The Daily clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1866-1888, 1877-12-27

welfare
perity.
ing poII
new. career. The P3rWecal
cleared the field! Will he noW
statesman 4 more suspicious ocS
may never present itself again.
The new conditions and circumstaiS4S.
which surround US require new plans and
regulations. Taking lessons from expert
ence old laws. habits, Customs and practice
must be revised and re-moddnled. Our 60
cationai, agricultural mechanical and inter-
commercial relations and Interests NALL re-
quire attention. A more fertile field of use
fuIness was never opened to the sagacty of
the young statesman, and fonder and more
eager hopes were never centered in a legis-
lative body than thoseswhich clusteEGround
the Legislature soon TO assemble kssis-
sippi. -
1t is not my purpose to discuss the various
measures of Improvement and re .orm which
should command the attention of the Legis-
lature and which should receive the support
| of the practical statesman, but at the re-
quest ola nun Der of leading physicians of
the State, propose to conline myselftO one
| subect-the public health.
The idea of attaching a Department of
| Health to the State and National govern
ments may be new to us in Mississippi, but
it is not new Co the thinking and reasoning
world In the old governments of Europe
notably III our own mother country, Eng
Iand--there is, and for long time has been,
a well regulated health organization, reach
fnor . hrNn oil fha grades nf society
from the crown to the most obscure indi-
vidual. There the Commissioners of Health
have as much authority and are as much
respected in their line of duty as the heads
of any other department of the government
even the ministry ITSELF Accumulated ex-
perience has proven to the Statesmen of those
old countries in which civilization has
reached Its highest development, the
great importance to the well-being of the
people of thorough and systematic study
j of the laws OF health and disease. Skilled
| observers are employed by the governgAeut
to study the health of the people, TO keeep a
registration of marriages, births ana Neaths
| and to write in every instance the c$Iuse OF
death and the supposed cause of disease.
| It is a requirement of law that this siASu bG
| done, and it prevails in every nook andea1r
] ner of the land. These reports, coming
/ from city and farm, from hamlet and viii
! c..
\ and from the interior. find their way to tn
1 Office of the medical philosopher, and ar
! there sifted, weighed and compared. OUT
Rof the facts thus accumulated he makesi
I medical statistics and publishes them for this
study, of the medical profession everywhere.
As might be supposed, this is a most fruit
full source of information to the practitioner
of m edicinel Out OF the facts thus collect
ed books ARE written and circulated
LiirOuy iIvsuu the fanG.
Is it not time that the United stat
should advance a step in this direcstd
And, although, from the Heculisii form @
our national governme nj effe central power
may not be as strong to enact and enforce
the necessary laws as in England, yet in
our capacity as States, all can be done that
will be required. We do not lack education
and learning. In point of intelligence and
cultivation we can match the old world man
for man; but We do lack organization and
SYSTEM These can be had if we will only
try. With country embracing every vari-
iety of soil and climate, we occupy the
finest fell rof-medcal obsSsHnti6n o. the
globe
To say thai. the welfare and hapi
a comm unity depend in a greater
upon the health of the inhabitants tin
On any other circumstance or condt
you'd be to repeat pOintless and com
ace platitude. In spite of all other s.
roundings and advantages it is impossible
for sick community TO thrive. And yet,
as far as any united effort on the part of the
public in preventing disease and preserving
health is concerned, nothing has been
done. The suggestions of few isolated
physicians, gratuitOusly given, and often
crudely considered, constitute the sum to.
tai of our efforts in this direction. What we
need is system.
In my next Communication, with your
consent, Twill give the details of my idea
of an efficient medical organization, and
npon it respectfully invite the comments
and criticism of my Fellows Of the
medical profession. SANITARIAN.