The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-03-23

CTS of large numbers of men, women and children.
 No city has yet been designated as meeting place, but in all probability 1t will be in Alabama or Georgia. CANTONMENTS WERE AN AID Medical and sanitary experts in Wash ington Told that placing the military can comments in the south did more for health conditions of civilians residing in the vicinity of the camps than any move of the federal or state authorities in years.
 l. A. Leprince. senior sanitary engineer of the public health service, made his re- port this week of survey of health con- ditions at and near the cantonments. lie says:
 Many prominent local physicians have informed me that there has been a remarkable reduction in the malaria sick rate of the civil population in ana near their cantonment towns. This demonstration work. distributed over a wide area, has protected a civil population of about 1.75o.0o0. an average, constantly changing military and naval population of 8O0,0O0 and should lead to A better and more extended general cam paign." N He mentioned in his report drainage and mosquito control work done at Shef- field, Tuscumbia, Florence, Anniston and Mont gomery.
 Mr. Leprince praises the south and It's local authorities for cooperating with federal officers in mosquito control work and compares this support with the fall ure of New York to lend assistance with public health service officers 'The support given by the public or the south,' he says, 'and the officials who represent them, even in relatively sparsely settled districts, and results accomplished there stand out in strong contrast with conditions yet existing in the environment of some of the New York camps, where beyond the military cantonment lines no mosquito controi measures were inaugurated. Many sentries on night duty at our southern camps have told me they very seldom noticed mosquitoes there. Among other benefits that the war has | brought is a tremendous advance in gen. eral sanltati in many southern towns and an equally important one in Anopeies and malaria control,' says MT. leprince
 He points out that in certain instances
 where the town officials were under the
 impression that the expense of mos
 quito drainage campaign would be be-
 yond their financial ability, they were
 astounded to discover that the annual
 cost of screening houses and screen re-
 pairs greatly exceeded the cost of mos
 quito elimination.
 The president of large association Of
 cotton mill interests in the south has
 stated that the elimination of mosquitoes
 near the mill properties mas paid higher
 return on the money expended than any
 other investment the corporation has ever
 made.
 NOW IS TIME TO START
 Right now is tho time to undertake
 preventive measures The breeding season
 begins late in March CT early in April in
 Montgomery, and about a week or two
 later 1t extends as far north as Newport
 News, Va.
 The federal health authorities are not privileged to initiate health campaigns in the states, but stand ready to cooperate with state and local officials. Their next monthly report will carry this announce ment:
 .The United States public health serv- ice will be glad to assist local communs- ties desiring to engage in anti-mosquito activities. If desired, an experienceo sanitary engineer officer will be de- | tailed to advise such communities as to 1 the most practicable measures to be un- dertaken, and to cooperate in supervis- ] ing the activities carried on. Requests 1 for such assistance should be made through the state health officer" The public health service offers three measures to combat the malaria mos quito:
 Destroy shelters and breeding places of malaria mosquitoes. Cut down weeds and brush near the house, ditches and pools Drain or fill pools and marshes wherever possible Keep the rain barrels covered. Empty horse troughs every 10 days and fill with fresh water. Screen your house and use mosquito bars.
 Take plenty of quinine and don't take patent medicines.
 Then write to the public health service at Washington for publications relating