The commonwealth., 1904-11-26
Some Statistics Which Show a Great
Health Record.
DR.. D. S. HUMPHREYS SPEECH.
How the Town and County We're Re.
claimed from a Mlasmlc Con.
dillon to One OF Health.

for a response 10 the toast: "The Health
Of Greenwood and Leflore County"
The toast not only deals In facts and
figures Of great value to this section,
but what was said was put In such a
bright and interesting way that THE
COMMONWEALTH Is glad to reproduce it
In full:
Unfortunately, this country was Civ
en- the name of the swamp a title
which never properly belonged to It.,
but now, happily, it enjoys a healthier
sounding name in the Delta.
"Tbe old geologist taught that arte-
sian water could not be got anywhere in
Mississippi at a less depth than $500
feet, but about 1903 G. L. Wright, who
honors us with his presence here to-
night, conceived the idea that artesian
water could be easily and cheaply got
here. He propably arrived at this con-
'In replying to tho artesian wateI
bDdBlt Va AtIth"Ota ahh AAC-
floro County, which has been assigned
me, desire to say that water always
goes directly to my stomach and browns
my memory. so hope will be pard-
encd for reference to manuscript. de-
sire also to say that because Of the
enormous amount of health we have
hero shall scarcely have the narrow
limits assigned mo to do the subject
Justice. The health conditions twenty
years ago, where very bad. The sources
Of the supply Of drinking water were
the shallow open we 4, the driven well
and the underground cistern. A very
small proportion of the land was drained
or cultivated. The old idea obtained
that IL the land had to be ditched in Or
dor to be cultivated 1t had better remain
uncleared, and therefore only the high
ridges wero cultivated, and contained
much land covered by stagnant water
intervening between ridges, in which
mosquitoes multiplied in the tropical
underground. The result was that ma
laria in every form, from the mldcst
ague to the pernicious haematurla, pre-
vailed. But spades have been trumps
in this country in the past few years,
and lakes and sloughs have largely dis
appeared
clusion because he saw that God
Almighty had given us everything else
that was good and surely he did not
overlook supply of wholesome water.
And so he put his ideas to the test and
bored the first artesian well, getting an
oyer0owing stream of beautiful water
at depth Of about 400 feet, lmmedi-
ately there dnwned a brighter day for
this country aud now thcrn is not n
first-class plantation in Lefore County
which has not one or more OF these
clcar-nowins fountains where you may
wash and be clean.
"fbo we'll from which get my drink
ing water is 40 feet deep, cost 1915 and
the tcmperture of tho water as it flows
from the well is Go degrees Fahrenheit.
1t has been demonstrated over and over
again that the mosquito is conyeyor
of malaria, and, whilo many observers
have claimed that there are other means
OF propagation, they have never been
able in single instance to prove their
contention. The mosquito depends up
on stagnant water and shade for its own
and the wonderful amount
of drainage and clearing OF his former
habitat has very materially diminished
his numbers, and the man with tho wire
screen doors and windows to shut out
these mosquitoes which have been
smart enough to outwit Mike Burke
and Charlie Wright has been material
factor in improving the sanitary condi-
tions Of this county.
"But while we still have the manifcs-
tations of malaria, it is matter OF COM
mon observation that all forms arc very
mitch less prevalent. Typhoid fever is
almost unknown here. 1t is so rare that
many physicians have never seen case
in this county, and | am prepared to
say that in the past seven years there
have been only ilyo cases of typhoid
fever in Greenwood, and four of these
had within month or six weeks come
to Greenwood, evidently bringing with
hem the seeds of the disease. The fifth
case was an attorney who thought he
eot the poison drinking from shallow
open we'll while attending court in a
ncighboring hill county. 1t is in p rtant,
boo,to state that no new cas,s developed
rom tho sc-a very remarkable, fact In
Iced, because it is usually the case
n the so-called healthy mountainous
countries that many cases develop fol-
owing typhoid fever as result Of the
OF the water supply. The
act that this lorality is so singularIy free
rom this dreadful scourgc is Of itself
natter for serious favorable comment
nd We derive much pleasure from tho
hanght Of being able to set this fact
'rer against any bad reputation we may
ave on account Of our malaria.
Il should also like to lay stress on the
act that ! have never seen case Of ,
iphtheria in this country. and when we
what havoc It makes In some
thcr localities we are justified in en-
lncfin CONGRATULATIONS Hnui.l.. ,Aal. | L