The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-07-07
Urges Health Management Be
 Turned Back 10 People of Stdte
Parke Claims Present System Alabama Oigarchca and Anti quated and That Medical Have Failed Measure Up Their Obligations Alabama System Is Held Up to
 Contempt and RidicuIe By Medical Authorities

(Paper read before Jefferson County
 Medical society-the county board of
 health-at a regular meeting July ],
 1s1S)
 MT. President and Fellow Members of the Jefferson County Medical Society: All of you will recall that when Pres ident Wilson revived custom that had been permitted to lie unused for g. number of decades, to-wit: address ing the Congress in person rather than through the medium of a written or printed message, we citizens soon rec egnized that he was within his consti- tutional prerogatives
 In presenting a paper to this societY onsa nonmedica1 subject I feel that it IS but due me, and you. that attention should be called to the patent fact that the reading and the discussion of professional medical and surgical pa pers is but one part of our functions True it is that we are banded togeth CT for theadiscussion of scientific, med ical and surgical subjects, but equally true 1t is that we have assumed obli- cations to the people of this county and state in the matter, and the very important matter, of conserving and supervising the public health affairs or this people, and this involves leader SHip III health ana sanitation.
 Any of you who are fond of ancient literature can find Illuminating dis cussions in the state association trans- actions of the seventies and eighties. by the Moses of our people, Dr. Jerome Cochran, calling attention, gain and again. to the fact that the discussion Of the public health affairs of this peo- pie should occupy an equal share of the time and thought of our association TIT TO Nrr1 Il. ment, he fully appreciated that his fol- lowers had assumed great obligations to the people of Alabama and like ms predecessor of ancient days, he was solicitous for the observance of assumed obligations. He knew and ap-- preciated that the organized doctors had assumed the great task of super vlsins-free of cost to the people the collection of vital statistics and the supervision of public health mat ters He was wont to appeal to the altrulsm and public spirit of his hier- arehy-to measure up to the obliga- tlons assumed. He made it plain that the welfare of the people was the ob- 9ectlve sought, not the advantage of one class of citizens-organized doe tors
 CANNOT MEET Obligations
 Fellow members time brings it's
 
 brought by time in our affairs is that the doctors of Alabama cannot make good the obligations then assumed. We do not collect vital statistics We elect and choose salaried officials to be paid by the people. to do this essential work of the government We are re- sponslole to no one for this large grant or power In Jefferson county it is left to some 300 citizens to elect. to control and supervise the whole per sonnel of the municipal and county health systems for about 100000 citi- zens who must alone pay the bills. This class or 300 citizens composing the membership of this society, is a priv neged, highly privileged class This privileged class can legislate, as hap pened a few meetings ago. for tht. 30000O
 The lawyers among us are greater in number, but no such power is granted them as class. They are not permitted to elect judges and sheriffs and con stables-all the personnel of the iudicial arm of the government
 The teachers constitute another numer ous and important class of our citizens privilege to elect the school teachers and control the schools of the state.
 Let us appreciate that we are a privil- eHed class and restricting class. Our class does not even embrace the doc tors of the county. It only embraces the doctors who are members of this so- ciety and board of health Let US not Forget another special and unusual priv ilege. We can and do keep out of the special and unusual privileges we en- joy any and all doctors who do not seem to us to meet our self-imposed requirements.
 Three adverse votes will ana oo ex- clude applicants from the enjoyment of these great privileges conferred by the people of Alabama. The applicant may have passed all the obstacles offered by theS examining and licensing board of the state-as to moral and professional to enter on the enjoyment of the privileges prepared for him he must first pass the special require ments of our county societies. Any three members can exclude the applicant by casting adverse secret votes and hence are not even required to state their req Sons
 In order that we may take stock of as component p.rts of this board of health, let us review some more recent history.
 Two years ago, as result of an epi- demic Of typhoid fever, this board of health adopted apparently without op- position, a programme for unified health system for the county and its municipalities. The propaganda carried on by this board and by the different and civic bodies created public sentiment favorable to policy of health protection for the people of the county. Opposition, based on selfish in- terests and based on the inevitable and inherent hostility of provincialism to progress in all lines-because involving change from what the provinces afforded in youth-brought stagnation and nega- ton to a promising programme of re- form and progress
 Right here I would call attention to and given no special privileges, carried forward to success a campaign. for in- crease of the tax rate for school pur- poses.
 BOARD HAS NOT PROTESTED
 Since last August-10 months ago when the first all-time health officer of Jefferson county was recalled to the service of the government in order that his valuable capacity for service might not be wasted in opposing Jefferson. l fail to recall where this board of health has protested and striven ana tried for the installation of the plan it had adopted with so much enthusiasm. The teachers of the county had to over come inertia. They had to overcome the same character of opinion that now ob- structs health progress. They had to create enthusiasm for better things. They had even to ask people to tax themselves, to pay additional money