﻿LEISrGTHElSriNG 
  OF 
  HUMAN 
  LIFE 
  FISHER 
  543 
  

  

  We 
  ought 
  to 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  wipe 
  the 
  slate 
  almost 
  clean 
  not 
  only 
  of 
  

   typhus, 
  yellow 
  fever, 
  and 
  typhoid, 
  but 
  of 
  diphtheria, 
  tuberculosis, 
  

   and 
  numerous 
  other 
  germ 
  diseases. 
  

  

  The 
  chief 
  difficulty 
  is 
  not 
  lack 
  of 
  knowledge 
  but 
  lack 
  of 
  its 
  

   application. 
  

  

  APPLICATION 
  BEHIND 
  SCIENCE 
  

  

  Dr. 
  William 
  H. 
  Welch 
  says: 
  

  

  When 
  a 
  Koch 
  discovers 
  the 
  tubercle 
  bacilli, 
  a 
  Banting 
  discovers 
  insulin 
  for 
  

   the 
  relief 
  of 
  diabetes, 
  or 
  a 
  Von 
  Behring 
  an 
  antitoxin 
  for 
  the 
  cure 
  of 
  diphtheria, 
  

   or 
  a 
  Park 
  demonstrates 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  toxin-antitoxin 
  for 
  the 
  prevention 
  of 
  

   diphtheria, 
  the 
  world 
  dravps 
  a 
  long 
  breath 
  as 
  if 
  saying 
  to 
  itself, 
  " 
  Novr 
  we 
  are 
  

   rid 
  of 
  that 
  terror 
  which 
  has 
  haunted 
  the 
  human 
  race 
  for 
  centuries." 
  It 
  

   then 
  straightway 
  forgets 
  and 
  goes 
  on 
  its 
  way 
  comfortably, 
  assuming 
  that 
  of 
  

   course 
  the 
  great 
  discovery, 
  or 
  invention, 
  is 
  being 
  carried 
  into 
  effect. 
  

  

  The 
  actual 
  facts 
  are 
  quite 
  different. 
  A 
  few 
  people, 
  those 
  of 
  unusual 
  initiative 
  

   or 
  ample 
  means, 
  or 
  who 
  happen 
  to 
  be 
  under 
  the 
  care 
  of 
  exceptionally 
  alert 
  

   physicians, 
  or 
  within 
  the 
  jurisdiction 
  of 
  exceptionally 
  competent 
  health 
  officers, 
  

   receive 
  the 
  benefits 
  of 
  the 
  new 
  discoveries, 
  but 
  the 
  great 
  mass 
  of 
  the 
  human 
  

   race 
  goes 
  on 
  as 
  before, 
  and 
  the 
  death 
  rate 
  from 
  these 
  diseases 
  is 
  reduced 
  

   slowly 
  and 
  over 
  long 
  periods 
  of 
  time. 
  

  

  In 
  fact, 
  the 
  health 
  field 
  has 
  a 
  woefully 
  ineffective 
  distribution 
  service 
  as 
  com- 
  

   pared 
  with 
  the 
  laboratories 
  of 
  the 
  world. 
  We 
  know 
  how 
  to 
  do 
  a 
  lot 
  of 
  things 
  

   which 
  we 
  do 
  not 
  do 
  or 
  do 
  on 
  a 
  wretchedly 
  small 
  scale. 
  Few 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  

   discoveries 
  of 
  preventive 
  medicine, 
  except 
  the 
  prevention 
  of 
  yellow 
  fever, 
  are 
  

   anywhere 
  nearly 
  fully 
  applied. 
  

  

  But 
  we 
  do 
  not 
  need 
  to 
  go 
  for 
  our 
  illustrations 
  to 
  such 
  definite 
  dis- 
  

   coveries 
  as 
  Von 
  Behring's; 
  even 
  the 
  common-sense 
  knowledge 
  of 
  

   exercise, 
  sleep, 
  fresh 
  air, 
  and 
  food 
  is 
  not 
  yet 
  well 
  applied. 
  

  

  What 
  science 
  is 
  really 
  doing 
  is 
  rediscovering 
  simple 
  biological 
  

   living. 
  Civilization 
  has 
  brought 
  bad 
  sanitation, 
  and 
  now 
  civilization, 
  

   through 
  its 
  greatest 
  product, 
  science, 
  is 
  simply 
  cleaning 
  up 
  its 
  own 
  

   mess. 
  

  

  The 
  invention 
  of 
  window 
  glass 
  deprived 
  man 
  of 
  the 
  ultra-violet 
  

   rays 
  and 
  shut 
  out 
  the 
  air. 
  The 
  death 
  penalty 
  resulted 
  through 
  tuber- 
  

   culosis 
  in 
  millions 
  of 
  cases. 
  Now 
  we 
  have 
  found 
  this 
  out 
  and 
  seek 
  

   sunlight, 
  natural 
  and 
  artificial, 
  and 
  invent 
  " 
  vita 
  glass 
  " 
  and 
  " 
  celo 
  

   glass 
  " 
  to 
  let 
  the 
  healthful 
  rays 
  in 
  again. 
  In 
  such 
  ways 
  man 
  has 
  

   upset 
  the 
  equilibrium 
  of 
  nature 
  and 
  needs 
  to 
  find 
  scientific 
  ways 
  

   to 
  restore 
  the 
  lost 
  equilibrium. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Eugene 
  L. 
  Fisk 
  and 
  I 
  have 
  assembled 
  many 
  illustrations 
  (2) 
  of 
  

   the 
  unhygienic 
  effects 
  of 
  such 
  products 
  of 
  civilization 
  as 
  housing, 
  

   clothing, 
  cooking, 
  softening 
  our 
  food, 
  and 
  industrial 
  conditions. 
  The 
  

   condition 
  of 
  civilized 
  man's 
  teeth 
  compared 
  with 
  those 
  in 
  prehistoric 
  

   skulls 
  or 
  of 
  uncivilized 
  tribes 
  to-day 
  affords 
  an 
  obvious 
  illustration. 
  

   Intestinal 
  conditions 
  afford 
  a 
  less 
  well-recognized 
  illustration. 
  

  

  