The Bismarck Tribune Newspaper, October 28, 1930, Page 6

THE BISMARCK TPIRUNE. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 19380 a Disease and Disaster Checked and Loss of Life Cut Down by Red Cross Preparedness; Radio and Airplane Are Great Help in Emergency EVER trouble trouble, till trouble troubles you,” is the wise but lazy maxim of Uncle Mose. This old philosopher takes it for granted that by giving trou- ble a wide berth, mankind can escape many of the ills which lie in his pathway. But mankind has a whole host of natural enemies. Disease, disaster, and even his own ebullient spirits, which result in a heavy toll of accidental deaths—are but a few . troubles which trip him up when he least expects them. Indifferent sanitary conditions breed disease, which is only too frequently lying in wait just around the corner to spring into activity in the form of an epidemic which may sweep thousands of lives away. Accidents on the highway and in city streets took a toll of 31,000 lives in the United States last year, and caused a million injuries. On an average of 8,000 persons drown each year at beaches, pools, in rivers and other spots unprotected by life savers. Cataclysms of nature—tornadoes, hurricanes, cyclones, fires, explosions— cost thousands of lives each year. These all represent hazards to mankind, and are troubles which must be met half-way, in order to minimize the damage, and save lives. It is almost fifty years ago that the battle against preventable death and disease was begun in this country in a systematized and organized way, and under a charter from Congress, The charter was to the American Red Cross, and while the society— like its progenitors in the Old World—came into being primarily to succor the wounded in time of war, to neutralize doctors and nurses and hospitals, yet it was commissioned, too, for a broad merciful task, in these words: “To continue and carry on a system of national and international relief in time of peace and to apply the same in mitigating the sufferings caused by pestilence, famine, fire, floods and other national calamities, and to de- vise and carry on measures for preventing the same.” LOOKING FOR TROUBLE In the crisp, brief sentences for which he has become noted, former President Calvin Coolidge, addressing a Red Cross convention while he was President, said: » “The Red Cross is the only organization I have known that does any good by looking for trouble.” BABY GETS A RIGHT START.) RED CROSS TEACHES MOTHER AND SISTER Another picture of the society was given at the last convention by U. 8. Senator from Kansas, Arthur Capper, when he sai “The plain truth is that the Twentieth Century's most efficient trouble-shooter is the American Red Cross. There is always some- thing for the Red Cross to do. In calm or in storm, in peace or in war, it justifies itself daily and hourly, It ministers continually to the aches and pains of a continent, It meets disaster or the call of need with the speed and efficiency of a city fire department. It reaches the spot first, knows what to do first and what to do last, and does it with the least lost motion and.with a minimum of expense.” Aside from its health work in disasters, begun almost half a cen- tury. ago,. the first effort the Red Cross directed toward health pres- ervation was in the early yellow fever epidemics of the Southern States. Clara Barton assembled... . doctors and nurses and built tem- porary hospitals and helped bury the dead during the yellow fever scourges. fae Medical science has happily era- dicated this menace to our lives. Smallpox has come under control. Public health authorities have done mech to eliminate typhoid. Vac cines have lessened the dangers of « childhood’s diseases. Yet these menaces, while greatly lessened In intensity and frequency of occurrence, still plague us—and the Red Cross. nurse and heaith services are prepared at all ttmes to answer their challenge against the safety of the American home. Only recently three grave epidem- ics of meningitis, of septic sore throat ang of typhoid fever, which affected whole comnunities, were successfully combated by the, Red Cross, in cooperation with the pub: . lic health authorities. Almost twenty years ago the Red ross entered the safety field with its lessons in life saving and first aid. t ° Its public health work has been the forerunner in hundreds of com- munities of the nursing service and HOW HE SHOULD BE HANDLED. f=. = PREPAREONESS HERE. THESE BOYS AND GIRLS A DROWNING PERSON 8 Y RED CROSS METHODS. Greatest Annual Call of Roll Counts 4,130,000 In the period from Armis- tice Day to Thanksgiving Day —from November 11 until No vember 27—the great roll is called in the United States. This is the annual Roll Call of the American Red’ Cross. Every one of the 3,500 Chap- ters of the society strives to enroll