The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1916-08-11
BUREAU FOR FREE
VACCINATION TO Be
CLOSED SATURDAY
City Has Given Treatment to
$4,000 Persons During
Past Six Weeks
SERIOUS CRISES HAVE
CONFRONTED CITY
Bond Interest Decision, Typhoid Epi-
demic and Heavy Rainfalls Have
Kept Commissioners on the
BY RICHARD f. LUssIER

With it's usual fluctuation the typhoid
situation went high yesterday, when six
additional cases were reported after two
days had passed with only four cases to
add to the stupendous number of typhoid
Patients in t::e citS at the prcsen. time.
City Health officer Dr. Cecil D. Cas-
ton stated that the report of six cases
yesterday was not considered unusual for
this time of the year, but that from now
on the average would probably be lower
than that figure daily.
Conditions are slowly becoming nor
NAL" said DIR. CASTOR land while we
must expect scores of typhoid cases
within the next month or two the aver
age will be less than five per day. The
death rate will remain about the same,
being per cent of all cases.
There is only one thing to do at the
present time and that is to clean up.
Commissioner John r. Hornady all the
cooperation they can in his efforts to
eradicate the dry closet. Get rid of the
dry closets and the work of mastering
typhoid in Birmingham is two-thirds
completed.
TO CLOSE BUREAU
President of the City Commission
George B. Ward announced yesterday
that on Saturday the free bureau for vac
cination against typhoid fever would, in
all probability, be closed
There are so few PERSONS said Pres
ident Ward, who seem to care to be
vaccinated to protect themselves against
a dangerous infectious disease at the
present time that the city commission is
constrained from lack of funds to close
the free bureau within the next few
days. If the public would respond to the
efforts of the city commission to help
them in the protection of their health by
coming to the city hall and getting vac
cinated the added financial burden on the
treasury would not be considered. But
we cannot afford to keep a free vaccina-
ton bureau open any longer with only IL
to Is persons applying for the preventive
trea tment daily
Therefore, all of those who want to be
northumberland that should be all per-
should visit the city hall before Saturday
night, as undoubtedly the free bureau
will be closed permanently at that time. -
The statement that the city would close
the free vaccination bureau had been ex-
pected for the past 10 days as the public
has recently shown marked lack of in
tereSt.
$4,000 VACCINATED
In all it is estimate that in the six
weeks the free vaccination bureau has
been in operation something like 25,00(
persons have been vaccinated. This is
considered a number far below what was
expected when the bureau was opened
1t was estimated that in the midst OF
an epidemic, and owing to the charges
of doctors, that a free vaccination bu-
reau would meet a popular demand and
that at least 100000 persons would take
advantage of the offer That 600 were
not vaccinated is not considered the
fault of the city commission, as each
me mber of the board, to encourage the
public, was vaccinated himself and all
urged through the newspapers that the
people of the city be vaccinated. Incl
dentally, the free vaccination bureau has
cost the city something like $4,000 dur
ing it's existence. which is a tremendous
item in the present chaotic financial con-
dition of the city of Birmingham.
1t should not be fogotten that the cit,
commission has been ION the job dur
ing the health crisis of the past six
weeks. Every health recommendation
made by experts and presented to the
board by Commissioner Hornady has beer
accepted and made into law. Nothine
has been overlooked to render the city
a healthy place in which to live. And
all of this was done while Birmingham
was being attacked at it's most vulner.
able point-its finances and also passing
through the most disastrou rains in its
history
EPIDEMIC BREAKS OUT
In fact no sooner had the city its
bond interest case in the courts than
the typhoid epidemic broke out. With
in a week there were $50 cases of ty-
phoid fever and the city was in the
midst of epidemic. Then the rains
came. 1t rained continuously for -four
days and nights, entailing an inestima-
BILE loss to the city streets and sewer
systems. After that 1t rained daily, not
continuously, but an hour or two every
day. 1t is still raining almost every
day.
But the bond interest decision, the
typhoid epidemic and the rains held nc
terrors for the city commission They
were not cutters. President George B.
Ward undertook to take care of the
finances and to keep the city financial
ly sound while the other members OF
the board were to do the balance of the
work necessary.
Commissioner of Health and Educa
ton John r. Hornady during the ty-
phoid epidemic demonstrated his abil-