The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-04-26
HEALTH BULLETINS ID OBE |SSUEDWEEKLY | BY DR. CUNNINGHAM Accepts Offer of The Age Herald to Inform the
 Public TECHNICAL TERMS
 WILL NOT BE USED Talks Will Be in Plain English-Will Devote Attention to One Particu-
 lar Disease or Germ in
 Each Week

Each Week
 Believing that public education Is a greatest public need The Age-Herald has opened it's columns to the head of the city health department. former Gov. Russell NJ. Cunningham, with an invitation to Dr. Cunningham to tell the people of Bir- without any technical phrases the causes of death and disease and epidemics, how to prevent them, when to prevent them and why prevent them.
 pr. Cunningham has welcomed the idea He has agreed to issue weekly health bulletin from this time on regarding diff ferent health problems of Birmingham. Dr. Cunningham. as is well known, is one of the most prominent public men and one of the best physicians in the state His acceptance of the position of altrusitic standpoint.
 Welcomes Opportunity
 'I welcome the opportunity afforded by The Age-Herald's offer" said Dr. Cum ningha myesterday. l have had my day l have worked out by allotted time. 1 no longer need to toll for a living at any thing or in any profession. l am getting old and was about ready to quit
 But in the offer of this position l saw what l believe is wonderful opportunity for service to my fellow-man, and l have grasped it. The offer of a prominent newspaper to give circulation to short discussions on disease and It's cause merely enlarges that opportunity, and grasp it with pleasure. To the credit or The Age-Herald and the benefit of It's thousands of readers 1 believe l can tell them some things from time to time in these suggested health talks which will interest them and make them better men and women and better citizens. l hope to do nothing more. If what l have learned in 40 years of medical practice is of any benefit to others, l am willing to offer it to them gratis and with pleasure if The Age-Herald will furnish the me dium to carry it to them"
 Dr. Cunningham states that he intends each week to take up some particular dis ease or some particular germ and treat of it's relations with humanity in plain terms so that the laymen can readily under stand it. There arc hundreds of things. he says, which the average man never thinks of and yet which he will recognize at once when they are called to his at tention as causes of disease and pesti- lence.
 pr. Cunningham has agreed to help the people of Birmingham to see some of these things through the eyes of science things apparently insignificant to the layman, but of all importance in their consequences to the scientist.
 Tribute to Dr. Cunningham
 In speaking of Dr. Cunningham's ap- pointment as city health officer, the Southern Medical Journal in it slssue of April, 1914, contains the following edl- torial:
 Birmingham is to be congratulated upon securing the services of Dr. R. M. Cunningham as city healt hOfficer.
 "As physician, surgeon, statesman and orator he has no superior. He has served as governor of the state, as professor of the practice of medicine in the Birming- ham Medical college, has for many years had charge of the medical affairs Of one of the largest corporations in the south, commands an immense and lucrative practice and his popularity is phenome- nal. His acceptance of the position of city health officer of Birmingham Is an act of self-sacrifice that demonstrates the reality of his devotion to the altru- istic principles he so eloquently advo- cates.
 Tt is seldom that we see a more /per- feet example of highest personal ability devoting itself partriotically to the service of the public regardless of self than is shown in this instance, for to Dr. Gun ningham the salary Is immaterial
 "Dr. Cunningham is an active member of the Southern Medical association and occupies the important position of chair man of the section on public health in that organization. The Journal prophecies brilliant and successful administration to the new city health officer of Br- mingham."
 lows:
 His First Bulletin
 Health is the chief asset of the indi- vidual, the family community, state and nation. It is necessary to the working man to make his living and to the rich man to enjoy his riches. Therefore, the prevention of disease Is of prime inn portance. Of the two great departments of medicine, preventive and curative. the first is more important, contrary to the general idea. Preventive medicine deals with the study and avoidance of the causes Of disease Causes are divided into predisposing and exciting, or the indirect and direct. They may also be divided into the causes originating within the body and those introduced from without. Of the two the latter is the more im- portant, because more prevalent and cap- able of being prevented These outside causes chiefly consist of germs or mi crobes tbacteria) which may be intro- duced into the body in various ways. These will be more fully discussed in the future. It follows, therefore, that the outside or environment is of first inn portance. These germs are invisible and cannot be attacked directly. They are an invisible foe. But there are outside con- ditons which favor their growth and in- troduction that are visible, and can be dealt with. This outside condition in general terms is filth. Filth not only breeds germs, but 1t also breeds carriers of germs, for example, flies. Therefore. the great problem is to take care of the filth.
 '"The environment may be divided into the greater, the lesser and the immediate, in any unit of government; for example, the city. The greater environment is the entire city; the lesser, the community; the immediate, the home.i Over the great CT the city government and it's depart ments have chief jurisdictions; over ths lesser. the communities; over the home, the family. It is the duty of the city , government to see that the water and food supply is good; to provide for the disposal of garbage and body discharges.