The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1915-02-09
DIR, APPLEWTHITE OF THE STATE
BOARD OF HEALTH is HERE
MAKING PLANS.
FREE LECTURES WILL Be GIVEN

Smaller Per Gent OF 1nIecIOh HI AcE~
rel Than Almost ANY Other Coun-
ty, Instructions Also on Typhoid
Fever, Malaria and Tuberculosis.
Under the direction of the Georgia
State Board of Health and the Ter
rell county board of health we intend
to begin next Monday, Feb. 8th, an
active campaign in Terrell county for
the improvement of general health
conditions and the eradication of
very common disease, known as hook
worm disease. We hope to visit prac-
tically all of the schools in the coun-
ty, and will hold dispensaries at diff
ferent points, where the people may
receive free examination and free
treatment for hookworm disease.
We have been sent here with or
ders to make thorough tour of the
country, noting especially the SAM
tary conditions of public buildings,
and to give lectures on such diseases
as typhoid fever, tuberculosis, mala-
ria and hookworm disease. Especial
stress will be placed upon the meas
ures to be adopted to prevent the
spread of these diseases.
The need of such campaign be-
comes very evident when we realize
how little the average person knows
about preventive medicine. The
aforementioned diseases exact an aw-
full toll of the human family. Many
lives are each year needlessly sacri-
feed upon the affairs of these mala-
dies Many of these deaths could have
been prevented and would have been
averted if everybody had done their
duty. However, we think that this
failure in the performance of duty
was due more to lack of information
on the part of the general public of
the fundamental principles of pre-
Ventive medicine. For merlcal
thought is clothed in such obstruse
language that the ordinary person
cannot grasp it's full meaning. In
our lectures we shall strive to discuss
these subjects in language so simple
that even child can understand.
We shall concentrate our forces
against hookworm disease. No doubt
the percentage of infection is not so
high in Terrell county as it is in 9TH
ers, yet from statistics we find that
1873 per cent of the rural school chill
dren are suffering with the malady.
Unless some steps are taken to eradi-
cate the disease and to prevent its
spread it is but a question of time
until the county will become as high
ly infected as other counties in the
Southern part of the state. So it be-
hOoves us as intelligent and patriotic
citizens to become thoroughly ac-
quainted with the mode of transmits
sion and the methods of prevention
of this disease and to institute some
measures at our homes and schools
that will prevent it's spread.
We sincerely trust that we may
have the hearty cooperation of the
people in this work. Without your
assistance our efforts will be futile.
We especially urge parents to see to
it that your children are examined
for this disease. If they have not the
disease no harm has been done them,
and you have the consolation of
knowing that they are not infected.
If they have the disease you should
know it end have them cured, for
this disease works greater havoc up
on the growing child than it does up
on the adult. Parents who fail to avail
themselves of this opportunity to rid,
without cost, their children of this
disease are not discharging their pa
rental duty to their offspring, for the
children cannot realize what direful
results may be brought upon them
by neglecting this disease. Time once
was when the ancients would sacrifice
the blood of their children upon the
altar of unknown gods. Today many
parents are sacrificing the very life's