The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1912-10-26
a Health Officer Who Cleaned Up
His State

| T.
In the October American Magazine
appears an article about Dr. Oscar
i Bowling, president of the Louisiana
j State Board of Health, who has done
/ a great work. DR.. DoWling's first
public statement was charac teristic.
.Dirtt That's what's the matter witt
/ Louisiana; and we are now going to
start in and have a thorough house.
cleaning.
The article then goes:
The result was the famous Louisi.
ana health special, the gospel Of
health on wheels 1t consisted OF
/ three cars, two cars of exhibits and
| a living car for the health officers
ssDr. Bowling and his corps of lee.
turers and assistants lived on that
train for seven months In that time
they combed Louisiana with fine
comb. Every city, town or village
256 in all-of more than $50 inhabi
tants was visited, inspected and lee,
tured. Where the railroads didn't
run bowling went in motor cars or
carriages On the narrow gauge
tracks he mounted railway hand
car and pumped himself over the line.
Where other methods Of transporta-
ton failed he walked; in the bayou
parishes launches and roWboats were
called into service.
"DoWling's way Of dealing with con-
ditions as he found them was some
thing of shock. After spending a
day in inspecting a town he would
stand up at meeting OF citizens in
the evening and say: You have a
very dirty town here. Parts Of it are
awful. Your schooIhouse ism tit for
anything but a barn, your dairies are.
impossible and if your butchers don't
clean up and keep cleaned up, I 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. Cleaning-up
days became the rage all over the
state.
He is still up to his elbows in the
fight for a cleaner Louisiana. There
is nothing fanciful about his rolled
up sleeves. Recently he asked the
owner of a Well-knoWn New Orleans
restaurant if he did not wish to keep
a clean place.
9 Why, doctori' was the astound-
ed reply, I have it cleaned up every
night.
!. Then you don't know how to
clean, said Bowling.
Well, can only afford to pay
my scrub people a dollar and a half |
a night, protested the man.
All right said Dr. Bowling.
Hire me for one night and I'll show
you how to clean up.
The newspapers next morning ran
Elashlight photographs of the doctor
IN action. The. president of the State
Board of Health with his sleeves roll
ed up, his collar off, and a scrub
brush in his hand, cleaning up the
Kitchen of restaurant, was some
,hiHg of nkEelty.
pr. DoWlfag is a big man, big of
body. brainE and heart. He loves
children and hates anything that
1urts them. He has sent the COM
non drinking cup, the public roller
.oWel, and similar means of spreading
disease Tying out Of his state. Ills
for safeguarding the health
# children is one of the stirring sfea-
ures Of his remarkable campaign.
Louisiana,s feelings toward it's ag-
,ressiVes heaRh chief, now that it has
.ccepted theVgospel of better health,
nay be sumNed up in the words of
converted Guntry editor:
Get us cleaned up, dear doc, and
We will rise up and call you s
lessed!' i