Proceedings of the quarter-centennial celebration of the establishment of the Michigan State Board of Health : held at Detroit, Michigan, August 9, 1898.
- Michigan. State Board of Health
- Date:
- 1898
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Proceedings of the quarter-centennial celebration of the establishment of the Michigan State Board of Health : held at Detroit, Michigan, August 9, 1898. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.
74/102 page 72
![MrXJCIl'AL KKSTKICTION OF DISEASES. BY ERNEST WENDE, M. D., HEALTH COMMISSIONER, BUFFALO, N. Y. It is more than eighteen hundred years ago, that there was a sot of men who ‘‘thought they ouglit to he heard for tiieir much speaking.” As they liave j)ropagated exceedingly since that time, and as I observe that they llourish just now to a suri)rising extent, everywhere, I will do my best to avoid adding to that prolific race. You will remember in I*aul ClitTord that tliat very sagacious jierson. Augustus long'/” Tomlinson, said, “Life is short and why should speeclu's be An aiihorism so sensil)le under all circumstances, and jiarticularly in the circumstance in which I am placed, I shall i)ractically adopt on the lu-esent occasion. Therefore, no time need be occupied in rehearsing before this audi- ence the necessity of municipal action against contagious diseases and other adjunct factors that imjieril the well-being of the community. Snell diseases and factors are of vital concern to ev.ery public body, to every individual and to every household as a household, and in pro[)or- tion as it is a])])reciated so in jiroportion an enlightened public demands for itself as high a degree of protection as may be attained, without con- testing its humane signilicance and civilizing influence. If contagious diseases are preventable, why do they continue to exist? Why not prevented? Why not diminished with the progress of sanitary science and civilization? In reply, largely because of the apathy, ignor- ance and unconsciousness on the part of the public of what may befall them, and because of the indifference, mismanagement and contlicting interests .on the part of the local healtli authorities in combatting infec- tion. Until the laity better ajipreeiate the benefits resulting from a willing and intelligent obedience to Nature’s laws of how to live and avoid dis- ease, until they recognize the fact that without their assistance, the efforts of the sanitarian to control contagion and to blot out sickness, sorrow and suffering, but little radical imiirovement can be brought about. Then, what is necessary to consummate such an end? 1. The education of the masses in all that pertains to public hygiene, to enlist their co-ojieration against carelessness and disregard in the application of laws or principles for the preservation of health in what- ever way they may be employed. 2. ^Municipal equi])inent and organization to carry out modern sanita- tion, to be of such intidligence and activity as to make it a blessing to the people and creditable to a progressive city. .3. Strict oi-dinances, rules and regulations, the execution of which should be arbitrary, prompt and impartial. 4. Laws obtained from the Legislature of the State giving plenary powers to the health authorities in matters of municipal sanitation. What should the ordinances embody?](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b22335213_0076.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
