The farmer and mechanic., 1915-09-21
FOR SANITATION OF
RURAL COMMUNITIES
Dr. W. S. Rankin, Secretary of State Board Of Health
Explains Field, Methods and Cost

l)r. w. =. 1ldHklIl, secretary OF the /
North Carolina State Board of Health
eyplained the field, the methods, and |
the cost of rural sanitation, a feature
of public health work recently under
taken in this State.
Embracing fully eighty-five per |
cent of the population Of the State !
aud ninety-nine per cent of her area !
thls is a matter of vast Importance to |
North Carolina. In DR.. Rankin's !
opinion. rural sanitation is an entirely |
different proposition from urban sani-
tation and must be treated as such |
The States position is to initiate and
to plan but il is left to the individual
counties to execute and to take care of
themselves.
Dr Rankin's address is here given:
The word sanitation refers to civic
life the term sanitation refers to
rural civic life; the constituted and
the common organ through which
rural civic life finds expression is the
county government: therefore, we NAV
define rural sanitation as the admin MIS-
trstion of sanitary measures by. or
better through, the county govern
ment. Rural sanitation finds it's par
allcl in urban sanitation and county
sanitation it's parallel in municipal
sanitation
The field of rural sanitation in
Of the area and more than half of
the population Of the United States.
Rural s~-- itation should be initiated
by the State but executed through
the rural civic machinery, the county
government. The State should initiate
because the State is the only existing
force that can initiate rural or county
health work. The county government
must carry on the rural sanitation ini-
he a %
First, should the States undertake to
execute, as well as initiate. rural san
ltarY measures, all of the States. with
u few exceptions. would soon realize
that their undertaking was far beyond
their means. Second. no one, or no
agency. should do for others what
they can do for themselves as such
practice leads toward dependence and
Indifference and away from independ-
ence and appreciation. The people are
able. when properly shown. to care
for themselves. and it is better fo1
them TO do this than to have it done
fer them.
The independence of the county a.
governmental unit demands pla
of rural health work that will permi
the more progressive counties to e
forward. liherating such counties from
the possible retarding influences of tn
backward countieS-in short, a plal
that permits of leadership amon
counties.
The multiplicity Of rural govern
ments is a great rural sanitary asset
affording a corresponding multiple
ity of opportunity. There are 295
county governments in the Unite
States, an average of &c to the State
The county governments of the aver
age state hold over a thousand meet
inEs a year at practically all of thes
meetings the States representative
are welcome and can get a hearing
II the State health officer has a rea
sonable proposition. with good argI
ment behind it and not too big
budget in front of it he can infll
FDce the county to take one, two.
three steps toward cleaner civic lif
Every meeting of the county govern
ment is "A challenge to the State d.
partment of Health to show the coul
~ its sanitary needs and how to me
them.
Rural sanitation must be developt
on smaller budget than the budg
for urban sanitation. The country
poor. What the exact difference b
tween the urban and rural per capI
wealth ia in the nited States. no ol
knows but we do know that rural p
"apita wealth is much less than Il
urban per capita wealth.
The influence of epidemicity
weaker in rural than in urban Iii
and rural quarantine measures na
not he as rigid as urban ouarant
measures. This statement Of a prln'
pie will pass without discussion.
Rural sanitation will be influeDc
hV the individualiSm of the coun
The ruralte Ga term more eXpressl
than orthodox is individualistic: t
urbanite is communiStic. The errt
of individualism are best treated
education; the errors of communl:
are best treated by legislatio thel
fore, sanitary education is RELATIVE
more important in rural sanitati
than i'm urban sanitation. while the
verse is true for sanitary Legislation
Methods.
There are two methods or ways
winch "A county may have Saniti
measures carried out: First. the COZ