The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-12-30
Public Health System Hospital
 For Contagious Diseases Proposed

Dr. J. D. Bowling, county health or ficer, has written letter to The Age Herald anent the public health sys- tenn and hospital for contagiou dis eases in Jefferson county. The letter, l which is elf-explanatory. follows: To the Editor of The Age-Herald: There has been much agitation and discussion of late in regard to hos pital for contagious diseases in con nection with the public health system and it is thought the following state 1 ment may assist the public to correct understanding of the situation:
 Prevention and control of contagious diseases are two of the most impor- tant functions of public health or l ganization, and are matters for the serious concern of both public health officials and the people as a whole. Wherever such diseases are unusually 1 prevalent it is Logical to assume that
 measures for their prevention and control are either defective or not ade- quately applied and enforced. Grant | ing that certain methods known to be | efficient and effective are part of our l - 1 such preventive measures will be in- | fluenced by two important factorss l First, an adequate public health or ganization in possession of the proper machinery, such as convenient places l for isolation of infected individuals and quarantine of those exposed and proper | laws regulating the same. Second, the 1 uniform cooperation of the people and 1 a willingness to submit to temporary 1 restriction of liberty necessarily i'm : posed by compliance with regulations i designed for their protection.
 l Responsibility for the enforcement l and supervision of regulations and measures for the protection of the pub l lie health having been reposed in the 1 public health organization by law, ana l it's officials fully conscious of their responsibility and obligation to the people, implies an obligation on the part of the people to provide the pub | lie health system with the necessary machinery and sinews of war with l which to wage it's fight and discharge l it's obligation.
 NO PROVISION MADE 1 I betray no scret in stating that in 1 Birmingham and Jefferson county no l permanent provision has so far been 1 made for the control and care of con ] tagious diseases on scale anything 1 like in proportion to the needs of the community and in keeping with it's dignity and commercial and industrial l importance, although in most other l communities of equal importance such places are included in the develop l ment of their public hospital facili- I ties. This statement is in no way prompted by spirit of criticism, put i, rather to emphasize the problems and e., erning and appropriating bodies m ! keeping the development of public ! utilities abreast with the rapid growth and commercial and industrial develop ment of this district Many thSngs ] that yesterday were thought perma- i nent and ample for a generation arc 1 but makeshifts today owing to the rapid strides in growth and develop l ment.
 ] Two successive grand juries have moulded in their deliberations the con i sideration of the so-caled pest house 1 operated jointly by the city Of Bir-
 mingham and Jefferson county and It's status in connection with the public health system. This place, as is well
 known, has been used for many years 1 for the detention and isolation of per sons infected with smallpox, and in former times has often been taxed to | its utmost capacity to care for the number of cases offered for admis- sion Of late years. with few excep- tions, the incidence of smallpox in | this district has been remarkably diminished.
 | 800 CASES SMALLPOX
 l In 1914 there occurred in the city ! of Birmingham and Jefferson county some 500 cases, a large proportion of (which were cared for at the pest house
 and in this way many other cases were