Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1883-07-14
PUBLIC LEDGER.
What the Marine Hospital Ser
vice Is Doing.

WHAT tAO AoNAnC AONpAthA SCI
vice is Doing.
The public mind of the Mississippi
valley has been misled somewhat in
regard to the status and the work of
the Marine Hospital Service. This
has been caused BY attacks through
the press, instigsted by the late Ma
tional Board of Health, its friends,
employees, hangers on and expsctant
place holders. This will become more
apparent from time to time. Any at
tempt to establish a new bureau that
eau disburse appropriations and sus.
tain horde Of greedy officials, will
always have active support. Facts
are what the people want, and not
ignorant or wilful Misrepresentation.
As 10 matter of fact, the National
Board of Health placed good deal OF
money where it would do the most
good in the way Of making inN
terested friends. We do not
mean that there was any direct corrup-
ton, though there are strong surface
indications pointing to possible mines
beneath, but there was an artful and
effective distribution of patronage and
implied promises of more. 1t was
practically a fancy bureau
and a useless machine. The Marine
Hospital Service has inspectors at
Havana and Vera Cruz, where yellow
fever exists and from which points our
commerc is liable to bring it. Thus
the earliest and mOstrelisble informa-
ton on this topic is obtained; and by
act Of February %, 1899, and Decems
Der Is, 1864, the treasury department
has authority over this commerce, If
Infected, as far as the United States
coast line is concerned. This Service
has officers at every port of the United
States, where there is any reasonable
amount of shipping; where the ports
have sufficient commerce one or more
regular officers are stationed; where
the needs of the service are not sufi-
cient, as at Indianola or Corpus
Christi on the Texas coast, or Vicks
burg or Chattanooga on the river,
acting assistant surgeons are employed
who are reputable local physicians.
Regular officers of this service are
statibaed at the more important points
on the gulf coast and on the Missis
sippi. With this corps always on
hand Che government can assist the
States, either in summer against the
possible introduction of yellow fever
or cholera, or in winter to prevent
smallpox or plague. The salaries of
these officers, or their num-
Der are not increased by
such duty, and this does away with
the expense of an additional or super
Auous bureau. The money sppropri-
ated will be used only where necessa
ny; and BY no means is it at the dis
posal Of any community (city OF town.
too extravagant to keep itself in a
proper sanitary condition, aud only too
willing to have the general govern.
ment step 10 and help clean the streets
and pave them.
Allthe appointments Of the National
Board of Health we're Of local physi>
clans, more or less dependent upon
their professional practice in the cities
in which they were stationed. Their
interests we're entirely local, and II
ready to err, to do SO against the coun-
try at large. The Marine Hospital
Service officers have no such interests;
no fears of falling off in their olien-
tele, restricting them from giving an
early warning.
Their period of duty of three years
in each station serves to make the
officers Of the Marine Hospital Service
generally and particularly we'll in
formed upon the sanitary require
ments and deficiencies of the losalities
in which they have been stationed,
and in this way, when necessary, ex-
perienced men are always at hand.
The National Board Of Health hav.
ing gone out of existence, having beer
tried for four years, it will be we'll K
give the Marine Hospital SerVice-as
it has-s chance, the same work beint
done at reduced cost.
Some Of the people Of Mississippi
Tennessee, ArkaRsaw and Illinois d,
not see that few men are hoodwink
ing them and proclaiming that tho,
alone have the health Of the valley q
beart-the heart in this instaue
pulsating to the stimulus Of an oficia
salary formerly derived and in tn
future hoped to be derived from th
National Board of Health. 1t woaL
be we'll for all steamboat and trans
portation lines to refuse absolutely t
subscribe anything to this council en-
twill then die from financial imam
ton.
COLONEL james Il. Carter, Z
Knoxville, Superintendent of Prison
for the State, IS in the city on hi
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