86 ILLINOIS ACADEMY OF SCIENCE 
RURAL SANITATION 
SuRGEON Mark J. Wuite, U. S, PusLtic HEALTH SERVICE 
Rural communities comprise the farm, the hamlet and the 
village, or the unincorporated, in contradistinction to the in- 
corporated community. Sanitation is the practical application 
of measures for the preservation and promotion of public 
health. 
Concerning the value of sanitation, employers find it profit- 
able to maintain and safeguard the health of their employees, 
and to provide good working conditions for them in order to 
obtain maximum efficiency. Sanitation, therefore, is a valu- 
able aid in money making and money saving. It is this im- 
portant feature of the value of Sanitation which it is desirable 
to advertise, so that business men will use it in their business. 
Every experienced and wide-awake business manager realizes 
that if he provides sanitary work room, with good air and 
light and space, and free from noxious and harmful gases, 
dust, noises, etc., he can more readily retain his skillful em- 
ployees, and that it is to his financial benefit to keep his em- 
ployees healthy and fit in order to get their best efforts. The 
more perfect the sanitary conditions of a home, a factory, a 
mine or a store, the more comfortable and attractive the oc- 
cupants find their environments, and the greater are their dis- 
position, desire and ability to do good work. Environment is 
a potent factor in human success, and sanitation improves en- 
vironment. 
While it is clearly the right and function of the State to 
make and enforce its own police regulations, it is lamentable 
that this function is not more uniformly and adequately per- 
formed. There are several reasons for this failure, but the 
principal one is that the populace do not appreciate the prac- 
tical value of sanitation, and therefore neglect to provide suf- 
ficiently for its enforcement. 
The Federal Government, having legitimate interest in the 
economic development and general welfare of the nation, and 
appreciating the urgent necessity of developing more fully the 
agricultural industries, has undertaken to make the rural 
communities more attractive and more profitable. This edu- 
cational activity in no wise whatsoever interferes with the 
