The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1900-09-28
CAUSTIC CRITICISM.
Nashville Journal Of Medicine and Sur
gerry Roasts Or. Albright.
Charges Incompetency, Negligence
and Deserving His Post of
Duty Three Fourths of
His Time.

ne S6pIetnDFT puU'OeT OF the
n saw ID 10 i'm Il of VI 'ti,al a 1T
Surgery, edited by D.. Q iarles S
Briggs, has very ciustic editorial
article under the heading "rhe Ten
nessee State Board Of Health" from
which we clip the following:
IN every section of Tennessee.
dissatisfaction Is felt and expressed
over the conduU: of the off 20 of the
Secretary. In Middle. East and
West Tennessee, at medical conven-
tons, meetings and in the public
press the Secretary mas been charged
with incompetency, negligence, and
deserving his Off sc three-fourths of
his time, which he would spend at
mis- home in pursuit of matters
foreign and antagonistic to the
duties of the Secretary of the State
Board of Health.
ITO none of these charges has he
made denial.
at has been charged that he con-
verified the office Of the State Board
of Health in the Capitol building in
TO political headquarters, whence he
sent political circulars and litera.
ture of interest solely To Fayette
County politics.
1T Is charged that the State
Board of Health, since the election
OF the present Secretary, has accom-
plished absolutely nothing from a
sanitary standpoint, that it has not
carried out one provision of the
organic Jaw responsible for its crea-
ton, and that all that has been ac-
complished has been in the cattle
interest.
HAS the Secretary, who is the
executive Office of the board, mad q
any effort to study the vital Stats
tics of the State or TO make any use
of them whatsoever?
"On the contrary, We are reliably
informed that no record ia kept and
no attempt male to arrive at this
point.
IA case illustrating this point
came under our observation recent
ly, which shows conclusively how
this office is conducted.
THE city health officer of Nash
vile, wishing To get copy of SONS
reports of his office which had been
destroyed, wrote TO the State BOARD
OF Health office, where they haC
been mailed regularly and requested
copies of missing reports. The
answer received was that the Score.
tary received so many of those kinds
of things that he destroyed them al
most as soon as he received them.
What investigation has the Sec
rotary made as TO the causes of dis
eases and death and the effects o
employ ment, habits, localities, etc.
on the health of the people, etc
What interest has he SHOWN ia hi
work, or what ability for it has hi
svinced? Does the State Board o
Health receive any report from
municipal boards 4? If so, what be
comes of them? Ii not, why not?
THE truth of the matter is tina
the office of the Secretary of tn
State Board of Health is being run il
slip shod, haphazzard way, will
apparently but one object in view
but one thing TO be desIred-pay day
Gould any condition OF affair
similar to that OF Maury county, dur
ing the recent outbreak of smallpox
exist In any State where there was
an organized health board, with a
al as biIl~ Oli
has, If it had an efficient Secretary
or executive officer?
"At its last meeting, it is under
stood, a majority OF the members o
The State Board of Health before tn
meeting, determined TO ask for tn
Secretary's resignation. This wa
not done. There is yet time.
"Unless some radical change i
made, opposition will be crystaliZet
and appeals III lde to higher source
IA member of the State Board 0
Health said in defense of the board
work: we are doing excellent worl
with the Texas fever business Aut
that is all it is doing. III it has re
solved itself into live stock burea
it were better aud cheaper to sepa
rate, and then abolish the Stat
Board of Health part.
I'm making these remarks we hav
no candidate in MUD for the secre
taryshIp. We want to see an eneI
getic aud able man secretary, tina
Is all.
The points of criticism which W
have made are not hypothecateC
they are facts, and while they are a
true they are not all OF the truth"