The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1910-02-14
WAR ON THE HOOK WORM

DIR. Hiram Byrd delivered his second
lecture on hookworm Saturday after
noon in the court house to a large |
crowd. The ladies were out IN force.
many of them members of the Wom-
ans Club, under whose auspices these
meetings were held. He congratulated |
the club on the interest and war they |
had waged on the mosquito, but warn |
ed them not to grow respondent and |
discouraged II they failed in extermi- |
mating the pest, common nuisance |
and the cause of 50 much malaria. He |
spoke Of the rain barrel. the source OF |
more mosquitoes than any one thing in |
a community. Investigation showed |
1900 mosquitoes in barrel and the |
same barrel two weeks later when
emptied contained 5000 mosquitoes.
showing what fearful breeding places
rain barrels are. The person who
properly looks after his premises Is the
best officer in the land and one person
Indifferent to health surroundings can
do more harm and hurt to a commun-
ity than all the others can counterfeit.
Spoke Of efforts to exterminate the
mosquito in New Jersey. The low,
marshy lands were cleared oiled and
burned only to find that the white fly,
the mosquitoes deadly enemy, has been
destroyed and the place had not been
squito was largely bred In salt marshes
but Ocala was in no danger az the in
sect did not get twenty miles away
from the sea There were three kinds
OF mosquitoes. the rain barrel kind,
that worked at night, the yellow fever
variety that worked by day, and the
malarial kind, also a night proW!er.
The rain barrel must be got rid Of TO
counteract the effects OF the rain barrel
mosquito, you must have some one to
look after this nuisance and abate it.
The baleful effects of things deletcr-
ious to health are better understood
than they we're a quarter of a century
ago Then the health officer was look
ed upon by the householder as an in
truder--an enemy-now he Is kindly
received by tho educated person and
assisted In abating nuisance and
menace to health. Abate the mosquito
and Ocala Is safe from yellow fever
and malaria.
He spoke OF the Importance Of proper
sewerage 1t was death to hookWOrm.
tapeworm and typhoid. Lack of proper
sanitation was the cause OF nine-tenths
Of the above diseases. He then gave
the history Of the state board of health
and how slowly, as Information and in
telligence grew. confidence was restor-
ed. means were provided and the use
fulness Of the state board Of healtf
was demonstrated. 1t was organized =
years ago. the result of the yellow
fever epidemic OF 1883. 1t had its strug-
giles and that was all, for ten years at
ter Florida had no yellow fever. Edu
cation has done much to promote th'
usefulness Of the Board. The legisla
ture finally appropriated the none!
with which to aid the board. FloridS
levies one half a mill on al 1.-The asses
sable property Of the state amounting
to $1,000 a year revenue.
The legislature of 1895 provided 70
hydrophobia. The states system i
the best in the world Then cam
small pox. but vaccination was no
compulsory. Then the disease occurr
ed yearly. but now only once in tel
years and under proper regulation
growing less. Then we had 1,2O
cases; that 1t was coming again in tn
northern part Of the state.
The state board of health desired t
secure a tuberculosis fund. so as t
provide a state hospital and they ha
about got funds secured, when the leg
islature appropriated the money for tn
old veterans. He said the provision c
outstanding the state board of healt
funds was wise one, for the yeio'
fever that broke out at Pensacola cos
could tell it's cost to life and propert!
He instanced the good the board {
health did in exterminating glander
in Ocala. The state board of healt
instituted this hookworm campaign
TO a question he said West Firgin1
and Florida were the only states thf
had not a state tuberculosis institut
Hookworm was an old disease, discoN
cred in italy In 1897. In 1872 1t We
found among the men working in IT
ST. Gothard tunnel. Ie remained Il
the United States to meet it. invest
gate and fight It, Then there We
only IS cases in the country. =
STYLES conducted the first L. s. ho
pital campaign in 1898 and establish
ed 1876 beds for this disease. In IS
DR.. King established field hospitals f
the disease He said the people
Porto Rico were sorely afflicted wi
the hooRworn. bit since our govern
ment had been governing those pc
pie the treatment has been very su
cessful The health, citizenship al
morals of the people has been great
improved. He said Patrick Menten
Albion. said Great Britain deriv
greater interests in the profits of t
world than any other nation al
should do more for the worlds We
fare but 1t WAS for our country
lead
In Florida there are $4,000 schC
children, 331-3 per cent. of whom a
affected BY hookworm. Hence 80 7
cent OF our people were trouble
costing SO a case.
Or. Newsom asked Row the kock
Teller fund was to be distributed. Pr
Rose Of Atlanta has charge OF IN
matter and he has not yet decided
n plan He will begin his work
Florida Fifteen children were put
exhibition for examination. al
whom he thought were affected
said hookworm prevailed is great
degree 35 degrees either side or I
Equator than elsewhere. but 1t "
found all over the world. even in Ala
ka. They have it in New York, {
Il was traced there from the Sou
He said dogs. cats, cows and you
seals had II. Il per cent. of them
The lecture was highly INTEREST,"
and instructive and held his audler
spellbound.
At night Or. Byrd gave an l!lustri
ed lecture with a glowing eulogy
the advancement of civilization
what science has wrought for the W
fare Of the. world, but in none OF
was the progress greater ana m'