PAGE SIX
EDITORIAL
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN, LAWRENCE, KANSAS
THURSDAY, MAY 2, 194
The Kansan Comments-- EDITORIALS ★ LETTERS ★ PATTER
J. P. Carmichael, dean of American dentists, says that the great American public, without anything but advertising propaganda to substantiate its belief, pins its faith to the toothbrush as an all-powerful weapon in the battle against tooth decay and pyorrhea.
Instead of promoting mouth health, the toothbrush and its modern paraphernalia actually induce disease. Toothbrushes, incorrectly used—which is the rule rather than the exception—do a great deal more harm than good. The bristles injure the delicate tissues of gums and mouth and often wear the enamel of teeth beyond repair. Scratched enamel and punctured gums are easy prey for lurking bacteria and germs.
Tooth Brushes Debunked
The toothbrush is obviously a failure. Dental authorities agree that tooth decay and mouth diseases are more prevalent than ever in civilized countries where such brushes are universally in daily use. Despite this fact the market is flooded yearly by thousands of miles of pleasantly flavored pastes, millions of brushes, and enough mouth wash to flavor the Atlantic Ocean. Like other cherished customs, hallowed by age and tradition, the efficacy of the brush in oral hygiene is taken for granted.
The life span can be increased from ten to fifteen years by eradicating dental diseases, the late, optimistic Dr. Charles Mayo declared. If all this be true, then it is possible, by abstaining from further use of the brush, living a nice quiet life out of reach of the wars, and by getting ten hours of sleep each night, to live to be 100 years old. Remember, it's just possible. J. P. Carmichael, D.D.S., is eighty-three.
About 999 gullibles out of every 1,000 have been persuaded that toothbrushes, toothpastes, and mouth washes prevent decay and pyorrhea. Advertisements make the American public teeth conscious and manufacturers of dental articles rich, yet dentifrices do nothing to stem the rising tide of the scourge that has haunted the human race since Neanderthal man cut his first wisdom tooth.
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Syphilis: Not 1 in 10
In. almost any campaign it is considered good tactics to depict the problem in its least flattering light in order to draw public attention to the urgency of the matter. This, the New York Times declares, has been done in the drive against syphilis by various social agencies. The great need of preventing and curing syphilis cannot be over-stated; yet for the record it might be well to cite actual figures.
For several years, during the time the term syphilis came to be used in conversation and public prints without offense, it has come to be accepted that one out of every ten persons was afflicted. Philip S. Broughton of the United States Health Service explains in an article, "Behind the Syphilis Campaign," that actually this figure means the probability of contracting syphilis at some time in life, not the number of persons having the disease at any given time. Each year, Broughton reports, 518,000 newly infected patients apply for treatment and an additional 598,000 advanced cases come to physicians or clinics for the first time. The number of untreated can only be guessed. But the fact remains that not one in ten persons has
syphilis; rather, the percentage is considerably lower—about one in a hundred.
Thomas J. Duffield, registrar of records in the New York City department of health, said that out of 141,148 pre-marital tests, required by state law, 2,342 persons showed a positive reaction, or one and three-fifths per cent. This figure, it is pointed out by the Times, is less than one-third of the ratio of five per cent published by the American Social Hygiene Association, and less than one-sixth the usually accepted ratio.
Dr. S. Adolphus Knopf, writing in "Modern Medicine in the United States," said: "I question the wisdom of the statements made by some authorities that the American population is afflicted with venereal disease to the extent of ten per cent. I do not believe that any specialist in genito-urinary diseases, skin specialists, or general practitioners would be willing or able to verify this certainly much exaggerated statement, which in my humble opinion is fraught with danger to the peace of mind and happiness of the individual citizen."
Granting that the lower figure is the more nearly correct, the problem of fighting syphilis is none the less serious. Much has been done in combating the disease, although even more remains to be done. In education—perhaps legislation—lies a more effective weapon for stamping out the disease. Fear may serve as a means of obtaining immediate results, but an intelligent, straight-forward presentation of the facts concerning syphilis is the means for eradicating the disease with any lasting results.
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YOU SAID IT
University Approved Rooms Not Approved Editor, Daily Kansan:
Housing conditions here at the University have been lambasted many times, but it hasn't seemed to produce any noticeable results as yet. Now I realize that winter has been held over longer than usual, and that in normal years it would have been warm long before this, but it does seem that our penny-pinching landladers would realize that the upper stories of their houses are chilly in any other season. So we must be keen to believe that misled persons striving to get an education should be slowly freezing to death in University approved rooming houses. Perhaps our new M.S.C., contrary to their usual custom, could do something about it.
