Western Carolina Democrat and French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1913-1915, 1914-12-24
MORE ABOUT OUR HEALTH.


Sentiment continues to grow for a
whole-time health officer in proportion
tn the extent to which the people in
form themselves concerning local
Iealth conditions. It is fortunate that
the city will be able to enlist the hear
ty cooperation of DR.. w. s. Rankin
by his presence on January /, but his
visit will be our misfortune unless we
get busy
1t is highly important that the coun-
try people as well as those of the city
avail themselves of the opportunity
to hear DR.. Rankin for he has a mes
sage that will be worth while He
will tell of the needs of health work
in the rural as well as urban dis
tricts.
The most of us are acquainted with
the shortsighted persons who are able
to see just a little beyond the tip of
their nose. They say that the physicians ]
like to hear of sickness. For the sake
Of emphasizing the fallacy of this con-
tention and for the purpose of showing
the necessity for more systematic
health work in the city and county we
quote from addresses of DIR. Dixon and
DR. Kirk in last weeks Democrat and
from an interview of DR.. Morse in this
il sue:
WISELY sold nr Rirb.
"And what have we gained if we
lring ten thousand people here next
year, and let them see what we failed
to see, our need of better sanitation?
| maintain that the fewer visitors
we have until we can show them
clean town. the better off we are, for
We have succeeded only in showing
t. EN- our dirt, and how far behind
ether towns we have fallen. And there
fle other good reasons why we should
have better sanitation. First, it is our
home. We have to live here. and nat
uraly We want it clean and healthy.
Second, we cannot attract the class
Of visitors we are after until we make
our town a safe place to live Do you
know that Hendersonville has the
third highest death rate from typhoid
Of any city in the state? Now it does
seem, when We know that certain dis
eases can be prevented absolutely by
the simplest precaution and at re-
latiVely small cost, that most any COM
Inunity with its own interest at heart
could make the necessary effort to do
away with unsanitary conditions. The
visitors see these things, comment up
ch them, and ara Influenced by. them
Emore than we may think for people
today are becoming educated upon
sanitary subjects ana public health
measures. And when they leave their
homes for summer vacation they are
not going to any place where they put
their lives, or the lives of their fami-
lies in jeopardy. We might as well
learn this fact, and the sooner the bet
ter"
How are these plain undeniable facts
from DR.. Dixon?
North Carolina today has the repu-
tation of being one of the most UNI
healthful states in the nation, and
Henderson county is very rapidly get
ting the reputation of being one of the
most unhealthfu1 counties in the State
1T is up to Henderson county to make
: of herself the most healthful county in
North Carolina. The natural advan-
tages will make it an easy matter. We
must recognize the facts as they are.
The whole county abounds in unnsan-
itary places, back yards and allies.
Our soil is polluted with nook worm
Ind other disease germs. Our water
is highly polluted with COLON bacillus
eEd typhoid germs We have absol-
ute1y no milk or meat inspection, no
health inspection in the public schools,
and last but not least, we had several
flies in Henderson county last summer
that ought never to have been born. I
think we should have whole time
health officer who Is specially trained
for this special work at q salary large
Y "A