The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1899-06-07
THE STATE
BOARD OF HEALTH.
Dr.. Evans Replies to Certain
Adverse Criticisms.

The appearance of several cases of
smallpox in Newberry. which was
noted yesterday, together with
statement that the State board of
health had been .ardy in attending to
them, recalls complaint on similar
lines made by the Savannah Morn
ing News.
Or. Evans, of Florence, is the chief
officer of the board and he has
always been most prompt and ener-
getic in stamping out the disease
wherever it has been reported in the
State. If there has really been any
delay IN attending to the Newberry
cases, it may be certain that there
was some sufficient reason for it.
As to the complains Of the Geor-
gians, they seem to have no cause
whatever. Dr. Evans has had some
thing to say about this in an inter-
view in the Florence Tines.
he said that the health authorities
of Savannah had been making many
complaints about the spread of the
epidemic in this State and had gone
so far as to report the matter TO the
pational authorities. that they claim
ed that the smallpox had been carried
into Savannah from This State and
that the authorities on shis side of the
river had done nothing to preventive
spread of the disease. He had re-
piled TO the surgeon general and con-
vinced him that the Savannah men
were altogether wrong, and, reported
the work being done by the State
board of health Recently he had
received very discourteous letter.
Now, as matter of fact, said the.
doctor, in nearly if not quite every
one of the instances of the breaking
out of the pestilence, the injecting
case came to South Carolina from
Georgia. and that if any further
proof of this claim was wanted he
could easily produce it. DR.. Bacot's
letter, an extract from which is pub.
lished in this article, will show the
origin of the latest Infection beyond
doubt. and those from Rdge6eld and
Barnwell are unquest:onably from the
same country
Georgia, he said. had no state
board of health and the authorities Of
that state could not possibly gay
where the smallpox existed in Geor-
gia They have done nothing to
eradicate The disease from the state
and the efforts Of local boards of
health in the different towns and
cities were clearly unable TO attack
the task of handling. the disease aud
preventing lis spread.
Thus il is clear that sbe boot is on
the other leg and that instead of
South Carolina being menace to
Georgia, Georgia is the worst kind of
menace to the health of South Car.
oliua That instead of the Georgia
authorities making kick against our
board, we have every reason to kick
against them, but that the character.
istic of the two people were Shown
in this matter as in every case where
comparison is to be made (tbese are
not the doctors words We are
willing to do what We could to help
Gus friends on the other side of the
river and to treat them with decent
courtesy in very different way from
the treatment they accorded US.
which would, even if their charges
were correct, have been diecour-
teous
Referring to the cases Of smallpox
in the state since the report of the
board::was made last year, DR. Evans
said:
Since the publication Of that re-
port last winter there have been cases
reported from Mayesville $50, now
clear of the faintest trace; from
Paeksville. 250 cases, now free, or
nearly SO from Conway, 20 cases.
now free from plague; from Barnwell,
a number of cases now we'll in hand
and taken care of by the local pbysi-
clans lately he has received notice
of the appearance of the plague in
Newberry of FIVE cases, at Bluftona
FIVE and Hilton Head FIVE. The.
board has taken charge of these cases.
ct once and will stop the spread if no
more infection comes over the river.
Columbia Record June 2