Western Carolina Democrat and French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1913-1915, 1914-12-17


In the Bulletin of Health, by the Board
of Health, and goes not only over the
state, but to every health board in the
United States. A little more publicity.
Oh this sort and where are we as a
health resort?
Let me give you a concrete example,
relative to this fact alone. Sometime
last year gentleman CT the South
purchased piece of property in Hen
Jacksonville, intending to make this his
home. When he spoke of it to his
physician, the doctor said: what o
earth are you going there for? Look
&C this list Of the death rate from
typhoid fever. You certainly do not
care to live in UGH an unsanitary
community" The purchaser immed1-
ately called off the ue-1 Needless tc
say that what advertising or in.uce-
ment had been offered him to come
here was time and money wasted.
Now it is a known scientific fact
that great many of our most preVa-
lent diseases are directly transmitted
by flies. Hendersonville can never be
a safe place to live in until we are rid
of them. Only recently it has been
pl oven that infantile paralysis, that
dread disease which makes helpless
cripples of beautiful healthful chill
dren, is the direct result of the bite
OF the stable fly.
Now it does seem, when we know
tnst certain diseases can be prevented
absolutely by the simplest precautfon
and at relatively small cost, that most
wifi ifc- iY0fo
at heart could make the necessary eff
fort to do away with unsanitary con-
ditions.
Now, I have no idea how many sta
bles or how many open closets there
are in Hendersonville; but do know
that until the stables are put into such
condition that they are no longer the
breeding places of flies, and until we
have done away wit the open closets
We cannot hope to have healthful
town.
The visitors see these things, COM
ment upon them, and are Influenced
by them more than we may think for
people today are becoming educated
upon sanitary subjects and public
health measures. And when they
leave their homes for a summer va
cation they are not going to any place
where they put their lives, or the lives
o. their families in jeopardy. We
might as we'll learn this fact, and the
sooner the better.
l might also add that we have some
excellent ordinances on our statute
books But an ordinance, no matter
how good, is useless unless it is en-
forced and no ordinance is going to
be enforced that has not public senti-
ment behind it.
st it seems to me it is the duty of
those of US who realize the tremendous
responsibility resting upon those in
authority to do all in our power to
awaken public interest in better san
itation. In my opinion the town
should, by all means, have a sanitary
Inspector, for in no other way can
health ordinances be enforced This
inspector should be responsible to
some one, and tat someone should
naturally be a health officer. l be-
lieve health officer should be ply
sjcian provided he has an inspector to
carry out the actual work, for no
physician can do justice to the office
and his private practice at the same
time for one or the other will be neg
lected. But he can overlook and d1-
rect the work of an official subOrdi-
nate.
] regret that in this short time I
cannot take up the subject of Tuber-
culosis and its relation to public
health, and discuss with you today
the many difficult problems that con-
front us all the time.
Thanking you for your kind atten-
ton and with the hope that we may
all pull together for better and
cleaner Hendersonville, will say.
that 1 am always with you heart and
! soul in any work Of this kind.
DIR, Dixon on Health Officer.
No subject is of more interest In
Henderson county, just now than that
relating to a whole-time health officer.
On this important subject, 'Do we
need a whole time health officer, and
why?" DR.. Guy E. Dixon prepared the
following paper:
Mr.. Chairman, ladies and gentlemen:
NV subject Is in the form of two
questions and 1 will attempt to answer
them in a very brief and plain way. L
will be brief because have only five
minutes; 1 will be plain because be-
lieve the first step in getting rid OF a
| nuisance is to recognize it, and that
YOU cannot put a thief out OF business
by maintaing hiding place for him
or denying his guilt.
When the Great Creator made this
world, he made that part of it which
we call North Carolina. He made
North Carolina very healthful place
for the abode of man, and when He
made Henderson county think ne
made it the most healthful part OF
North Carolina. North Carolina's re-
cord as healthful place and Hender-
con county's record as an extremely
healthfuI place was maintained for a
long time, but 1 am sorry to say, thai
today, conditions are very different.
North Carolina today has the repu-
tation of being one of the most un.
healthful states in the nation, and
/ rTn.,5 A,oaYo onIIufv ia very raDidlV get