Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-08-01
SANITATION.
What Michigan Has Accomplished Through an
Active Board of Health-what Texas
Ought to DO.

| EOHt hOATH, lex. July 90 toSO
To the Gazette.
The people of Texas have been stirred
| from center to circumference upon the
! question of a commission to regulate
railroads. The better to get at the real
merits of the question at issue the plan
of sending off to those states that have
tried and tested the same has been
adopted. Experiments are rather
hazardous things, besides being costly
| Texas thus gets the benefit of Georgia Is
experiment without cost. The "experl-
mentum crucls'' is what is wanted
| Carrying out this idea l have been in
corresDondenoe with the secretaries of
boards of health of several states having
boards of health, and who consequently
! are in position to know what they are
talking about. 1 propose from time to
| time to give an account of what is being
accomplished by the boards, so that we
| in Texas may form an intelligent
| opinion as to their utility. As Michigan
| has undoubtedly the best board of health
system in the United States we shall let
| her speak first.
"Do boards of health pay?''
The legislature of the state of Michi-
gan, saveral years ago, appropriated q
large sum of money, and appointed an
| agent TO reside permanently in Germany
in order to secure immigrants and for
ward them direct to the state. The
board of health composed of able, ener-
getic and eminently practical men, in q
memorial TO the legislature, commended
that if similar amount were appropri-
ated to their use in improving the sani-
tary condition of her territory, the lives
of the people whom they would be able to
save, would exceed in number the emf
grants forwarded by the agent in Ger
many. The legislature was so impressed
with the argument set forth, that the
appropriation was made, at the same
time the agent was retained in Europe.
The efforts of the board in ciroumscrlb-
ing within their original limits, and pre-
venting the spread of infectious and con-
tagious diseases, were successful
beyond their anticipation, and
the evidence they were enabled to adj
duce that not only had they diminished
the cases of sickness, but that the lives
they had saved far exceeded in number
the emigrants who had arrived within the.
state, was such as to convince the public
beyond the shadow of a doubt that they
had redeemed every pledge they had
made.
The result of this contest was the with
drawal of the agent from Germany and
the continuation of the appropriation to
the board of health. No one can accuse
our Northern brethren of want
of keen appreciation of every
thing by which penny can be made or
saved. Nothing the health authorities
ever did contributed as much to the ad-
Of ,ffor anin, il inbf
gan. 1t proved to the people their Ig-
norance of sanitation, the absolute ne
cessity of it to their prosperity and hap
piness and their education in every re-
quirement of the modern science. With
view to enlighten the people in the es-
sentials of preventing disease, a library
of hygiene was established by the board
of health consisting Of tracts giving plain
and concise directions for stamping out
infectious and contagious diseases.
These tracts are very effectual way of
showing people the danger to which they
are exposed, and the best way to avoid
them. When an epidemic of any of
these infectious or contagious diseases
breaks out in any city, town or part of
the country more or less anx-
iety and alarm is felt by every
individual in the immediate neigh
borhood; and at such a time the secre-
tary of this board distributes there the
tract on this particular disease to every
household in the vicinity. The result is
they read 1t with avidity and ponder and
reflect over them while on their beds or
watching by the sick. - Whenever a
death occurs from preventable disease
it is sanitary crime, and there ought to
have been some one there to have pre-
vented it. The people will soon
realize this and will demand of their
lawmakers a remedy for the evil.
If Texas had board of health system,
such as Michigan has, and were to en-
dow it as literally as she has that miser-
able abortion of health system, the |
quarantine system, there Is no reason
why Texas should not be as successful in
preventing disease and death as Michi- |
gan has been; and if Texas had repu-
tation abroad of being solicitous for the |!
health of her people, and consequently |
had a small death rate, would not this |
attract immigration to the state as much |
as her fertile lands and inexhaustible |
mines of iron and coal and building |
rock? This would be- a bow with two !
strings to it, viz, first, saving the lives |
of our own people, and, second, entic- |
ing strangers to come among us. Then
let us by all means have not only q state |
board of health to take the place |
of the little one-horse Il mean
one man) concern which now
disports its little self along the coast, but
rarely ever ventures into the country
proper; but also local boards in every |
city, town and village; and in every |
county outside the towns.
Apart from the comfort and happiness |
to the people, q move in this direction |
would be strictly in the line of business
for the state. She wants emigration
badly, and nothing would give greater
impetus to emigration than a well ap-
pointed board of health.
j. l.. CUNNINGHAM, N. D.