Show R T thurber writes for health publication the road ahead is the title of an article by R T thurber of the sevier county health council and director of the sevier county public welfare board which was published in this weeks edition of our he health alth publication of the utah state board of health the article written at the request of the health health board is reprinted here with permission of mr thurber tile the article follows an old chinese proverb roads reads when the waters of the yangtze overflow into the rice paddys gaddys the gophers and rats run out progressive gres sive standards in health measures have been going steadily for waid through developments of loftier motives will we be able to materially add to the enrichment of life by following through in the channels of our present thinking we are in the initial period of an organized health crusade in utah that will chase a lot of gophers and rats that are preying on our physical and mental welfare beyond the confines of harm wherever man can live he can live well if lie is wise enough to safeguard all roads leading to his physical and mental dominance in this we must trust to efficient organization by those who know something of the ways of life by those whose intelligent understanding will apply healing waters to the paddys gaddys pad dys where the gophers and rats of a thousand di disease plagues are concealed to enjoy the common as well as the finer things of life we must have health so many are slowed down in all of lifes activities that they fall out of the onward groces procession gion of society because of having to wear the hobbles of disease this condition is preventable and we are doing something about it not all our ou r zealous plantings ings have been successful cess ful some have failed but the lesson we learn is that a failure is but indicative that energy has been poured into the wrong funnel the stakes placed on heal health t standards are too precious too expensive to admit of energy wasting we by experimentation first learn that what is good for the bee is good for the swarm the enduring value of a people is its health the world is a tragedy to him who is sick time has a queer way of holding back her answers to many of our problems it took a hundred years for the french people to vote pasteur as the greatest frenchman not excepting napoleon one had in invented a virus to save lives the other a machine for destroying lives happiness is a vain pursuit without conquering contagion the world has not greater heros than those doctors who have sacrificed their lives to test an experiment for human itys sake things in our lives are what they are and the consequences will all bd what they will be but we have ai a desire an organized desire to build an ideal society for the future in which disease will have no invitation because of sanitary and medical measures the layman is conscious of what is being done and is anxious that the hedges of protection be placed about him to those who plan and direct to toa those who serve to the doctors and nurses yours is the important work of the world today each inheritance came as a gift we were not the choosers but the wise builder of a life will transmit his gift to those who follow him with added interest in health and the knowledge of health progress may imay appear slow but we are on the way up and we must learn that any worthwhile conquest dealing with the habits and sentiments of a people requires patience and hope the two most valuable lessons of life |