236 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



"When the evidence of vital statistics indicates the presence of an 

 nnsanitary condition through an excessive prevalence of some com- 

 municable disease;, investigations are commonly made to determine the 

 nature of the difficulty. This is often a troublesome and uncertain task. 

 But when the difficulty is once discovered it is usually a simple matter 

 to prescribe the remedy. 



In very recent years sanitary investigations have been made much 

 more definite and effective by the applications of bacteriology, chem- 

 istry and pathology, and a new class of professional men has been devel- 

 oped for laboratory and field work of the highest and best order. These 

 persons we may call sanitarians or, better, hygienists. 



The second main branch of public health work is the suppression of 

 communicable diseases. Suppressive measures include the establish- 

 ment of quarantine, the isolation of patients, disinfection, vaccination 

 and the management of epidemics. Contrary to the custom of twenty 

 years ago, all the best work in these directions to-day is based upon a 

 scientific knowledge of what we may call the natural history of disease. 

 In all these matters of control the dictum of the health authority is 

 supreme. It can be resisted only through intervention by the courts. 



The third main branch of public health work is the abatement of 

 nuisances. The practical work of suppressing unsanitary conditions is 

 done by health authorities by recourse to special statutes and local regu- 

 lations made by the authorities themselves and termed " sanitary ordi- 

 nances " or " sanitary codes." Offenders against these laws and regula- 

 tions are brought before proper magistrates and fined. A board of 

 health exercises the imique function of both making and enforcing 

 the law. 



It may be extremely difficult to determine what does and what does 

 not constitute a nuisance. For practical purposes it is often considered 

 that anything which is detrimental to health or which threatens danger 

 to persons or property may be considered and dealt with as a nuisance. 



Interesting work for the suppression of disease lies in educating the 

 public, the medical profession and the health authorities as to the 

 causes of and means of preventing the transmission of disease germs. 

 This is one of the newest and most successful branches of public health 

 work which has been undertaken for many years. It is based on the 

 fact that people are not careless in sanitary matters because of a wilful 

 or vicious design against the public welfare ; they err through ignorance. 

 By educating the less fortunate concerning the ways in which diseases 

 are transmitted and showing how they can be prevented, substantial 

 benefit results. 



This educational work is carried on by the daily papers, the medical 

 papers, special bulletins and magazines, by lectures, by clinics, by con- 

 gresses and, to some extent, by schools. Sanitary societies and public 