I hope that every landlady sees this and has at least one pang of remorse for her misdeeds to suffering mankind.
CARL SCHLEGEL.
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Official Student Paper of
THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
Lawrence, Kansas.
Publisher ... Walt Meininger
EDITORIAL STAFF
Gene Kuhn ... Betty Coulson ... Jim Bell
Feature Editor ... Virginia Gray
Editor-in-Chief ___ Reginald Buxton
Associate Editors
NEWS STAFF
Managing Editor... Jay Simon
Campus Editor... George Sitterley
Campus Editor... Elizaveta Kirch
News Editor... Ston Schmidt
Sports Editor... Larry Winn
Society Editor... Kay Bozarth
Sunday Editor... Richard Beovco
Bug Report... Roscoe
Wire Editor... Bob Trump
Rewrite Editor... Art D'Donnell
Business Manager Edwin Browne
Advertising Manager Rex Cowan
Subscription rates, in advance, $3.00 per year, $1.75 per semester. Published at Lawrence, Kansas, daily during the school week, on Saturday and the second class matter September 17, 1919; post office at Lawrence, Kansas, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
ROCK CHALK TALK
By Marilyn McBride
Concert notes: Richard Crooks . . . tall, well-fed, well-groomed in white tie n'tails sang to an appreciative and encore-minded crowd. The Metropolitan Opera tenor stopped warbling in the midst of "Longing" and announced he'd wait until the telephone stopped ringing . . . which brings up the question: who are the people who interrupt funerals, weddings, and recitals with inconsiderate telephone calls?
Just as all the students had settled down to a peaceful spring of radio
Said the giraffe with the black eye: "I certainly stuck my neck out last night."
Writing from Italy Dorothy Thompson says: "On the social and economic side, fascism is a gigantic new deal, a magnificent spending-lending program, a Gargantuan WP A. If Harry Hopkins had had buried cities to uncover he could have put thousands more to work and hoped to collect again from the tourist trade."
listening, day-light saving time a rives and complete confusion has s in.
Nazi parachute troops are reported as fully equipped as the proverb Fuller-Brush man. They float down equipped with collapsible bicycle machine guns, radio transmitters, receivers, saws, wire cutters, cameras, gas welding apparatus. (a perhaps a pamphlet edition of Me Kampf?)
Sweden at this point is as neat
as a swing door.
Contributor's item: Why is a be hive like an expugilist?
1. An expugilist is an exfigher.
2. An exfigher is an expounder.
3. And expounder is a comme tator.
4. A commentator is an Irish tat
5. An Irish tater is a spectater.
6. A spectator is a beholder.
7. A beeholder is a beehive.
8. Therefore a beehive is like xpugilist.
State College, Pa.—(UP)—The Federal Works Project A ministration will undertake the biggest leisure-time programs children in its five-year history this summer when it launches statewide project in Pennsylvania to smash juvenile delinquen- and preserve faith in America."
W.P.A. Plans 'To Smash Juvenile Delinquency'
During the 10 weeks from the close of school in reopening in September trained WPA leaders will to more than 1,000 playgrounds in the state, supple dermanned staffs in local communities and instituting recreational programs in towns which have none now.
Athletes to Participate
These recreation leaders, including among them unemployed musicians, circus men, cabinet makers, and former college football stars, will teach the vacational school children how to make use of leisure time and how to keep out of mischief.
Among projects in various communities in which the plan will be put into effect are painting, sculptoring and wood-carving classes, model aircraft building, organization of drum and bugle corps, making of simple musical instruments, and may other similar leisure-time diversions.
Groups To Be Organized
In hopes that the students will continue the program through the winter, they will be urged to organize self-governing bodies, patterned after projects like Pittsburgh's "Hill City," where youths run their own model communities to encourage leadership and respect for law.
Similar projects are under way in New Kensington, New Castle and several other Pennsylvania towns. "The success of our activities during the past few years in reducing juvenile delinquency and co-couraging communities to expand their recreational facilities," plained Luther D. Grossman, she assistant WPA recreational supervisor, "shows that a well-coordinated, statewide program can an even better job and build at the same time a generation Americans thankful for the portunities accorded them."
Raup Chosen To Edit Directory
Rowland Raup, c'41, was named editor and advertising manger of the student directory for school year 1940-41.
The selection was made yester by a joint committee of M.S.C. W.S.G.A. representatives, mee with Velma Wilson, N.Y.A. exec secretary, and Raymond Nich secretory to Chancellor Deane lott.
Raup was chosen from a group five applicants on a basis of abi experience, and need for the Bill Farmer, I'41, newly elected prident of M.S.C. was manager year.