of these measures Havana was freed from yellow fever entirely in about eight months, although the disease had been there continuously for the previous 150 years. For this work he was promoted by special act of congress from the grade. of major to that of colonel. “- For ten years Doctor Gorgas was stationed in the Panama Canal zone, as health of-*■-fleer of the isthmian canal commission. He was ordered to Panama irrMarch, 1904, and three years thereafter Theodore Roosevelt made him a member of the commission. He t was chosen for the Panama work because of his record. He made Panama one of the healthiest places in the world and, more than this,, he made the living conditions of the’laborer on the isthmus as sanitary, as comfortable and as desirable as the conditions surrounding the laborer anywhere in the 'world. Two years ago when General Gorgas’ terifi of service on the isthmus was drawing to a close because of the near approach of the day of completion of the waterway, your correspondent visited the Canal zone. While there he was taken, with some friends,, to visit a hospital on an island off the coast.’ This hospital had been built by the French. When General Gorgas went to the isthmus he took the building, put it into perfect sanitary condition and made it a place of reception for convalescents. The hospital never was full, because there wasn't enough sickness In the zone to produce convalescents nunngh at any i±me tQ..tax the. hospital. facilßles. The fact that this particular building never was crowded, and, that It was a small building at best, perhaps furnishes one of the best proofs possible of the commanding medical work which was done in a place' generally accounted as one of the most unhealthy on the face of the globe. Daring the vlstt to Panama a statement was

THE EVENING REPUBLICAN, RENSSELAER, IND.

made to your correspondent by General Gorgas which was nothing short of startling in its nature. He said: “If the governments of Vene"zuela and Ecuador would spend a few thousand dollars to stamp-out yellow fever there never would be-another case of the disease known to the world. 1 ’ For some reason or other the South American countries in which the yellow fever still exists will not spend the money necessary to stamp it out. So it is that so long as the disease exists there it is possible for some man, perhaps a sailor, to be bitten by a fever-laden mosquito just before he sails for another port and to carry with him the poison. It is held by the high thinkers that the countries of South America where yellow fever exists should be forced to stamp out the disease in order that the rest of the world may be safe for all time from the menace of the dread “yellow jack.” Some time ago, during a process of dredging, a low spot on the zone was turned into a marsh, and almost instantly the malaria mosquito began to breed there abundantly. Literally millions of the insects appeared. Now, there was no danger that they would spread malaria among the zone people, because the insects had to become charged with the poison first; hut, of course, it was necessary to determine Jiow far the creatures could travel, and this is the way They found out: An able-bodied and perfectly willing native was put into a mosquito net'tent, where he sat and acted as bait. He was paid a certain amount of gold for his baiting work and he, with others who afterward were employed, said it was easy money. When the tent had a million or more mosquitoes in it the native came out and the entrance was closed. Then the scientists sprayed the tent and, its confined mosquitoes with coloring matter. The spray was so fine that it did not drown or even drench the insects, but they received some coloring matter on their wings and bodies. Other tents were pitched and in each was stationed a human bait. These tents were at certain distances apart. AH' the mosquitoes in the first tent were Released and they were traced by color from tent to tent until none were found. In that way they found out how far the malaria fever mosquito would travel. Surgeon General Gorgas makes his headquarters in Washington, but he is a soldier constantly subject to orders and also to the, dictates ol his own Judgment. Any day he may be obliged : ,_to go straight to.. tijef ront,not-to meet—the -hitman enemy, but the disease enemy. His is the responsibility for the health of the soldiers in Texas, in the Canal zone, in Hawaii and in ths Philippine Islands. It is Ms to meet, physicianlike and soldierlike, any emergency which may > arise. He is one of the gentlest men known to thtLserticej smd hezis also

Kin Hubbard Essays

One o’ th' most enjoyable an’ interestin’ features of a newspaper or magazine these days is th’ advertisements. We never used t’ read th’ ads. We believed they were jest cunnin’ly worded snares t’ separate th’ gullible from ther money, so we jest skimmed over ’em. But of late years business announcements have been so attractively illustrated an’ worded an’ displayed that even th’ most exclusive highbrows don’t feel above readin’ ’em. Modern advertisements are works of

Th’ Ole Time Merchant Prince Used t’ Fume an’ Fret an’ Sputter an’ Finally Write a Little Stingy Ad on a Piece o’ Wrappin’ Paper Callin’ Attention t’ th’ Arrival of a Fresh Bale o’ Calico or Kit o’ Whitefish or Somethin’ an’ Hand It t’ an Ad Solicitor With a Frown an’ Mumble Somethin’ About His Expenses Breakin’ Him Up.

art in ther way. Ther interestin’ an’ entertainin’ an’ Instructive. They remind us of our needs. _ They call t’ mind th’ fact that our toes are out, that we’re gittin’ bald or need a tonic or a new overcoat Th’ ole-time merchant prince used t’ fume an’ fret an’ sputter an’ finally write a little stingy ad on a piece o’ wrappin’ paper, callin’ attention t’ th' arrival of a fresh bale o’ calico, or a kit o’ whitefish or somethin’, an’ hand it t’ an ad solicitor with a frown an’ mumble somethin’ about his expenses breakin’ him up. T’day a merchant of any prominence at all employs a skillful ad writer an’ if ther’s any prosperity in sight he gits in on it. If a particular lot o’ salmon or soap or somethin’ don’t move fast enough he jest slaps on more printer’s ink. Art or pictorial advertisin’ seems t’ have reached th’ limit. Here th’ artist an’ writer an’ printer unite ther best licks an’ leave little or nothin’ t’ th’ Imagination o’ th’ reader. Tired an’ worried after th’, day’s grind, we open our newspapers an’ come face t’ face with a realistic lingerie ad wherein th’

