in the indiarubber plantations, in Brazil, beri- 
beri is a disease of barracks, ships, asylums, 
penitentiaries and hospitals. The purveyor 
is the first cause. He ought to be, permit 
the expression, eliminated by decree. 
In the rubber plantations, the disease 
became rarer lately, owing to the war and 
the consequent depreciation of Brazilian 
indiarubber, as was proved to me by indis- 
putable statistics. Through the agency of an in- 
telligent and infatigable propaganda made 
by the Sanitary authorities in the North, it 
might be eradicated. 
VEDDER, STRONG and CROWELL 
ask for the education of the people in the 
East and the Health Bulletins of the Philip- 
pine Islands began a propaganda for this end 
by exposing the matter in simple Janguage. 
VEDDER speaks of the want of energy in 
the Eastern nations and in their persistance 
107 === 
in their ancient customs, And what people 
are more like the Orientals, with their fa- 
talism, their indifference and resistance to 
modern ideas than our people of the North? 
Measures ought to be taken. Already in 
1916 I asked the Government to decree laws 
to prevent the exclusive use of polished rice, 
or at least to a put a prohibitive tax on it, so 
that only rich people could use it. 
Mandioc flour ought to be rigorously fis- 
calized, so that it be only used in theybest 
state of preservation. But then my ideas on 
alimentation myust be confirmed. The disease 
and its causes must be discussed and in 
these debates the voices of the princes of 
science must be heard at the side of the mur- 
mur of their humble disciples. And if the ali- 
mentary theory be true, the diffusion of these 
ideas will ensure the carrymg out of the least 
costly and mostnecessary propy lactic needs 
of the country. 
