The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1919-02-21
HEALTH TALKS.
By the County Health Officer

A man said to me the other day,
Have you any law to compel me to
build a fiy-proof privy"? | said
Yes, the Mississippi State Board of
Health passed an ordinance last year
to this effect, but the people of Mon
roe County want this protection any
way, and surely no one will have to
be forced by law, by Chancery order
to do this" He said ''Well they say
so and so about this intensive health
work" / said, Now let me tell you
my friend, you will remember what
THEY said about tick eradication.
You will remember what THEY said
about the stock law fence. You Will
remember what they say now about
good consolidated schools where chill
dren of the country could be well-ed-
ucated. Now please don't tell me
the State Board of Health has to say
What Uncle Sam has to say. For
Uncle Sam and the State Board of
Health think things over and try
them out before offering the same to
the public.
Education is one of the most i'm
portant factors in eradicating dis
eases, for the reason that their con
troll depends upon improvements in
the sanitary habits of the people, es-
pecially in the rural districts To
change the daily habits of half the
nation, or the rural population, is an
uplift that requires time and patience
But if this, or the next generation ex-
poets to get any benefits from the
change, we must begin now and use
little coercion, If necessary, in ex-
tremely unreasonable cases
wa live or,r liuec nd
not start any good roads, good
schools, better churches, or improve
sanitary conditions. What would our
descendants think of US when they
realized how neglectful of their in
terests they had been? We can be
stronger, healthier, happier and more
progressive, if we will. When you
ind fellow opposing a better health
inquire closely and see if
the trouble is in the fact that he was
asked to spend a very few dollars for
h's own convenience and protection,
or, like a physician in country com
munlty of this state, who opposed
the work, and confided in a business
associate that several of his chronic
cases of alaria and consumption had
been examined, treated, and cured
and that he always opposed anything
that hurt his business. So he would,
when asked about the work, give
rather knowing nod of his head (and
the wonder grew that his head could
hold all he knew change his quid of
tobacco to the other side, and spit
and say ''nothin' to it, or my ad-
vice is to let it it alone" or Il amt
saying nothing against the work.
but
| thank God that the good doctors
of Monroe County are doing all they
can to assist in this work. In one
respect the medical profession differs
from all others, in that it is the only
profession that is self-destructive
While we live by disease and sickness
of mankind, still / glory in the fact
that the medical profession is fore
most in attempting to combat dis
ease and prevent accidents If the
people would do all the things told
hem by the profession, they would
nave very little sickness indeed. But
we can hardly get our friends to take
Medicine and stay in bed long enough
20 make a safe recovery when the
ire sick, much less take our advice |
when they are perfectly well; yet we
'hould never weary of doing good
F. j. UNDERWOOD.