UNCLE SAM'S MODEL VILLAGE 



A report on the model health de- 

 partment in the model \illage which 

 the V. S. Public Health Service has 

 been developing for nearK' two years 

 on the 516-acre Cjovernment reserva- 

 tion at Perr\ville, Md., shows some 

 interesting facts. 



The reservation was used during 

 the war as a site for a huge nitrate 

 plant. The buildings included 200 

 cottages, two general stores, a model 

 school house, club, firehouse, and 

 theater for the employes. The whole 

 reservation was turned over by Con- 

 gress to the Public Health Service for 

 a hospital site and for the storage of 

 the vast quantities of medical stores 

 required for the U. S. Public Health 

 SerAice hospitals. 



The Public Health Ser\ice promptly 

 transformed a group of cottages into 

 one hospital and set to build another, 

 the whole now accommodating 430 

 patients. Not including the somewhat 

 \'ariable hospital quota the reserva- 

 tion now has a population of 839 

 persons, about equally male and 

 female, with many children and few 

 aged. 



The birth rate on the reservation 

 was 39.33 per thousand, as against 

 24.39 in the whole State and 28.78 

 in the count)-. The death rate was 

 onK' 3.67, the excess in children being 

 probably about balanced by the de- 

 ficiency in aged persons. While this 

 low death rate is partly due to the 

 favorable age constitution of the 

 j)Opulation, much of the credit belongs 

 to the efficient health administration. 



Careful work has kept the record 

 of communicable diseases low. Par- 

 ticularly was this the case with 

 diphtheria, of which an outbreak was 

 re[K)rted early in the year in the 

 \illage outside the reservation, across 

 the railroad track, from which many 

 workmen came daily to the i)Iant. 



The Schick test showed that one third 

 of the children in the school were 

 susceptible to the disease; and all of 

 these were promptly immunized by 

 a new method. Three months later 

 a second test showed that only three 

 still remained susceptible. 



louring the year 30 cases of diph- 

 theria occurred in the county and three 

 on the reservation, one of them a new 

 comer, one a young sister of a boy who 

 was found to be a carrier, and one an 

 adult. 



The low pre\alence of contagious 

 disease is ascribed directly to close 

 watch and prompt isolation, lab- 

 oratory diagnosis, and prophylaxis; 

 and indirectly to pasteurized milk, 

 filtered and chlorinated water, school 

 medical supervision and good living 

 conditions, including sewers, screens, 

 and covered garbage cans. 



A physical examination of the chil- 

 dren showed that 93.5 per cent had 

 physical defects of teeth, tonsils, 

 adenoids, eyes or hearing, this large 

 percentage probably being due to the 

 lack of facilities for remedial correc- 

 tion nearer than Baltimore. Similar 

 percentages are found in the coimty 

 outside the reser\ation. Many of 

 these defects ha\e recentK- been cor- 

 rected by the parents. 



Between November 1919 and 1920 

 the percentage of underweight chil- 

 dren was reduced from 42.7 to 13.8. 



Mosquitoes were practically ex- 

 terminated by the usual methods. 

 This was essential, both to afford 

 much needed relief, and to prevent 

 malaria. 



The rescTA'ation offers man>- facilities 

 for research work, particularh- in 

 \arious phases of sanitary engineering. 

 Its location suggests it as a school 

 where public liealth administration 

 can be taught practicalK' to all in- 

 terested. 



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