The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1903-11-11
SICKNESS NORTH AND SOUTH.
Tourists Bring in Much of the
Illness They Complain of
Contracting.

Secretary Stuart OF the New YORK
State board of health recently declared
that summer vacations and winter
visits to the South are fruitful sources
of typhoid epidemics. AS to the first
proposition he has not been seriously
disputed, but as to the second The
Florida Times Union will have none
of it. It remarks that if Northerner
goes South and is taken i'll soon after
his arrival the balme is laid on the
South, while if he goes home to the
North and is taken sick there, the
attack is still charged to the South.
It insists that this is not reasonable
and there really seems sense In It's
position. Further, it points out that
according to the United States census
there is lower death rate in the South
than in New York, and that this is
true not only of the South as whole,
but of every Southern State indisid-
ually.
We have no disposition to question a
census report and we accept without
inquiry the Florida papers statement
as to what that publication shows.
On the other hand it is impossible to
withhold the suggestion that typhoid
is not the only disease and that there
are others which rarely kill, but are
burdensome and long continued, and
that there may be something in the
notion that these are partly in mind
when there is talk of contraction in
the South by Northern visitors. There
is usually some sort of foundation for
continuously current story, even if
it is as bad foundation or rests on a
misunderstanding or misapplication
of terms. Nor do we mean by this to
imply that the South is not the
healthy region the Florida editor de-
clears it to be. 1t escapes to consld-
e=able degree the ailments which hide
and breed in cramped quartres to
which little light or air comes and
where the filth peculiar to such condi-
tions accamulates and does its malig-
nant work, as it has comparatively
few opportunities to do in the south.
Just so far as sunlight and a good out
door life make for good health the
South has a great advantage. With
reasonable care there is no visible
ground to believe that it does not offer
natural advantages to people who
want to live as free from illness as is
compatible with modern conditions
anywhere.
But a great many people who go
South are partial invalids. Some OF
them go on purpose to recuperate in a
different climate, and by. giving up
certain cares and labors which have
become too much for them. That is
why the average health of visitors to
Florida is probably below the average
health there or in the place from
which visitors come. If they do not
grow better it is quite probable that
they will become worse. But most Of
these semi-invailds have not recogniz-
ed any disease in themselves, and il
they return North no better-or even
somewhat worse than they were at
starting they date their sickness from
Florida. There are other elements
in the problem, but this we take to
be chiefly important.
AS for the rest, who ever heard Of
people refusing to go South, for fear
Of becoming i'll, unless from yellow
fever scare or something Of that kind?
And if they do not hesitate is not the
fact pretty good answer to such
accusations as irritated our Florida
contemporary Hartford Times.