The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1915-04-20
CONTEST AGAINST
MEDICAL SYSTEM
ONLY BEGINNING
Walker County Only County
in State Where Health Of
flee is Properly Handled
DIR. MAJORS TALKS
ON PRESENT FIGHT
DIR. McLester Says 1t Is Mistake to
Suppose jefferson County Is
Simply Working for
Control

fSOntTOl
DIR. Frank Majors yesterday declared
that the fight against the self-per-
petuating board of councillors of tho
Alabama Medical association would
hut begin at the meeting of the as
sociation this week. He said it was
a foregone conclusion that the resolu-
ton for the adjustment of the col
lege of counsellors would be referred
to the board of censors and there
smothered, but that 1t would be car
ried to the floor of the legislative halls
Of Alabama and there fought until
some decisive action was taken.
DR. Majors characterized the self
nerpetuating college OF counsellors IS
unweildy and a haphazard and inef-
ficient manner of conducting the states
public health office. He said the state
of Alabama was the laughing stock
of the nation because of it's crude
methods of electing it's health officer
and of the lack of a proper method of
keeping record of vital statistics
Walker County Stands Alone
DR.. Majors said the county of Wal
lSer was the only one in the state the
health office OF which was properly
handled. The health officer of Walker
county is a graduate of a school for
and in the properties of communicable
diseases. Alabama has no health Off
Ger qualified for this work now and
will not have so long as the election
of such is vested in the college of
counsellors. he says.
"There are two serious objections 1
have to the present system" said DR..
Majors to an Age Herald reporter yes
terday. "One is the self perpetuating
directorate. These counsellors have alb
solute control of all the business CT
the association. The membership other
than the college of counsellors Is
robbed of any voice in the proceedings.
The consequence is that instead OF
having a modern public health system
which is really what all the scientific
members of the organization are in
terested in, we have got an old. UNI
weildly, archaic thing that is the
laughing stock of medical men
throughout the nation. Alabama is one
of the few states that does not have
proper vital statistic records The hap
hazard and Indifferent way in which
these statistics are turned in and kept
makes them practically yalueless. Just
as long as the medical association is
controlled by the self-perpetuating
body this condition VIII obtain.
Should Be Especially Trained
1.-THE feeling among scientific ply
sicians all over the world is that the
health officer of the state and health
officers of the counties in the state
should be men especially trained in
sanitation. The University of Chicago
and Harvard have departments devoted
exclusively to such work and degrees
are given when the required standard
of efficiency is attained My own opin-
ion is that no health officer should
be in charge of the state or county
offices who has not received from some
institution of the first rank degree
of doctor of public health.
st believe that the state legislature at
the adjourned session could not pass
more valuable and beneficial act than
the abolition of our present system and
take out of the hands of the Alabama
Medical association the power of electing
the states officer of public health, and
of the control of this department.
"I have no personal feeling in the fight
against DR.. Sanders, because I feel sure
that when the people of Alabama thor
oughly understand what he stands for 1t
will be impossible for him and his
carefully selected coterie of life COUNSEL
lors to further stay the trend of modern
scientific sanitation.
IAN instance of the value of an espe-
cially trained public health officer Is
found in Walker county, which has EN-
ployed a graduate of one of the larger
universities man with the degree OF
I. fa 40 q
done wonderful work in Walker county
He has Travelled every portion of the
county, showing the people how to avoid
communicable diseases and how to ward
off diseases of any kind by the proper
ventilation, proper drainage. ETC. The
state of Alabama needs such man
at the head of her health department.
A man trained for the purpose of keeping
the states health above par
May Lose the Fight
DR.. Majors said that 1t was possible
the fight on the floor of the legislature
would be a losing one, for there were many
physicians in the legislature who were
In favor of the present system. Then,
too, he said, it would be hot in July
and the lawmakers would not be disposed
to listen to the arguments of the con-
tenders
The fight that is to be precipitated
Wednesday in the sessions-of the Ala
bama Medical association has been
brought up every year for IL years past.
The resolution that has been framed has
with clock-like regularity been referred
to the board of censOrs. composed or 10
men (life counsellors'D, who, among
themselves, reject the resolution. The
membership of the association. other than
the college of counsellors is not consulted
in the matter, and. in fact, not even
notified that the action has taken place.
The membership of the association. other
than the college of counsellors, are not
permitted to address the meetings on any
subject other than that of a scientific
nature, the topic of which is assigned
them. The present fight is but a continu-
alton of a decade-long fight for recogni-
ton on the part of those members who
are not members of the college of coun-
sellors.
DIR. McLester's Views
DR.. j. S. McLester says the efforts 10
introduce changes in the workings OF the
association are not with the view of CIV
ing Birmingham control Of its sessions
as some seem to think. He says Bir-
mingham wants and is entitled to larger
voice in the medical affairs of the state,
but believes this to be of lesser consid-
Grafton than the abolition of the college of
counsellors. An interview given to an
Age Herald reporter follows:
ut has frequently been said that all
efforts to introduce changes In our State
Medical association have In view but one
object--that Of giving Birmingham con-
troll. Nothing am sure could be further
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