Dear of troy: Remember that the plumbers did nothing much for public health until John Snow showed the way:
"The first prominent epidemiological investigation was conducted in 1849 by the English physician John Snow, who observed that the London cholera epidemic occurred chiefly in regions served by the Broad Street pump. After the pump was shut down, the epidemic subsided "
It takes the application of the principles of science to prevent and cure disease. Everthing else is anecdotal and thereby worthless.
"Epidemiology," Microsoft(R) Encarta(R) 98 Encyclopedia. (c) 1993-1997 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.