Salt Lake Telegram | 1934-01-25 | Page 8 | Daily Health Service

Daily Health Service Your Tour Districts District's Health Must Be Safeguarded By DR DL MORRIS FISHBEIN Whether you live in a rural community community com corn or in a large city the health of f your family amity and those about you depends upon the effective control of ol disease and epidemics by your local health department In larger cities in fact it Is only the tie work of their modern health organizations or or- that makes it possible to toive live ive there I Control of epidemics of diseases car car- ned led ried by contaminated foods milk and water proper disposal of sewage adequate adequate ade ade- adequate ade- ade quate ventilation and the smoke nuisance all are problems which come under the scope of the health department depart ment When each of at these measures measures of sanitation was installed it was reflected re reo very promptly by a definite lowering in iri disease and death rates With these gradual Improvements in hygiene and sanitation life UIe expectancy tancy ancy at birth has risen by more than thana a score of years jears a a If continued progress is tobe made the there here e must be continued expenditures as new causes of death and diseases are determined Now it has become possible for or health departments to state tate very definitely that certain min mm- mum standards must be observed or orthe orthe the he health department of ot the community com corn is a failure A low Infant mortality rate a low death leath rate from typhoid fever scarlet scarle fever ever and diphtheria and prevention o of epidemics and plagues are matters which can be controlled scientifically Records show absolutely the extent to p which health departments are functioning turning adequately In these times taxpayers are subJected sub sub- to great burdens Nevertheless you rou as a taxpayer should real realize ze that tha the he money spent for prevention of disease disease dis dis- dis ease probably brings a greater return for each dollar than money spent in any other way a a a Because of the stringent economic conditions the Hie budgets of ot health departments de de- have suffered along with the he others However they suffer far more than do other departments o ohe of the he government simply because it has ha been jeen exceedingly difficult in the pas paso past to o get sufficient money to permit any health department to perform to the fullest extent what it might pUsh It has been said repeatedly that pub pub- Jc Uc h health alth is a purchasable commodity The amount of money spent for lor health purposes is reflected very promptly in hi n the death rates in inthe the community In times of economic depression dangers from poverty po worry wory and ma malnutrition malnutrition mal mal- nutrition are increased Therefore in those hose times public health departments have to be organized and operated much more efficiently than at any other period In fact a dollar saved to the city budget at such a time may mean many dollars lost through failure to prevent disease conditions that might have lave been controlled