806 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLIV. No. 1145 



former wars have usually been the most 

 destructive factors in the midst of contend- 

 ing armies, and have often decided battles 

 and determined the fate of nations. De- 

 cisive victories have not yet followed the 

 flags of the central or the allied armies, but 

 in all the red cross signalizes the most 

 triumphant achievement of man. Inter- 

 national laws have been torn into shreds 

 and become mere scraps of paper, moral 

 and religious precepts and codes have been 

 supplanted by brutalities never practised 

 by primitive man and the foundations of 

 civilization have seemed to be on the point 

 of disruption and final collapse, but the 

 spirit and ideals of scientific medicine re- 

 main unsullied and a new world in which 

 these shall dominate will be created. 



Medicine offers a number and variety of 

 special activities to those who choose it as 

 a career. First, there is the grand division 

 into preventive and' curative. The former 

 is a product of the nineteenth century, the 

 latter as old as the records of man. The 

 oldest and still a widely dominant theory, 

 as to the cause of disease is that it is an in- 

 fliction laid upon man by some supernat- 

 ural being. Primitive man, which term 

 once embraced all, and in this particular, 

 still includes many, probably a majority, 

 even among the most highly cultured na- 

 tions, believed in the existence of powerful 

 spirits, who measured out good and ill to 

 individuals as their own will might indi- 

 cate. The religion of such believers con- 

 sisted and still consists in attempts to pro- 

 pitiate these powerful, or one omnipotent, 

 spirit. They built and still build altars of 

 sacrifice and temples of devotion in which 

 they proclaim their own weakness and im- 

 plore divine protection and guidance. 

 They still beseech a supreme ruler to 

 shower blessings upon themselves and curses 

 upon their enemies. In the hands of the 

 Jehovah of the Jews disease was a scourge 



for the punishment of those who merited 

 his displeasure. In the adoption and modi- 

 fication of the Hebrew religion by the 

 Christian world, the idea of a God of 

 wrath was adopted, and still prevails. 

 Even to-day in battle-scarred Europe, the 

 same G-od is invoked and his aid asked in 

 each contending army. With this inborn 

 superstition transmitted through countless 

 generations, scientific medicine has had to 

 contend. The combat has extended through 

 centuries, as is shown by the earliest rec- 

 ords of human achievement. The first 

 signal victory was won when Jenner robbed 

 smallpox of its horrors by the discovery of 

 vaccination and success was assured by the 

 labors of Louis Pasteur who marked the 

 way by which each infection may be identi- 

 fied, controlled and abated. 



An enlightened public is beginning to 

 recognize that many diseases, especially the 

 infections, are preventable and the medical 

 profession is being called upon to plan and 

 direct this work. Many of the smaller 

 cities and some rural communities are pro- 

 viding for full-time health commissioners 

 and the demand is greater than the supply. 

 This and other universities are conducting 

 courses specially suitable for public health 

 officials. I am sure that some of you will 

 select this field for the development of your 

 life work. In it there is abundant oppor- 

 tunity to do credit to yourself while you 

 serve the highest interests of your fellow 

 man. The labors of Reed and his col- 

 leagues demonstrated the agencies by which 

 yellow fever is spread, and Gorgas and his 

 helpers freed Cuba from this disease and 

 won a greater triumph in the Canal Zone. 

 Laveran and Ross did even a greater serv- 

 ice in showing how the world may free itself 

 from malaria, which in all times has held 

 some of the fairest and most fruitful lands 

 under its curse. Preventive medicine is 

 now capable of opening up the tropics as 



