The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-07-11

of the general appropriation of S25, ,00t
 made for all of the purposes and activi- I ties of the board of health. Inquiry made of the various state health officers deyel-
 opel the following information:
 Annual special appropriation or other
 wise made available for collecting vita statistics:
 Alabama-Specal appropriation. none
 amount paid out of general fund, $6000
 death rate, 1914, 10.9
 Arkansas-Special appropriation, s12o0
 amount paid out of general fund, none;
 death rate. 1914. none available. Florida-Special appropriation, none
 amount paid out of general fund, no law
 for collection; death rate 1914, none avail
 able.
 1 Georgia-Death rate 1914, none available.
 Kentueky-Special appropriation, $S00O | death rate 1914, 12.S.
 l Lousana-Death rate 1914 none avail l able.
 North Carolina-Special appropriation | $17 GOO; death rate 1914, 124. l Texas-Special appropriation, S300O;
 death rate 1914 5.9.
 | Tennessee-Death rate 1914 1403. 1 Virginia-Special appropriation, SS5 000
 death rate 1914, 13.9.
 l Mississippi-Death rate 1914 none avail able.
 | Of the southern states only three are in l the registration area for deaths G910, | namely Kentucky, North Carolina and Virginia, in fact only 24 states in the l union are included in the registration area 1 for deaths. And it is charged by the ob- 1 jectors that Alabama has done nothing. I Any one who desires to know the truth 1 and is interested, and surely all doctors 1 and legislators are interested, should read | the last report of the state board of health and the reports which have ap- naa rad in, frara o1fia nf ha Sfat a Medical association from year to year. Fight on Yellow Fever The state health officer recently re- veiewing some of the work and activities of the state board cited, as evidencing it's efficiency. the fact that yellow fever has been kept out of the state since 1897, and briefly rehearsed the experience in d fight against that disease in 1905. l know that this statement was sneered at by many who are seeking to overturn our system of public health. who said, ''The same old story. yellow fever, what interest have we in yellow fever; it is the privy we are after Who did that work? Who eff fected what seemed to many people the impossible? How it was done and how it was made possible does not signify to these pen. The fact that a disease was kept out of the borders of the state and the means by which it was done, prevent ing epidemic of disease, which meant so much to commerce and the happiness of the people, ought to appeal to the cti- zens of the state great work and evil dence of efficiency of the agency by which it was accomplished. Having been actively concerned in this work I feel that, knowing the facts, I am competent to testify that 1t was effected by the ac- tivity of the health authorities as consti- tuted by law. and that its success was made possible only by reason of the splen- did organization of the public health sys- tenn, which 1t Is now proposed to destroy. Within an hours time under the present system, the most complete and scientific quarantine can be established, which can not be done by any of the systems prevail ing elsewhere. At that time did any of the infected states succeed as did Ala bama? And why not? 1t was not be- cause of inefficiency of the state health officers, but because of inadequate sys- tems, the kind of systems obtaining in those states are of the kind that our pres ent opponents are advising that Alabama should adopt.
 During the past two years at least three outbreaks of epidemic cerebro- spinal men, ingitis have been suppressed in the state in which the success of the activity of the board testified to the efficiency of the system.
 
 fighting for all time county health officers for all counties for some years It has been successful in two counties, namely, Walker and Tuscaloosa. It was recently proclaimed with much gusto and triumph by one of the most active would-be de- stroyers of the present system that there were only two counties in the state that were doing the right kind of work, one of which, Walker, was doing banner work, the other was Tuscal loosa Were the policies of the board adopted every county would have its all-time health officer and the work of Walker county repeated in each one.
 Keeping Up Hookworm Campaign
 Does not the work of the laboratory, the Pasteur institute, the sanitary en- gneer, testify to invaluable service in the prevention of disease and conservation of the public health in Alabama? Not that the Rockefeller Foun- dation has withdrawn from the state, the state board is keeping up the hook worm campaign. Further proof of the work and activity of the board might be cited I have given but very few ex- amples of the work and activity of the board. and those cited are intended to indicate the character Of some or the work. Because I have left unsaid much that the board has accomplished will not justify the conclusion that I have at- tempted to show all that has been done l When all is considered, compare the amount of money which has been avail ! able to the board and the money avail l able to other state boards of health op- nrating other systems and you will ind | everything in favor of the system of