The Brunswick news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1906-2016, 1912-08-29
A DISCUSSION OF
THE CITYS HEALTH
SECRETARY BOARD OF HEALTH
WRITES AN INTERESTING
ARTICLE.

day contained an able editorial neadeo
A City, State and National Disgrace,
IN which appeared facts concerning the
prevalence of typhoid fever in the
city of Atlanta, with a death rate from
that disease of more than so per 100,-
600 inhabitants, standing third among
the cities of the United States. in the
grip of that dread yet preventable
disease. The editorial further out
lines the well known measures used
N the prevention of the malady, call
ing attention to the fly as the most
frequent carrier of the germs; the
proper milk inspection and the care
of and disposition of infected excreta
1t also mentions the fact that in and
around Atlanta, there are 1900 sur
face closets, each breeder end pur-
veyor through flies of the typhoid
germ, constituting our most serious
menace. They must be eliminated
every one Of them"
Now, here is where Brunswick and
her health authorities and city council
score. Brunswick has at present ], 100
surface closets, breeders and infection
grounds for flies, but at the meeting
of city council Monday night there was
adopted an ideal ordinance for the
early installation of sasitary, hy-tight,
ventilated closets in place of every
one of the old style, unsanitary, I'M
slightly and disease breeding open
surface closets. Something to blow
about. But this is the mere beginning
In the Constitutions editorial which,
of course, was only meant for home
consumption, is stated further, dairy
inspection is inadequate almost to the
point of farce" while the health off
Ger of Brunswick is daily making
archaeological examinations Of milk
from Brunswick's diaries with view
to establishing, if possible the purest,
most sanitary and healthful milk OBJ
tainable. Improving not only the milk
itself, but the methods of handling
and delivering that will insure mini
mum bacterial content. That he is
slowly but surely succeeding, one has
but to go to his laboratory and read
his figures.
Now, for the next editorial, from
The Brunswick News of yesterday,
headed Secretary Wetherly Comes.
Among the many earnest and timely
suggestions for cooperation on the
part of the entire citizenry are found
the statements, lin such work as he
is to undwertake here results do not
show as speedily as they might" and
we should not expect to get results
in too short space of time" These
statements are doubly true in regard
to health matters. Education in sani-
tation accomplishes results more sure
ly and lastingly than indiscriminate
legislation. European cites that have
succeeded in stamping out the ma
JorlIy OF preventable diseases have
Edcne so by scientific and painstakng
investigations, and then by educating
both the masses and the classes.
Laws, the reason for which are not
clearly understood by the masses are
difficult of enforcement, but in educa-
| ton lies the foundation OF both com
mercial and sanitary advancement.
Results may not come until every
| single individual in the community
mas realized that the composite health
of his city is dependent upon his in
dividual observance of every sanitary
law. Unlike me industrial progress of
a city, sanitation can suffer from the
negligence of one person, or the law
| infract1on of one individual, while
the march of commercial interest is
not halted one moment by a dozen
4 knockers. In no line of progress is
cooperation so vital, so absolutely nee
essary, as in the care of the public
health of any community That city
| is a close association of sanitary in
| terests, and that these are placed
denced by the fact that the municipal
! ity appropriates on its budget more
1 for the maintenance of that depart
ment and its allied interests than
for any other. A spirit of tolerance
| and cooperation: close study of the
methods and means by which the
best ends may be attained in the i'm
provement of not only the mortality
but morbidity rate OF the city will do
more to attain those results in a
shorter period of time than tacit
misunderstanding of the methods and
criticism of the apparent slowness
of the evolution.
The commercial and sanitary inter
ests OF a community must advance