AMERICAN SANITATION IN THE PHILIPPINES AND 

 ITS INFLUENCE ON THE ORIENT. 



{Read December 7, 19 17.) 

 By victor G. HEISER, M.D. 



Sanitation is constantly becoming more exact. America's work 

 in the tropics has contributed greatly to that end. The public is 

 beginning to realize that science is rapidly reaching the point at 

 which the proper expenditure of definite sums of money may be 

 counted on to produce proportionate reductions in the morbidity and 

 mortality rates. Every dollar wisely invested should produce an 

 appreciable improvement. It does not necessarily follow that great 

 sums of money are required. We are all aware of the marvelous 

 results which were obtained by our health department in Panama. 

 It is not so well known that equally striking results on a far greater 

 scale were obtained in the Philippines. In Panama the cost has been 

 given as approximately $3.38 per capita per annum. In the Philip- 

 pines the cost was about 20 cents, and the results were obtained 

 under civil conditions without the use of mihtary force or extra- 

 ordinary powers. The entire cost of the sanitation was defrayed 

 by the revenues of the Philippine government. When it is remem- 

 bered that the Filipinos are among the lowest taxed people on earth, 

 it will be apparent that it should be quite possible to achieve in coun- 

 tries with greater resources even better results than were accom- 

 plished in those far-away islands. Since my return to America it 

 has been a great shock to me to find this country in many respects 

 far behind in health accomplishment and to discover that sanitary 

 procedures which have been in force and have been producing good 

 results for many years in the Philippines are now only gradually 

 coming into use and are being heralded as among the most modern 

 and recent advances. 



Soon after the occupation of the Philippines, a board of health 

 was organized under Army General Orders No. 15, under the 



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