The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1901-10-11
THE PUBLIC HEALTH.
A Timely Card From City Health Off,
Ger Porter.
In Which He Calls Attention to FIX
listing Nuisances, and sug-
gests Practical Remedies
for the Same.

A1NiNOA A1NiuAu III NiiC lJNCDlliS
ner of the LIST inst appears news
item to the effect that the State board
OF Health were about to prosecute the
Health officers in Maury Co., for
failure to report the prevalence of GER
, tain contagious diseases.
| AS regards the m unicipality of Co
lumbia it may be said that there has
been no smallpox in several months
to'report. Scarlet fever was reported
ten days ago.
AS Health officer and a citizen
applaud the course of the State Board
in demanding regular reports from the
local health officials, and if by any
negligence have incurred a fine, /
will pay it without protest. This
affords an opportunity of expressing
myself with reference to my strong
desire to make out of the Health
Officers position something more than
that of a mere inspector with extra
police powers. The prerogatives Of the
Office are ample, but the lack of popu-
lar education touching public health
matters and the consequent lack of in
terest therein, deprive the Board of
Health of the most potent factor in the
successful discharge of its function.
Then again, mere legal authority to
do-minus the means of doing-is OBJ
viously of no avail. see daily num-
erous nuisances that offend every sense
yet in the absence of an adequate
sewerage or scavenger system, am
powerless to remedy them. When
called upon to abate certain nuisances,
| am often reminded of the Saxon King,
who commanded the incoming tide to
instantly stop. We had as we'll try to
hinder the inflowing tide without
building sea-wall, as to attempt to
keep the town decent without a
sewerage or scavenger system.
By way of briefly indicating some
measures that | deem wholesome-and
from the standpoint of cost practi-
CABLE suggest that property owners
be required to construct closets after a
plan to be suggested by the Board of
Health. This form of closet provides
a removable dust box and seat cover
that reduces to minimum the air and
soil pollution that is so serious
feature of the Inconvenience" now
in use.
The Board of Health should locate
these closets being governed therein by
| buo lOCdUlOu VI I6bluSuCtS /,
and the Board should also require the
construction of closets on all occupied
lots.
In conjunction with these closets a
scavenger system should be inau-
gurated. Carts with beds constructed
for the purpose should go the rounds
two or three times weekly, and re-
move the soil to some selected place
beyond the city limits.
Without some such scheme in the
absence of an adeqate sewerage system,
, each recurring summer will find the
Helm branch district in the same
nameless condition, and other sections
, badly off.
Another serious evil are the dung
heaps that accumulate ABOUT the nu-
merous stables over town. The owners
of live stock should be required to pro
vide suitable sized and shaped covered
bins and have the stock tender gather
up the stable litter daily, and the
scavenger carts should remove this as
often as need be. Especial considera-
y ton should be bestowed ON livery sta
= bles. Aside from the unwholesome and
nauseating miasma that arises from
: fermenting dung heaps they furnish
ideal breeding places for many insect
8 pests, notably the common house fly
which, in addition to his general Gus.
: sedness is looming into importance as 6
. possible disease carrier Any measure
J directed toward restricting his family
to decent limits should meet hearty
approval.
Other devices that make for clear
living suggest themselves the reg
e ular removal of kitchen slops anC
Ii household trash. 1t is idle to tell PEG
}. pie not to throw dishwater into tn,
g back yard. They can't drink 1t. I'm
g fortunately, however, the neighbour
IS have to drink in the odors.
y Neighbors suffer from their neigh
. bors nuisaaces never from their own
: notice this when A complains of 81
t back yard.
I | believe an efficient scavenger sys
Ii tenn along the lines have pointed on
could be operated for about 81, 500. 0(
y to 81, 800. 90 annually.
At any rate an experiment of this
kind would not prove an expensive
failure. The majority of the closets
now in use could be adapted to the
dust box device The suggestion tina
the owners of all occupied lots be re
quired to construct closets is, l deem
> It, highly important, Should thes
& suggestions fail to sufficiently interes
= the public to the point of an appro-
priation by the City Council, | mod
estly but seriously advise that the city
t hire or purchase a drove of say 81
razor backs. Brand in large letters OF
: one side, 'City Scavenger On the
, other the legend "Noli me tangere.
These classical porkers would remin'
our visitors that we dip Latin an
clean { n our streets.
G A sewer system of course is the grea
need of Columbia But the town
: seems not to be ready to invest in it
) In the meantime let us have funds :
= improve the situation before anothe
n summer comes.
OTEY J. PORTER.