The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1909-10-23
CAMPAIGN FOR HEALTH.
Effort Being Made to Start Movement
For sanitation and Drainage at Pee
Dee Convention.

Il
In widespread effort towards the
eradication Of malaria, and the Hook
worm disease in the Pee Dee. and
eastern Carolina counties. by the
drainage Of swamp and other low
lands.
| While our local health officer Is
more directly interested in the drain
ing OF low lands In the vicinity Of
Sumter. and Sumter county, neverthe-
less he realizes the Importance of CO.
| operation between the health depart
ments. city and county officials, far
mers and physicians of every city,
town. village. and In the rural dis
tricts Of the Pee Dee counties. He has
written q number Of articles on the
Importance Of stamping out malaria
BY the eradication Of the anopholes
mosquito. and all other varieties Of
this insect by doing away with their
breeding places In the low lands
swaInpy and marshy lands. because It
10 now an universally accepted fact
that the mosquito is the intermediate
host by which malaria 10 conveyed
from one individual to another. His
articles have attracted attention out
side Of Sumter.
Mr.. James D. Evans, Secretary of
the Florence Board Of Trade has re-
Quested Mr.. Rsardon to take the nec-
essary steps to interest the health off,
GERS. members Of health boards. and
the State Health Board. county off,
cials and city councils, and physicians
OF the eastern Carolina and coast
counties In attending the big Pee Dee
Convention at Florence on Nov. Sth,
and 9th. at which the question of
general and systematic drainage of
the low lands Of the Pee Dee, the
eradication Of malaria. and the
checking Of the spread Of tuberculosis
will be discussed with the hope that a
permanent organisation may be
formed with q view to doing some
thing Of permanent and general ma
ture along these lines. Congressman
J. E. Ellerbe will deliver a lecture en-
titled. internal waterwayn. and
Drainage in the Pee Dee Section" at
the Florence convention. and pro-
vision will be made for Secretary of
Agriculture James Wilson. and Hon.
orable James Cosgrove. Of Charleston,
to be heard on the subject of drain.
age.
The Sumter health ofYicer maintains
that 1t Is q hopeless fight against ma
laria. tuberculosis. and the Hook
worn" disease where the incorporated
cities and towns are making the fight
alone while the rural districts are
totally unorganized. and doing abso-
lutely nothing towards suppressing
communicable diseases.
Hundreds Of people suffering with
tuberculosis are moving into the cities
and from houses infected with con-
ta.ious disease germs in which neith-
er the houses nor their contents have
ever been disinfected. He also con-
tends that while 1t is possible for
cities and towns to do away with
breeding places for mosquitoes, that
the fact remains that many cities and
towns are suffering from breeding
places OF these insects outside of the
incorporated places. and beyond the
Jurisdiction Of city authorities.
Rural sanitation. drainage, segre-
cation OF communicable diseases, dis
Infection. and quarantine, with coun-
ty and township health boards to en-
force regulations are necessary not
only for the general preservation of
public health. but are Of as much i'm
portance to Incorporated places. as
city and town health departments and
city drainage.
DR.. c. F. Williams. State health Of
ficer has written the Sumter health
ofiicer that he will cooperate in the
night against malaria. tuberculosis,
anl the "Hookworm," and that as
soon as he returns from a trip to
Richmond he will take up the
matter with all of the promoters of
the movement.
The United States government is
very much interested in this matter.
aud so Is Commissioners E. j. Watson.
The various chambers of commerce,
boards OF trade, city. county and State
officials, are Joining hands with the
boards Of health, and health officers
and physicians.
Science and commerce have locked
n v,a.