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Show THE LOW COST OF GOOD HEALTH Last week we discussed the high cost of dying. We arrived at the conclusion that preventable sickness and death cost the people of Utah more than $5,000,000 each year in addition to suffering and sorrow. This week we will consider the low cost of health protection. The health of a community is largely what the people of that community com-munity will make it. Climate and other natural factors may make the task easier or harder, but the human element is the deciding factor. Witness Wit-ness what has been done in Havana, In Panama and other places where the health workers have had a free hand. There are six essentials for the safeguarding of health: 1. Safe water Bupply. 2. Proper disposal of human waste. 3. Proper living conditions. 4. Frequent examinations by physicians phy-sicians to detect and check any tendency ten-dency to disease. 5. Prompt and adequate medical attention when sick. 6. Proper care to prevent communicable com-municable 1 diseases from being transmitted from the sick to the well. A good water supply is often costly. cost-ly. But an epidemic of Typhoid Fever, for example, may cost in one year's sickness and death far more than the entire cost of an adequate and safe water system. s. The same may be said of a sewer system. It is folly to neglect to provide such a system for the sake of economy. Clean houses, well ventilated and lighted and not overcrowded do not cost much more than the other kind. The resulting health and happiness repay the greater cost many times over. Good food, properly prepared is not much more expensive than poor food. Fresh air is free to all who will take it. It is much cheaper to pay the doctor doc-tor to keep you , well than to go through a serious illness. One visit from the doctor today may save many viBits from him later. lat-er. A little thought and watchfullness and strict obedience to the quaren-tine quaren-tine regulations will protect the well from the sick. In fact, the cost of protecting the health of a community Is extremely small in comparison to the cost of sickness and death. Why will we continue to pay a heavy price for the disease which brings suffering and sorrow when for one tenth the cost we could have health and happiness and greater wealth. Utah Public Health Association. |