The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-06-29
COOPERATION WILL PROVE SOLUTION OF TYPHOID SITUATION Ten Extra Police Officers Are Now Aiding In
 Sanitary Work IDR. CUNNINGHAM
 GIVES HIS VIEWS Dr. Jordan Thinks Undue Alarm
 Has Been Caused But Urges Need for Greatest Care

With 10 police officers actively at work in cooperation with the regular force of sanitary inspectors Commissioner John R. Hornady of the department of health
 and education stated yesterday that the typhoid situation was being kept well in hand. and with further cooperation on the part of the general public in re-
 moving filth the threatened epidemic could be held down to the normal num- Der of cases.
 "Of course, there will always be a cer- tain amount of typhoid fever among us, said Commissioner Hornady, especially in the summer months; but 68 cases for
 the month of June is an abnormal num- Der and it is due entirely to filth and
 the indifference of the public to the sani- tary laws of the city.
 q have now 10 police officers working
 with the regular force of sanitary in- spectors and we are making every effort l to get rid of the dry closest evil. But l with the continued opposition of property owners and the ignorance of a certain element to the dangers of the situation the work is hard and thankless. The question of saving human lives in sub- ordinated to the fact that the putting in of sanitary plumbing will cost the property owner or the lessee few dol | lars"
 Various merchants and business men advanced the thought yesterday that it 1 was very improper move on the part of Commissioner Hornady to make pub | lie the deplorable condition of health in | Birmingham through the newspapers. It 1 was pointed out that these newspapers will be read widely and it will deter people from coming to the city.
 TREATING THE HARVEST Among the medical profession all the
 members interviewed stated that typhoid | was due to bad sanitation. Some stated that the situation was not particularly worse than at previous warm seasons in | other years, while former City Health | Officer pr. R. M. Cunningham said: We are reaping the harvest we sowed. ' pr. Cunningham was especially emphat- l ic about the continued indifference of l the Birmingham public to the health laws 1 of the city. He also stated that 1t was
 very difficult for any administration to | enforce the sanitary laws to the letter,
 owing to the politics of the situation. | What do you think of the typhoid | epidemic?" Drs Cunningham was asked yesterday afternoon:
 l 'I think that the Birmingham people
 are reaping the harvest that they sowed I and you can quote me on that The pres | ent 6S cases of typhoid fever this month are the result of continued and criminal | indifference on the part of the general public to the health regulations of the 1 city government It Is also due to the | lack of firmness on the part of the city government in not enforcing despite the
 protest of the public the sanitary laws as
 regards dry closets and flies.
 l "But with an administration that owes l it's existence to the vagaries of politics | it is embarrassing to enforce the law to | the letter, especially if any great body of 1 citizens make emphatic protests against the regulations. Some will come with a sad story, others with what they have done for you in the past and all of this l wears the firmness of an official down | especially in health matters which are never considered vital until an empidemic is amongst us, and even then the danger lis belittled However, Commissioner Hornady has tried with might and main to enforce the sanitary laws but he will admit himself that with the opposition and indifference of the public he has found it very hard sledding.
 And SO I say the present typhoid sit uation is just what we can reasonably expect. If we will not remove our dry closets and our filth we can expect noth- ing else but disease. What we especially need is little social awakening."
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