Show I Conference of Health Authorities Held In Washington Washington- D C 23 Continued from last week vcr ver in Utah has been reduced reduce to I 24 per population with a reduction of 75 per cent in inal diseases of children which is still far from the goal set Im Improvement Irn- Irn provement of water supplies and is responsible for most of of C reduction but other modern I methods of control are employed as intensively as possible I Owing to the extensive area and limited population the expense c of government in Utah is proportion proportion-I i proportionately proportion high Taxation resources are circumscribed and after the cost of the public institutions and schools roads etc is taken out remaining remaining- funds for administrative purposes lowed allowed are restricted Those al- al alI al I lowed for public health purposes are wholly Thi Th This hi h h handicapped the efforts of the board which ha a chronic state of financial depression since its inception In compensation however we have become used to it and the present economic emer gency emergency finds us seasoned well veterans veter-I veter veter- veter veterans veter ans in the art of gettin getting along on short rations I do not wish this to be construed as an alibi for shortcomings as I am quite aware I forI of the fact that none of you has been overburdened witha with th tha a plethora of funds It is one of the unsolved ed riddles of the public mind that it is readily to all forms of grotesque que fradus exploited as cures of I disease and yet refuses to recognize or acknowledge the value of disease I prevention and that standing the extraordinary show show- in ing showing of the past quarter of a cen- cen truy truy cen-truy funds for public health pur- pur pur poses purposes are grudgingly rud in ly and inadequately doled out The against flies rec- rec recognized rec recognized o as a prominent factor in the inthe typhoid rate has been ume- ume rec 1 especially especial mittin unremitting The problem was especial especial- ly difficult because of the contin contin- custom of nf co it 1 animals in corrals in rural rl towns townsand and villages Amon Among effective measures ef- ef ef educationally and other other- otherwise wise wie statewide wi e for fly control were state state- wide trapping fly contests for prizes anda and a project of and lasting value was the inauguration of clean town contests cov cov- coy coy- ering covering all the towns of the state The contests which were conducted by the board during the 1914 1911 1915 1015 and 1916 hav hay since years been followed by annual statewide clean up cleanup campaigns Today the communities of the state ate their homes ornamented with favorably trees flower gardens etc favor ably compare in attractiveness with those of other states states-an states an extra extra- ordinary extraordinary transformation wrought ht the the r pioneer pioneer beginning In the uLu 01 UI me LOC the poet poet the desert has has been made to blossom as the rose Civic pride has developed in proportion tion proper Among other special projects found interesting and useful was the statewide goiter survey of i 1 1 which included the examina examina- examination tion by the epidemiologist of schoolchildren school children for goiter The incidence of thyroid enlargement shown by the examinations was per cent An excessive rate Mountain exists throughout the Rock Rocky Moun Moun- tam tain region due to the low iodine content of the soil and water sup sup- sup sup The prophylactic use us of salt or iodine tablets tablet LS JS is ad ad and the effect has been noticeable in man many communities I We consider goiter in Utah and other mountain states an important important tant public health problem ne Regulations governing heating I Ine ventilation and seating arrange arrange- arrangements arrangements ments of public places of amuse amuse- amusement amusement ment have been adopted and enTer enTer- cod ced e for a n number of years ears The The def def mite need for lor such supervision has been amply demonstrated thou though h hit I it is probably not practical under centralized direction in the more populous states In Utah few I I places of amusements now fall faIl below the required standards Be Beginning in 1911 the board hassent hs sent to mothers on receipt of birth c certificates circulars on infant care This practice I believe is partially responsible for the material reduction reduction tion in infant deaths Methods of general public health education have included literature films lectures and to some extent I radio broadcasting In 1907 1007 we ve secured the enact enactment ment meat of a n law providing for the I introduction of health study in the normal and public schools and in 1011 a law requiring requiring teachers to tomake tomake tomake make simple tests for physical de defects do- do of schoolchildren school children using charts and instructions furnished by the board and reporting reporting- to par par- parents par par- parents parents suspected defects While the method was regarded as crude and wholly inadequate and has not been extensively utilized it was of some value in n the absence of v I by school physicians laminations Unfortunately this medical service service is still except in a few instances I From the standpoint of its prevalence pre prevalence valence tuberculosis is not a major major problem in Utah which according to the Census bureau reports has hasI i lone one of the lowest death rates from the disease in the United States namely nameh 27 per population I It is interesting to note rote and per per- haps perhaps si significant that the incident of bov bovine e tuberculosis also was I wasI found when the herds of the state were tested to be almost ne negligible For the control of tuberculosis the diagnostic board maintains a regular it tic clinic in Salt Lake City and it- it clinics elsewhere in the state with follow up nursing service two per pel cent in the material death I consider worthy