all adults in ‘their com- munities, for membership and service to the Red Cross. The organization last year enrolled 4,130,966 adult mem- bers and 6,930,849 Junior Red Cross members. ‘ clinles which today so ably serve in maintaining the public health. Four services of the American Red Cross, under direction of ex- perts who are medical men, or nurses. or safety engineers, carry on this work. They are the Public FIRST AID FOR DOLLY. THIS YOUNG MISS LEARNS HER LESSON EARLY. CHECK MATE/ RED CROSS PROV VETERANS, WITH A RED CROSS la 4 Health Nursing Service; the First Ald and Life Saving Service; the Home Hygiene and Care of the Sick Service and the Nutrition Service, ‘ Meeting Irouble and fs 4 . Their work for safeguarding your health and life and for aiding in preservation of your home, through protecting your child from epidem- ics, and your breadwinner from accident, is divided into four sec- tions — preservation of health through skilled nursing care; pre- cin COMFORTS FOR THE SICK ARE TAUGHT IN RED CROSS CLASSES. FUN_ FOR DISABLED ~ L TO. SUPERVISE. vention of loss of life in accidents; prevention of illness, through clean- liness in the home and knowledge of methods of home care of the sick, and raising the standard of health and physical efficiency through proper nutrition. This campaign against disease THE VISITING , ANGEL-THE RED CROSS NURSE CARRIES HER. MESSAGE- OF MERCY TO THOUSANDS \ and death is nation-wide—it is con- ducted-through a majority of the 16,200 Red Cross Chapters and Branches in the United States, Community health and safety “problems differ—so that the pro- gram is fitted to the problems 6f each section. ’ _ ‘The battle for life may be against _ ‘pellagra in one ‘region, malaria in another—it may be in helping to control a smalipox, typhoid or diphtheria outbreak; or it may be in mobilizing thousands of nurses to fight a terrible epidemic, such as the influenza, following the World War. But whatever the call, there stands ready the living symbol of the Red Cross Health Service—the trained nurse. ‘Tie ate<, Cross is the langest em- sae 8 Mi, WHAT WIND CAN DO. HOUSES AND STORES, SCATTERED LIKE A BOX OF MATCHES IN A TEXAS TOWN, BY A TORNADO. 59 Nations Form Red Cross of the World Today fifty-nine nations have Red Cross societies. The number cannot be greatly in- creased because nearly all civ- illzed countries now have come into the great fellow- ship. But the membership can increase without limit. And it is increasing steadily. Of adult members there are now in the world more than 11,000,000, while more than 12,000,000 children are enrolled in the Junior Red Cross. ‘Who can set bounds to what may be accomplished by this mighty host, united for the single purpose of relieving and Dreventing human suffering? Ployer of public health nurses en- gaged in rural work. More than 700 nurses carry on this work in the society's health program. They work largely through school nurs- ing in the middle western and far western states; and in the cities and towns of the eastern states, the Red Cross nursing program is that of the visiting nurse, ‘This work among children is in- tended to prevent and remove handicaps which might materially affect their ability to earn a liveli- hood in mature years. It also serves the community in that it checks the incipient epidemic and thereby prevents possible loss of life through the spread of children’s diseases. In addition to this health work, the Red Cross sponsors the Junior Red Cross in the schools. More than 6,878,000 school children are enrolled in the Junior Red Cross, which has for its motto “I Serve.” Educators praise the value of this children’s league, because one of its missions is the exchange of school correspondence, souvenirs and albums between Junior Red Cross groups of children in forty-one nations. Through its home hygiene and care of the sick classes, the Red Cross reaches thousands of women and girls, teaching them the value of cleanliness in the home; care of infants and children, and simple methods of baudling and nursing the invalid. These courses are taught through the schoola and also through industries and clubs and classes of adults, Radio Network A further step toward linking all of the agencies of the government and sclence in a protective plan to save lives and property in the event of disaster bas been worked out by the Red Cross. Amatedt radio operators,- young men and a few young women, who own equipment, usually located in their homes, have been joined into a nation-wide network to report ca- tastrophes in their communities to the Red Cross, in the event that all other means of comm! have been destroyed. - The cooperation and of the amateur radio fans has been obtained by the Red Cross through the United States Army and the United States Navy. 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