McNairy County independent. (Selmer, McNairy County, Tenn.) 1902-1969, 1913-10-17

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Eene way or the other. am informed
that your court listened to Dir. Rob-
inson, with some evidence of amuse-
ment. and adjourned Immediately
without any comment from any men,
ber Of the court. We have no COM
plant to make. If the court is
pleased with this procedure, so are
we. Letters and verbal messages
which have reached me Indicate, how
ever, that some of the citizens of Nc
Marry county are not pleased. To
these | beg to say that we stand
ready to begin onr work in McNairy
county at the earliest date possible
after the court feels able to set aside
the small sum of one hundred dollars
to be used in the operation of free
dispensaries.
Doctor Robinson was able to do
enough work in your county to dem
onstrate the fact that there is con-
siderable Hookworm Disease in the
county. He also found that the sani-
tary, or rather insanitary conditions
in rural homes and schools Of your
county are just such as are favorable
to the spread Of the Hookworm Dis
ease, Typhoid Fever, and other dis
eases that are spread by the perni-
cious practice of soil pollution.
There was a time when disease was
thought inevitable and was consid-
cred only in its bearings upon the
person who was sick. We now know
that disease is a community problem
and that every case of sickness, espe-
cially if preventable, affects tAe in
terest of the whole community. The
people are waking up to the fact that
health conservation is more import.
ant than any other. McNairy county
certainly has recognized that the
health of steers is worth conserving,
for, am told, about $4,000 has been
expended for the eradication of the
cattle tick. That $4,000 was a fine
investment and certainly should have
been made. Put $l00 by $1,000 and
it looks small. believe that ninety
nine per cent of the people of the
county are willing to appropriate one
fiftieth as much from the public funds
for an effort to promote the health of
children Of young men and young
women as they were for the appro-
priation for live stock work.
wrote letter to the Chairman of
your court and mailed it with special
delivery" postage in which | made an
official offer to the court to refund
every penny of the $l00 if the court
should not be satisfied with our work
in the county after it should be fin
ished. Doctor Robinson made this
same official offer to the court. If
there is any way to make more lib
eral offer and at the same time iden-
tify the county with the work, will
be glad to submit it.
We make every effort to put our
work before the people on the basis
of merit; we have nothing to sell,
nothing to advertise; we have no
apologies Of any sort TO offer for the
work; those Of US who are engaged
in this movement will not profit one
cent nor will we lose one cent by the
appropriation from any county or the
refusal OF any county. We are
anxious to serve the people of. the
whole state and believe we can do
something worth while for promoting
the cause of public health.
If any citizen of McNairy county
desires to ascertain whether or not
he has Hookworm Disease, we shall
be glad to send mailing case to be
used in forwarding a specimen for
microscopic examination. The ex-
lamination will be made free of cost.
The physicians of the county are
capable Of treating Hookworm Dis
ease and recognize its Importance.
They were active in cooperating with
our representative and we are sin
cerely grateful to them for their en-
couragement. just as we are to all
who extended kindness to Doctor
Robinson.
Certain members Of the county
court volunteered to subscribe from
their private funds to make up
enough money to meet the expenses
of free dispensaries in the county.
We certainly appreciate their tender,
but feel that public work should not