Professor Alex Tansey on Naming the Offspring

Professor Alex Tansey addressed th’ Mothers’ Club yisterday, at th’ east o’ th’ Saw mill. Takin’ for his subject. “The’ Namin’ o’ th' Offspring,” th’ Professor arose wearin’ th’ same Prince Albert he graduated in at Ann Arbor, in 1888, an shone like a wounded tarpon flounderin' In th’~Flondy sun. ah’ spoke in part as follows: “Mothers an’ nonproducers, when I see Charles Sumner Moss leanin’ agin’ th’ courthouse fence with his whitewash brush my mind goes back t’ th’ stirrin* days o’ his namesake, that famous American statesman who ‘bp-

“When I See Ulysses Simpson Grant Bud Bein’ Dragged t’ Jail for Stealin’ a Ham I Am at Once Reminded o’ th’ capture o’ Ft. Donelson, er th Brilliant Victory o’ luka, in 1862.”

posed th’ re-election o’ Grant, in 1872, on account o’ his,Santo Domingo policy. When I see Ulysses Simpson Grant Bud bein’ dragged t’ jail fer stealin’ a ham I am at once reminded o’ th’ capture o’ Ft. Donelson, er th brilliant victory o’ luka, in 1862. An, my friends, when Natalie Jones serves my batter cakes at th’ Little Gem resturint I’m wafted gently back t’ that bright May mornin’ in 1859> . talie, daughter o’ Ivanowitch Kechko, wuz born t’ become th’ Princes Milan, o’ Servia. So I urge that mothers try t’ avoid names with historical associations so that th’ offspring may not be called upon t’ bear thro’ life a name out o’ all harmony with it’s environment er attainments* 7 It’s alius difficult t’ hide our disappointment when we meet a Grover er a Lincoln. They’re so different from what we naturally had in our mind’s eye. ; , —“A mother may be an admirer o Marie Corelli without launchin’ a long legged daughter on th’ sea o’ life weighed down-with~a name HkeTheL ma. O’ course if th’ daughter chooses t’ make snake charmin’ with a circus her life’s work th’ choice is admirable. “We*re list emergin’ from a long siege o" Dorothy’s, an’ all efforts t’ trace th’ wigin o’ th’ craze have been futile. Jist think what a refreshin

ADVERTISIN’

By KIN HUBBARD

artist has brought t’ light all th’ mysterious an’ Intricate harness o’ fair woman. Maybe on th’ same page, settin’ off a suit sale, we see a trio o’ fashionably dressed young men who have apparently gotten t’gether by th’ merest accident, an’ who, judgin’ by ther blank facial expressions, have never even heard of one another. Then we come t* th’ smokin’ t’bacco testimonials an’ study th’ faces of all our foremost celebrities an’ learn fer th’ first time that they smoke pipes an’ five-

cent t’backer. Then ther’s th’ allurin dandruff ad, th’ special sales, Christmas suggestions, signed letters t’ th’ editur an’ other ads, all so cleverly gotten up that we read ever’ word o’ them and spend our money freely. In th’ magazines shingle stains, Holland bulbs, winter tours, shavln’ soaps, automobiles, corsets, beauty lotions, tires, floor wax, silverware an’ union suits are all exploited in such a highly artistic manner that th’ average reader fergits all about th’ stories. What could be more eloquent than th’ underwear ad wherein a whole, wellrounded family is shown seated about a library table readin’ in th 1 soft, mellow glow o’ an up-t’-date lamp —father, mother, Gertrude, Robert, Ethyl an’ little Toots, all dressed in union suits jest like they had started t* go t’ bed an’ then suddenly decided t* return t th’ livin’ room an’ read a little while longer. This is an age when we all depend on publicity an’ nobuddy profits by keepin’ out o’ th’ public eye but th crook. (Protected by Adams Newspaper Service.)

By KIN HUBBARD

novelty it’ll be t’ meet an occasional Lizzie er Maggie in a few years. “Ther’s plenty o’ good ole Democratic names left f select from without drawin’ on our heroes er heroines. Ther’s Jake an’ John an’ Joe er Bill, an’ ther’s Mary an’ Blanche an’ Nellie an’ Ed i th. Th’ only tro üble with Edith is that your daughter is liable t’ change it t’ Edythe ates. We have thousands o' John Smiths but no mother has yet had th’ nerve t’ perpetuate th’ memory o’ Pocahontas, th’ brave Indian maiden that saved th’ bacon o' th’ intrepid

explorer,” said th’ Professor, now growin’ easier an’ gittin’ his subject well in hand. “Think o’ th’ bitter disappointments that await th’ child named Goldie. She’ll need all th’ qualifications in th* human category t’ guide her back safely thro’ th’ snags an’ shoals that imperil th’ voyager down life’s stream." Here th’ Professor recounted many failures among his early acquaintance who had fallen in life’s feverish battle burdened by names that only embarrassed ’em —names that magnified ther Inferiorities an’ impeded ther progress an’ showed ’em up. Continuin’ he said: - - “Somehow we alius gasp when we meet a Norman er a Lionel. We expect t’ see athletes. Mothers, when a boy is born an’ you feel a longin’ t’ call him Norman or Lionel call his father in an’ go over th’ matter carefully t’gether an’ add either Kenneth or Claire t’ which ever name you may select. Then it’s a good plan t’ call him Bud tiU you see how he’a goin’ tl stack up. U he fills out well an” stones th’ neighbors let it go at Norman er Lionel. If he slows down at fifteen an’ shows a tendency toward lawn tennis It shall be your duty t’ choose Kenneth or Claire.” (Protected by Adams Newepaper Servile 4