68 



and surgical cases. Many hospitals in n community indicate much sickness 

 and esijeciaily siclvuess of preventable kinds. Wluit our cities need is not 

 more hospitals hut a thoi-nugli cleaning up, and shall one add that ou. 

 cities should also prevent smoke clouds? Smoke means waste, besides de- 

 struction of life, as already m-eutioned. 



The plant breeder is constantly seeking to eliminate the unfit. But 

 man can not lU'oceed on the same plan regarding his own kind. He does 

 not wilfully seek the destruction of those not adapted. He tries to make 

 the environment favorable so those who are apparently unadapted will 

 survive. Nature is of course constantly weeding out the unadapted and 

 the mortaliiy rate of crowded cities is something terrific compared with 

 lite under simple country conditions. By giving the inhabitants of the 

 large city pure water, good food, good air and clean homes the conditions 

 for existence ai'e at caice made favorable. 



Every now and then we read of cities that are seeking a slogan ; 

 wliat they want is one to indicate that they are growing bigger. A good 

 slogan for neai'ly all of our American citic;; would be, "Let us clean up," 

 or, 'Not bigger but cleaner." Terhaps the best reputation that any city 

 e.-iuld acquire is "A city Ihat cleans up." When the people once realize 

 what cleanliness means our cities wU\ be radically different from what 

 they are today. 



From what is said above it may perhaps be seen that the cries of 

 Kace Suicide, Back to Nature, and Back to the Simple Life have a good 

 foundation. 



Our Academy has a Commie ree on The Restriction of Weeds and Dis- 

 eases ("Diseases" was added on my recommendation). For the past two 

 3'ears I have been chairman of this Committee but, I am sorry to say, when 

 at the aimual meetings a call for reports was made I had nothing to re- 

 port. Perhaps I ought to explain. For the past year and a half I have 

 been working on a jnaiiuscript, in fact on two manuscripts, dealing with 

 conunon ill health and the need f"r cleaning up. One of these volumes is 

 intended for the public and the otiier for ]Viiysicians. The problem I am 

 especially interested in as most of you know is to give the people good air, 

 air free from dust and smoke. Until these two volumes are out I do not 

 feel like taking up the sulxlect ])ubiicly. But I feel that this is a subject 

 that shimid be taken up by the Academy, perhaps at first in a small way, 

 gradually eulaiging. We mast interest the people. Saiiitation can not Ix^ 



