98 ILLINOIS STATE ACADEMY OP SCIENCE 



quarantine only that infectious form of cerebrospinal 

 meningitis due to the meningococcus and to exclude from 

 a useless quarantine the tuberculous, simple and other 

 varieties. 



We need but recall the ravages, the panic and the feel- 

 ing of helplessness of the populace in the presence of 

 widespread typhus fever epidemics to get a vision of the 

 blessings and benefits of scientific data to our people, to 

 say nothing of the financial economy now that we know 

 that by thorough delousing operations we will prevent 

 and protect against this often fatal disease. 



The allotted time does not permit us to -cite other 

 equally important victories of real science over former 

 empiricism in connection with diseases in the realm of 

 public health activities. Neither will time allow us to 

 take to task the scoffers who declare no advance is being 

 made in exact information and scientific data relating to 

 preventive medicine as it concerns public health. Suffice 

 it to recall the sense of security we all feel today, thanks 

 to scientific contributions, as contrasted with the horror, 

 ravages and panic of other days in the certainty with 

 which epidemics of: — 



(a) Smallpox can be controlled by vaccination. 



(b) Typhoid fever can be controlled by sanitation, 

 vaccination and quarantine of carriers. 



(c) Yellow fever can be prevented and controlled by 

 screening of patient and destruction of the Stegomaia 

 mosquito. 



(d) Malaria can be prevented and controlled by 

 screening patient and preventing the breeding of 

 Anopheles mosquitoes by drainage, oiling and other anti- 

 mosquito eradication procedures. 



(e) Asiatic cholera and Bubonic plague are prevented 

 and controlled by accurate, definite, scientific measures. 



The accomplishment of all of these and many other re- 

 sults spell victory of science over empiricism. 



