standpoint-Hoeve, 249. Terry, C. E., 807. They Say-Kerr, 818. Thromboplastin, results with, 199. Thymol in hookworm disease, Thymus gland in relation to Thyroid glands, X-ray and its effect on the, 592. Tompkins, Ernest, 179. Tonic, strychnine as a, 208. technic of, 137. complicated by acute neph- Toxemia, intestinal, and epi- Trench foot, causation and treatment, 422. rheumatism, treatment of, Tribute, a wonderful, 798. forces of America- diagnostic standards of, dogs as carriers of, 657. in civil and military prac- in Great Britain at War- occurrence of, in children, of the hip joint, 204. War relief, 487. service in Belgrad, Serbia, Water for children, 496. "We can start at once," 416. and the world war- as war workers, 547. war, women as, 547. Dakin method of, in mili- surgical notes on, of war- sustained in warfare, treat- ment of-Cheyne, 289. Wright, Henry C., 765. H. EDWIN LEWIS, M. D., Managing Editor. IRA S. WILE, M. D., Associate Editor PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE AMERICAN MEDICAL PUBLISHING COMPANY. Copyrighted by the American Medical Publishing Co., 1917. A New Year Greeting.-A new year has been ushered in with due solemnity and jubilance. We extend to our readers in every civilized land a sincere New Year's greeting, even tho our publication date makes it somewhat late. Ten years ago Wassermann announced to the world the test which bears his name and Von Pirquet published his investigations on cutaneous reaction. These marked great advances in the diagnosis of syphilis and tuberculosis. The year that is at hand, we trust, will be productive of scientific results of equal importance to mankind. Progress of medicine is rapid. The enthusiastic hosts, delving into the mysteries of disease, will undoubtedly reveal much to merit commendation and gratefulness from the thoughtful profession. May the year be fruitful in the development of new drugs. May it be rich in the initiative of diagnostic procedures. May it be consecrated by many discoveries leading to the further relief of the world from pestilence and disease. May the profession, as a whole, war with evils in and out of the profession. May it be at peace with its co-workers in every field of human endeavor, and may each succeeding day find it achieving more powerful and more certain results for the betterment of the national health. We wish the profession and the nation at large a happy and prosperous year. Saving the Indian Race.—The original American is the Indian. For many years, the Red Man has been pointed out as a member of a vanishing race, in a sense, succumbing to the process of civilization thru the neglect of the White Man, who boasted of his civilization. In the Nashville Journal of Medicine and Surgery, November, 1916, Dr. L. W. White, Superintendent of an Indian school, presents an article that is remarkable and inspiring in drawing attention to what has been accomplished in restraining the hand of death from the Indian tribes thru the intelligent leadership of our present Commissioner of Indian Affairs, the Honorable Cato Sells. When it was thought that the Indian race, was approaching the "end of the trail," a humane commissioner announced a campaign for health which was to begin with concentrated efforts to save the babies. Superintendents of reservations, teachers, physicians, matrons, nurses, were called upon to awaken interest in personal hygiene, cleanliness and sobriety. To quote his words, "The crux of the matter is: We must, if possible, get rid of the intolerable. conditions that infest some of the Indian homes on the reservation, creating as they do an atmosphere of death instead of life." With this point of view dominating his official orders, a corps of physicians, dentists, ophthalmologists, and nurses were thrown into the field. The general health. appropriations for relieving distress and prevention of diseases among Indians, was increased from $60,000 in 1912 to $200,000 in 1914 to $330,000 in 1916, and there is an appropriation of $350,000 for 1917. With money provided, hospitals were established at various points in the Indian country, educational pamphlets and United States Health Bulletins on a large variety of subjects were freely distributed among the Indian lodges. Specific efforts were made to arouse the interest and increase the knowledge of the agency physicians, especially along the lines necessary to counteract the influences causing the deterioration of Indians and leading to their constantly increasing mortality from tuberculosis and other equally fatal diseases. As a result, infant mortality has decreased. The advance of trachoma has been halted. The conditions breeding pulmonary disease are being mitigated. The Red Man is being educated to protect the welfare of himself and his family. A Rising Birth Rate.-In 1915, the tide of mortality turned. As a result of well formed plans, by virtue of enthusiastic cooperation, and with the inspiring stimulation of Commissioner Sells, the birth rate among the Indians triumphed over the death rate. A fairly complete record of the vital statistics of 1916 indicates that the number of births exceeded the deaths by 1,522! The completion of the Panama Canal represents a triumph of modern medicine. Colonel Gorgas has proved himself to be a health engineer of as great capabilities as Colonel Goethals, the canal builder. Colonel Gorgas was a physician filled with enthusiasm for his work, wise in his judgment, broad in his knowledge, and capable in executive affairs. The Panama Canal is indeed an enduring tribute to his power and wisdom. But what shall we say of a layman who builds practically a new race out of material rapidly deteriorating and physically decadent? For years, the United States' Government, as the protector of the Indians, has been guarding their lands, their forests, their mines, their oil and gas. For decades their physical degeneration has been recognized without arousing any qualms of conscience or stimulating any endeavors to secure their regeneration or to overcome the oppressive influences leading to their death and