The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1912-10-22

strain il nearly every home from dis
eases hat niaht have been prevent
ed.
Fortunately, many people have
been aroused aud we are beginning
onIv he3innin2-to do better. No mar
should he elected as a mayor or al
derrnan or other officials of a city Wht
is not deeply Interested in sanitation
and health and willing 10 make sac
Iifices To see that the people hav
pure water. pure milk and pure food
This trinity. pure water, pure mill
and pure food is the everlasting Cos
pei Of health and We do not sc
either Of them except like we get lib
erty-through eternal vigilance.
The American Magazine of thi:
month has a very Interesting article
10y Henry Oyen on DR.. oscar Bowling
that ought TO be read by every doctor
and every citizen in North Carolina
His example is an inspiring one. 1t j!
as follows:
When DR.. oscar bowling was
appointed president of the Louisi-
ana State Board of Health in Au-
gust. 1910, he rolled up his
sleeves and tackled the biggest
job of house cleaning in This
country.
Up to the coming Of Bowling
Louisiana as a whole hadn't Nor-
Tied much about modern IDEAS of
communal cleanliness and SAM
tatiOn. The progressive
in The movement Of an awakened
Louisiana realized the states
barhUarjness in these matters.
They looked around for a man to
clean up Louisiana. The choice
fell upon DR.. Bowling. Downing
was practising in Shreveport. His
reputation as an J specialist
had spread beyond the boundaries
of the state. His practice was
worth $4,000 a year. The office
10 which he was appointed has a
$4,000 salary.
Dowling's first public statement
was typical:
DIRT! That's what's the mat
ter with Louisiana; and we are
going to start in now to have q
thorough house-cleaning."
The native Louisianian, content
with the ways of hts father. said:
"Dirt7 Why, certainly, there's
some dirt. Can anybody e
Der when there wasn't? Every
body's got to eat q peck Of it be-
fore they die"
NO" said Bowling, we're
going to cut that peck in half
and live longer and better and be
worth more while were living"
He .2lkod III similar fashion to
the officials of the leading rail
roads of the State. The result was
the famous louisiana Health Spe-
ciaI, the gospel Of health on
wheels" 1t consisted Of three
cars of exhibits and a living car
for the health officers.
Dr.. bowling and his corps Of
lecturers and assistants lived on
that tran for eve months. In
that time they combed Louisiana
with a fine comb. Every city. town
and Nillage-256 in all-of more
than $50 inhabitants was visited,
inspected and lertured. Where
the railroads didn't u Downing
went in motor car or carriages.
ON the narrow gauge he mounted
a railway handcaT and pumped
hlTlSel[ over the line. Where
other methods of transportation
failed he walked; in the bayou
parishes launches and ~roWboats
were called into service.
lowing :, way of dealing With
conditions as he found them was
something Of a shock. After
spending q day in inspecting a
town he would stand UP at a
meeting Of cit'zprS in the evening
and say: You have a very dirty
town here. Parts Of it are aw-
fui. Your ScfOO house isn't fit
for anything but "a barn, your
ddiries are impossible, INC if
your butchers ont clean up and
keep cleaned up [ will have to put
them out of business
They took it hard at first. When
they became better acquainted
with the doctor they began TO fall
into his way of thinking. Clean
lng-up days becarn the rage all
over the State.
He is still up TO his elbows in
the fight for a cleaner Louisiana.