The Daily clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1866-1888, 1878-02-01
FoR The CLARION
HE Objects amd Duties OF Boards
of EHehEGh

A Board of Health is a novel thing to the
great body of the people of the State of
Mississippi And what is still more unfor-
tunate many of the better sort of our vii
lage and country practitioners, are as igno-
rant upon that subject, as the great mass of
the people with whom they ASSOCIATE. And
when we consider that the great majority
of such physicians, even in this day of en-
lightened progress, appear to suppose that
their proper relation to the public, is only
that they attend upon the sick when called
upon, for so much per visit, and that as a
rule, they are not whit in advance of the
people as to the idea of giving attention or
study of the subject of the prevention of
disease. AS proof of the foregoing, / was
recently endeavoring to sell a surplus copy
of sanitary work to a physician, who re-
fused to purchase, for the reason, that he
was not a sanitarian.
To be brief and without circumvention,
the object ola Board of Health, is to discover
the cause of all the diseases in the juris-
dicton for which it was created. And fur
Their to discover how the same may be re-
moved orprevented from exercising any in
fluence upon the people. The duty, alter
having become fully Informed upon that
subject, is, that it instructs the people and
the aw-making powers as to the absolute
necessity OF the speedy enactment of such
sumptuary laws as may be necessary to en-
| force the object in view.
| Page alter page might be written on this
| subject, but | forbear, and will give only a
| short paragraph, of the chief object and the
benefits to be derived from driving disease
| (Which in great degree is in the power of
mcn) from the land. To say nothing of the
| in alculable amount of suffering and pre-
m "ture loss of life.
| The greatest object in life is to live. The
next great object is to live without pain.
Were all the children born after given time
free from every inherited perversion or eX-
ageration of appetite or passion, or inherit
ed tendency to disease, and protected from
all external accident or cause to produce it,
| by the strict law of nature man would live
without disease, and be free from physical
pain. Then would We have a world full OF
| vigorous, Writ Gus and happy men and
women, all looking forward to the normal
longevity of the human race, (say 100 years.
with no other causes of death, but accident
and old age. Nor would such life be EN-
FILTERED by the terrOrs of death? By the
hand of nature, such life would end in a
painless death. The cycle of life com plet-
ed, the living being sleeps into Oblivion and
"
ed has her way. Then would our mortuary
statistics be completely reversed, and after
the first century had passed, deaths would
be far more frequent between the ages OF
from ninety-five to one hundred and twenty
years, than in persons in the first five
years of life. This is no fancy sketch
it is perfect law of nature, and can be
brought about by the combined wisdom
and labor of man, properly directed, and as
extravagant as it may appear will eventu-
ally be accomplished. True, it may be after
generations and centuries may have passed
away; but if perseyered in, will eventually
| be crowned with success.
The time is not far i'm the future when the
skill Of the thoroughly educated physician
will be as generally applied to for the pre-
vention of diseases, as it now is for its cure
Hoping that the future labors of the Board
of Health will be both pleasant and profit
able, and that from small beginning it will
increase in usefulness until all will become
convinced that there was wisdom in its Gre
alton, and great good and profit will be en-
ljoyed by the people.
Trusting that the brief aud imperfect
sketch of the object and aim of the org ami
zation will satisfy the public, | remain, very
respectfully,
Your obedient servant,
A. G. SMYTHE.
Il Baldwin Miss Ian 90 1879