Ill \F\l'',TKEN'riI HKPOHT. 



abjcttly Mil)iiii.ssi\ f spirit ol co-operation in a piece of sanitary work 

 the full significance of wliicli could luit have been appreciated by the 

 farmers. In the liglit of this recent experience in Michigan I am en- 

 couraged to hojje that the Michigan farmer is ready to co-operate in every 

 reasonable movement to better the sanitary condition of Michigan farmers. 



Comparisons are said to be odious ; they are also necessary and in- 

 structive. In closing I may be permitted to call your attention to the 

 comparative condition of city and country from the health standpoint as 

 presented by a great medical scientist and by a distinguished social 

 scientist. \'aughan says: "It is significant that for this considerable 

 portion of the country (the original registration area), the death rate 

 of the rural districts shows but little, if any, decrease in the years and 

 periods compared. Practically the entire reduction of the death rate in 

 this group is due to lower urban mortality." An effort has been made 

 to secure legislation along liealth lines that would guarantee the rural 

 communities advantages equal to tiiose enjoyed by citizens of the large 

 cities. "The children of the poorest, most ignorant immigrant in Detroit 

 go to sanitary school houses; they are inspected daily by medical men; 

 any deviation from liealth is detected and attended to. The infected 

 individual receives attention while it is still time to be of service, and the 

 spread of disease is prevented. These same children are inspected by 

 the dentist, and when there are oral defects and the parents are not able 

 to pay for proper attention, the city pays for it. ^^'hen a child of one 

 of these poor, ignorant immigrants is taken with scarlet fever, it is 

 carried to the City Hospital where it has the very best of care and 

 treatment without expense to the parents." 



In discussing the reasons luiderlying the movement of farmers to the 

 city, Carver says: "The country is still somewhat more healthful than 

 the city, though there are some perverted statistics which aim to shoM' 

 the contrary. But the undoubted fact is that the cities are improving 

 very rapidly in sanitation, and the time is not far distant, unless the 

 country districts arouse themselves, when the cities will be more health- 

 ful than the country." 



Department of Bacteriology and Hygiene, 

 Michigan Agricultural College. 



