Western Carolina Democrat and French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1913-1915, 1914-12-24
nR. RANKIN TO VISIT THIS
CITY IN MATTER OF HEALTH.
VIII Help organize Health Work. and
Will Address Meeting on Night
of January 1.

DR.. l.. B. Morse, who has been quite
active in the matter of wholeztime
health officer and the organization of
health work in the city and county,
and who has secured promise from
DR.. w. s. Rankin, secretary of the
State Board of Health, to address the
people of this section on matters of,
health, has the following to say con-.
corning this important meeting and.
the Importance of the work which it.
represents:
For some time past, public senti-
ment in Henderson county has been
rapidly crystallizing for more effective
health work in our midst Experience
has definitely proven that heaIth and
sanitary secnditions In q community
show its degree OF intelligence aHd.
pregressfyeness, A large and increas-
ing number of people who come to the
E3cuntains for recreation or healtn,
are enquiring most particularly as to
health conditions. Similarly. home
seekers who are thinking of locating
in new sections of country, are de-
manding that freedom from disease
characterize the places which they
choose as their homes These are
fundamental and important facts.
Z Now Henderson county has for
years enjoyed most deserved feplitS.
alton for healthfulness. Thousands of
people come to our midst every year
because of the great God-given bene-
fits. 1t is fact, however, that while
these natural benefits have been great
We cannot afford to depend upon them
alone. AS a resort town, more than
any other community in the State,
should we look to these vitality import
ant matters. What the town and coun
ty need most of all, is well-trained,
whole-time health officer and sanitary
inspector. It has been amply demon
strated that a man who is in the ac-
tive practice of medicine, cannot be-
come an efficient health officer. There
are several reasons for this: To be-
come good health officer, it requires
all the time that one active man can
give to the work; the average practi-
toner of medicine is too busily engag
ed in the treatment Of disease, to
spend the necessary time required TO
prevent it; lastly, it has been shown
that it is altogether impracticable for
man to do health work and SAN
itary inspection. and engage in pri-
vate practice at the same time. A
health officer must have no axes to
grind; but instead, he must heW to the
line, let the chips fall where they may
GA number of counties in North
Carolina have adopted the policy of
placing Whole-time health officers 1E
charge of health work. The results
in every instance have been invariably
the cutting in two, or more. the death
rates in those counties from contag-
ious and preventable diseases. 1t IS
with a good deal of pride that we can
point to the city of Asheyil1e, as be-
ing at the head of the list in point of
healthfulness. There is every reason
Why we can and should become not
only as healthful as our sister city to
the north, but natural conditions
should make us go her one. better.
Now, how can this be brought
about? How can we attain this great
benefit? 1t can be done by the estab-
lishment of an efficient County Board
OF Health, with whole-time, decent
lyepaid health officer and sanitary In
spector as it's executive officer, whose
business it will be to enforce the OBJ
servance of every modern health law.
looking toward the eradication of pre-
yentable disease. This is the pro-
gram-do the people of Henderson
county want it? 1t is something that
VIC must have, if we are to mainta'
a moral right to advertise ourselves
before the world as health resort.
'sTo the attainment of this end, there
have been held recently several meet
ings of the Board of Health, togethe..
with the commissioners of the town
ond county, but as there are number
OF obstacles to overcome and as the
matter of organization is rather a