of description in in some detail our plan of carrying out the pro program ram under the provis proviso provisions provisions ions ions of the federal maternity and infancy act because of its proved effectiveness as applied to condi condi- condi- condi conditions in Utah In this connection I wish to en dorse endorse in the strongest terms the bill now before Congress providing for the reinstatement of federal aid for maternity and infancy and suggest est that the conference con con- con continue to exert its influence in in pro pro- pro pro- motion promotion of the legislation I Before the enactment of the former law Ian we had been unable to maintain an efficient bureau of Child Hygiene although h hone one I been established on a limited scale As a result of the federal i tion cooperation we were able to employ a afield field pediatrician and public health nurses and organized health centers in rural communities These were in charge of local committees who assembled mothers and pre pre- pre school preschool school for the periodical con and who aided in follow follow- follow up work up Seventy eight thousand children dren examinations were made of chil chil- of school pre age disclosing many thousands of serious physical defects The pursued longas as long as funds permitted was as follows The examining physical and anda a pub Dub lie health nurse n it M Another public public health I nurse visited the homes to secure I correction of physical defects rec- rec rec recorded and to furnish instructions lorded including prenatal advice mothers ers The to moth nurse also arranged ed for immunization clinics for diphtheria smallpox and typhoid fever which were vere held later br by the I gist epidemiologist of the board This was follow follow- followed ed b by a n visit sit to the health center of ofa a dentist who in addition to giving in ing filled instructions on dental care fill fill ed cd the teeth of school pro children where needed In the many having no dentists service this ser ser- ser ser- vice of paramount importance was wa especially appreciated and should be made permanent I wish to emphasize the value of ol statewide free immunization clinics clinic as immunization a method of securing tion for diphtheria of pre pre school I schoolchildren al l-l l mi children We had made much ress ss progress in in our intensive for the campaigns schoolchildren immunization of school children a very lal large e proportion of whom in some counties more mon than no DO 90 per cent had received the th inoculations but except for the plan adopted only a small smaIl per per- per I e percentage of the preschool population would have been h bi TT- TT i fully completed the work when had hadnot not beer been i I obliged ed by lack of funds we to were sus that pend this it I think it is fair fail to assume I 1 program was a consider consider- able considerable factor in the 80 per cent re- re re reduction of deaths from diphtheria which has OCcurred The rate ate of 24 in 1930 mortality total of 12 deaths for represents the a state Statistics for 1931 have entire not no been compiled but it is known that tha the rate was still lower An item also deserving notice and m more g discussion o nag r than mits permits is time per per per- the actual reduction per cent in- in inthe in the maternal materna of o death i the period rate which occurred during durin of and cooperative federal federa state maternity and federal I work infancy I j In the maternity and program the committees in charge chargi of the health centers I who more have than served a thousand faithfully members and am I I without remuneration deserve the tb highest kr t commendation The I comI corn com committees while selected locally and am I i andi representative of the entire Com Com- corn com community arc are largely composed of o of the women's relief so- so so society of the L D S 5 Church a large or organization which is active ly actively and efficiently engaged in social socia welfare The conference work at times has dis- dis discussed dis discussed disI discussed I I cussed the control of cancer and an the part in tho the pro program ram which should be taken by the official health departments As yet no d def definite def def- f- f finite mite plans or policies have been considered and since official re- re responsibility responsibility re responsibility in this important phase of public health work cannot he be escaped I am nm of the opinion that the conference should undertake a careful study of the question witha with n a view of recommendations for the adoption of a more or less uniform mode of procedure Another subject in my opinion demanding the attention of the conference is that of mental h hy hygiene hygiene giene Public health departments should recognize their obligation to o assume leadership and a nent neat part in the development of this important phase of public health work and details should receive careful study I wish to add to that of my predecessor my acknowledgement of deep obligation to our secretary whose able and indefatigable work has contributed so much to the sue suc success cess of the conference and has made the job of president largely perfunctory At least nine out of every ten automobile accidents which in 1931 caused the death of persons and injury of nearly a million I others ij resulted from human errors and of drivers that trains people to Anything the Thought pays think pays largest dividends Most of the I er-I en- en or that are arc made most of the overtakes us comes that trouble did not think because someone straight In the days of Eve and the gar gar- garden gar gar- garden garden I was den of Eden the devils devil's plea it such way that in a presented I minimized the sin and magnified its falsely claimed results The plan I worked so well weIl that the devil has used it ever since Today he breaks down resistance to sin by minim minim- minimizing minimizing izing it He tells his victims that it is not sin The old lie still works |