disability. What a sense of responsibility was shown by a Commissioner of Indian Affairs, who upon facing the issue stated, "To discover such a condition and not correct it were criminal." What insight, what superb judgment is bound up in his thought, "There is something fundamental here: We cannot solve the Indian problem without Indians. We cannot educate their children unless they are kept alive." In three years, Cato Sells has shown himself to be a remarkably effective public health officer. Without underestimating the value of the services contributed by the doctors, the dentists, the nurses, the matrons, and the superintendents, the result thus far attained is a triumph for a humanitarian. It is a tribute to the foresight and vision of an intelligent mind. It is an achievement of effective administration, patient endeavor, and supreme devotion to the Indians, who have been his wards. No accomplishment in the past decade is better entitled to public acclaim and to the admiration of the people of this government than this remarkable health rehabilitation of the Indian. The noble Red Man is for the first time a participator of the fruits of civilization. He, the human Red Man, is receiving adequate attention at the hands of a noble White Man, whose example we present to the medical fraternity as an evidence of a duty well conceived, adequately developed, and efficiently performed. Anti-Malarial Campaigns.-The decline in the tuberculosis death rate is undoubtedly due to the constant and uniform efforts to decrease its occurrence. Therapeutic advances during the past few years are insufficient to account for the marked fall in the mortality rate from pulmonary tuberculosis in the preceding decade. Tuberculosis is not a disease of seasonal occurrence, but is constantly manifesting itself during every part of the year in all sections. of the country. The sustained efforts of municipal, state, and national organizations to lessen the extent of its occurrence are securing splendid results. Malaria is a more preventable disease than tuberculosis, yet it continues to exist as a serious problem in national health, which has thus far not received its merited degree of attention from health organizations of a private or civic character. As John W. Trask points out in his discussion of Malaria as a Public Health Problem (American Journal of Public Health, December, 1916), plague, typhus fever, or leprosy promptly arouse the press, the people, and the health authorities to brisk activity, while more destructive diseases, known to be common in the country, fail to attract more than passing notice. Among the numerous diseases, catalogued as preventable, none is more easily controlled than malaria. The underlying conditions, responsible for its development, are well known. The insect carrier is easily identified and its geographical distribution thruout the country has been fairly well determined. The value of the general use of quinine in the home as a prophylactic measure is thoroly understood and endorsed as an efficacious means of protecting the individual. Because of these known factors in the dissemination of malaria, its occurrence thruout the country is another index of inactivity on the part of state health organizations, which deserves criticism. It is true that malaria is not responsible for as large a number of deaths as in former years, but it still continues to lower the vitality of human beings, to undermine their general resistance, and to lessen their economic value.. There are few diseases listed as communicable, which have received such trifling consideration from health departments. A few cases of typhoid fever, of smallpox, or the plague, immediately call forth the most modern administrative measures to secure their control and to bring about a condition unfavorable to their in crease. The mortality records of malaria may fail to disclose its presence, but this, however, does not excuse health departments from failing to take cognizance of the appearance of large numbers of malarial infections in a community. The function of health departments is not merely that of lowering the mortality rate, but of decreasing the incidence rate of disease and more particularly in raising the health standards of the communities they serve. Individuals infected, particularly during youth, may be seriously handicapped in malarial measures on a larger scale to redeem sections now malarious. Apparently, the first step to be taken depends upon an awakening as to the importance of malaria as a factor in public health. The fact that malaria had a death rate in 1914 of 2.2 per hundred thousand population and that only 1,477 persons died of it in the registration area is by no means indicative of the extent or far-reaching importance of the problem. When one recognizes that the mortality from malaria is greater than that from tetanus and almost equal to that from pellagra, one wonders why commensurate attention has not been bestowed upon it by public health officials, constituting the health departments of the various states of the Union. . The mere distribution of literature, while exceedingly valuable, is insufficient to drive home with force the immeasurable advantages to be derived by a community. thru reaching a malaria-free condition. Pointing out the economic and social disadvantages due to malaria serves to emphasize the importance of focussing state wide attention upon anti-malarial organizations and upon the importance of securing adequate legislation to enforce the preventive measures crystallized into state laws and local ordinances. Malaria is not particularly in evidence during the winter months. In order to inaugurate a satisfactory campaign against it, it is necessary to begin the plan of organization before the mosquito season arrives. This is the season of the year when plans are to be formulated and matured for attacking this problem promptly, with directness and with enthusiasm. The continuance of malaria, a preventable disease, is not to be condoned therefore, on the grounds that it does not have a high |