When You Know Better You Do Better Part I

I’ve long been fond of saying, “when you know better you do better.” However, in so many micro aspects of one’s life that isn’t the case. In a macro sense we have both known better and done better. It wasn't too long ago that restaurants had smoking and non-smoking sections. People also put on tanning lotion rather than sunscreen. And it wasn’t until 1988 (1988!) that drunk driving was illegal in all fifty states. Unleaded gas rather than leaded, safe water and sanitation, tobacco control, improved road and car improvements, and my favorite: vaccinations have all contributed to make society healthier. 

But in too many instances, we’re not doing better. In the early stages of World War II, dental issues were the single largest factor in physical rejection of potential soldiers. In 1945, fluoride was added to the public water supply, as a test, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The results made it such that by 1962, the US Public Health Service recommended adding fluoride to the nation’s water supply. And fluoridation has been recognized as the “one of the greatest public health achievements of the 20th century” by the Center for Disease Control (CDC). So why are some communities, and at least one state, eliminating it from the water supply? 

Measles was declared “eliminated” in the early 2000s, but we’re seeing it on the rise due to vaccine skepticism and some kind of “sense” out there that is hard for me to articulate. I’ll be thinking about articulating that sense in Wednesday’s weblog.