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Show DOCTORS TALK OF SANITATION An Important Meeting Werday. Fifty Health Officers and Physicians Are in Attendance. At-tendance. Permanent Officers Aro Chosen and Annual Sessions Will Be Held Three Papers Head. At the close of the first day's session of tho State health officers' convention, held yesterday In the city and county building, those Instrumental In calling the convention expressed gratification at tho success of tho undertaking, and, further, tho opinion that tho convention conven-tion would be an annual affair. Nearly fifty health officers and physicians from various parts of the State wero In attendance upon yesterdny's meetings, meet-ings, and not only waB groat Interest manifested in the papers presented, but discussions of tho topics were very general. gen-eral. , Permanent Officers Chosen. Dr. T. B. Beatty, secretary of the State Board of Health, called the. convention con-vention to order and a permanent organization or-ganization was effected by electing the followlnr officers; Dr. G. L. Smart of Springville, president; Dr. B, K. Word, Park City, vice-president; Horaco H. Smith, Salt Lake City, secretary. Governor Wells was to have given the address of welcome but was unavoidably un-avoidably detained. His address will probably be given at tho session this morning. In the absence of tho Governor Gov-ernor Dr. F. S. Bascom was called upon up-on for a paper on "Public Health Legislation." Leg-islation." Legislators Heed Attention. After a few Introductory remarks. Dr. Bascom referred to tho careful and faithful Investigations of public health officers which have mado pestilential countries and cities habitable and saved hundreds and thousands of lives, yet he said it was necessary throughout through-out tho length and broadth of tho land for physicians and health officers who know these things to approach each Legislature with apologies for asking additions to or amendment of the laws required by their knowledge of progressive pro-gressive sanitary conditions. Ho Insisted In-sisted that it was necessary to give members of Legislatures a llttlo attention at-tention both before and after election In order to convince them that physicians physi-cians and health officers have but ono object In asking for rigid and up-to-date health laws the protection of the people. "Politics, creed and cults," added the speaker, "should havo no Influence on such a vital question as the health of tho people." Utah Far Behind. Dr. Bascom said that Utah Is still far behind many of the States In her health laws and asked his hearers to uso their Individual efforts to Influence the people of their respective districts In order that their co-operation In the Important matter might be secured. If necessary, he suggested that It be demonstrated dem-onstrated to them that the promulgation promulga-tion and observation of tho health laws 's of more value to them In dollars and cents than any other public question they may be called upon to consider. Tho establishment of a detention hospital In every city and town of the State was advocated by Dr. Bascom. Ho said It is often impossible for one contracting a contagious disease to find comfortable accommodations in some of the towns and cities, while one's sympathies cannot fall to go out to the unfortunate mental alien who Is detained de-tained in a county Jail pending his examination, ex-amination, as though his affliction were a criminal offense. Committee on Legislation. A committee was then named, on motion mo-tion of Dr. Phillips of Wellsvllle, to draft such resolutions In regard to legislation leg-islation as are deemed necessary, to be presented at the next session of the Legislature. Included in the committee commit-tee are Dr. Smart of Springville, Dr. W. R. Calderwood of Logan, and Drs. Allen, Beatty and Bascom of Salt Lake. Three papers of much interest and value were presented at the afternoon meeting of tho health officers. The first wn3 an extemporaneous address by Dr. T. B. Beatty on the "Prevention of Diseases," beginning with a brief historical sketch of the sanitary progress prog-ress of the world from the time when disease was regarded as a supernatural agency and people sought to avert It by exorcism and magic. He pointed out that increasing intelligence led to the recognition of the relation between sanitation and disease, and as this knowledge grew mensures were adopted adopt-ed which resulted In a constantly lessening less-ening death-rate untlh as a result of the crowning discoveries of sanitary science during the past quarter century, cen-tury, the death-rate of civilized countries coun-tries has been reduced to less than 20 per 1000. Half tho Deaths Unnecessary. Still there Is much to accomplish In this line, said Dr. Beatty, since 50 per cent of all deaths at the present time are due to preventable causes. The causes of these diseases are absolutely known, and the remaining problem of the sanitarian Is the successful application appli-cation of this knowledge. In the opinion opin-ion of the speaker the key to this problem prob-lem is education, and he thought that when the masses of the people realize the ease and simplicity with which communicable diseases may be stamped out the proper remedy will be applied. ap-plied. Dr. Beatty then described the cause and prevention of different Infectious diseases, closing with a description of the - unsanitary conditions widely existing ex-isting throughout tho State, due to ( soil pollution -and the general uso of surface wells. Importance of Puro Water. Slate Engineer A, F, Doremus presented pre-sented the second paper of the afternoon, after-noon, dealing with the "Water Supply." Among' other things, Mr, Doremus pointed out how important pure water is to good health, and yet how frequent It is to find persons drinking bad water. He said that many persons who aro as fastidious as fawns about the food they eat are as careless as cattle about the water they drink. Chemically pure water Is not absolutely absolute-ly necessary, said Mr. Doremus, but tho nearer it approaches It tho better. bet-ter. A dual source and distribution of water for lorge cities was advocated by the speaker, inasmuch as the demand de-mand Is so gTeat per capita and the supply usually so limited. Dr. Calderwood's Paper. A very Interesting discussion followed fol-lowed this paper also, after which Dr. Calderwood of Logun gave an excellent excel-lent paper on "Food and Dairy Supplies." Sup-plies." Many useful and Instructive points regarding the Importance of cleanliness In preparing food and In manufacturing dairy products wero set forth by Dr. Calderwood, his paper being followed by a brief discussion. After the meeting ndjourned the visiting vis-iting health officers were invited to see a stcrooptlcon exhibition of microscopic micro-scopic views of disease germs, prepared by R. H. Officer and explained by Dr. Beatty. The Programme Today. This morning at 10 o'clock the convention con-vention will be resumed. Among the papers to be presented are ono on "School Hygiene," by Dr. S. H. Allen; "Tuberculosis," Dr. Wilcox; "Smallpox," "Small-pox," Dr. Jensen of Ephralm; "Duties of Health Officers," Dr. Taylor, Eureka; Eure-ka; "Legal Aspect of Public Health," Secretary of State J. T. Hammond; "Car Sanitation," Dr. Steele. R. F. Woodard, State fumlgator, will alno glvo a practical demonstration of disinfection. dis-infection. Dr. Middleton of Cedar City Is unable to attend the convention, but a paper on "Typhoid Fever" prepared by him will be read. |