Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 179, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 August 1917 — An Ounce of Prevention [ARTICLE]

An Ounce of Prevention

By DR. SAMUEL G. DIXON

Commissioner of Health of Pennsylvania.

Before the causes of disease were known or the practical application of nature’s ways of producing immunity to disease, we had to suffer an attack of sickness and then trust to drugs and nursing for cure. This was a difficult task and the death rate was sometimes enormous, both in times of peace as well as of ■war. “'”“7 ' Then the day of prevention came, gradually the laws of nature unfolded until today we know, methods of preventing diseases and antidoting the poisons generated by germs in the ~~body. It was even as late as the SpanishAmerican war that we lost more soldiers from preventable diseases than we did from bullets. This was a disgraceful thing, as sanitarians could have prevented the high death rate. From what we can learn through the newspapers and other sources, France today is short of disinfectants in her trenches. We do not see any great public excitement „over this condition, or any concerted action of our good citizens to give their mites to purchase and transport disinfectants for the French trenches so as to prevent disease. Therapeutics or drug treatment seems to continue to have a hold on the lay mind, and possibly, to some extent, on the medical mind. Both the people at home in everyday’ life and the soldiers in our army are much to blame for the sickness that exists. The medical profession’s advice is not taken when these per- • sons are well, but the moment they get good and sick they call: “Oh, doctor, do relieve me from this awful

pain,” or “Oh, doctor, save my life!” Perhaps this call conies too late. A few words of prevention from the doctor to the patient,- and those few words 'obeyed, might have prevented the slckiness and saved suffering and sorrow. Do not let us lose sight, Individually or collectively, of preventing diseases both at home and in our military camps, let them be where they may.