The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1919-10-24

SUDDEN rush Oh Drains TO the nedO !
have said, thinking they expressed /
great thought, that if the leper col /
ony was established in Florida it |
would be called a leper state. Peo- ]
pie would have never have thought of
anything of the sort if it hadn't been
for the publicity given the matter.
Now, knowing that we have several
lepers in the state, and not knowing
where they are. our rivals will have
perfect right to apply the name.
Next to Gov. Cats in spreading this
information is our state health officer,
DR.. Greene He has written a letter
in reply to DR.. J. Y. Porter, our vet
eran old state health officer who has
proven himself hero as well as a
most efficient physician. Said letter
was printed in the Times-U Mon and
the Palm Beach Post, both with con-
siderable circulation outside the
state. Dr. Greene's letter is a curios-
ity. While ostensibly opposing the
leper colony, the following para
graphs are found in his letter:
upon assuming the duties of the
state health officer of Florida. the
writer became aware of the fact that
leprosy was prevalent in the state. /
do not believe that it is in keeping
with our high ideals to cause the leper
to be banished from the society of
everyone except his immediate fam
lily as is the case under the present
ruling of the state board of health.
1t appears to me that under this rul-
/ i
assuming custoday of lepers. If such
be the case it is without question
defective practice. 1t does not appear
TO me that the lepers can be properly
isolated under the present ruling of
tn state board of health. The lepers
are being kept from coming in con-
tact with the public at large in a de-
fective manner and are being forced
upon their relatives who may possibly
become cases of leprosy as the result
of intimate contact"
If the foregoing doesn't lead any
thoughtful person to feel that the
people of Florida are in much more
danger from lepers than if all those
so infected were in a well-cared for
and properly guarded national home,
what does it mean?
Further down you find the follow
ing:
"The state board of health of Flor
ida at the present time seems to be
without legal authority to establish a
state colony for lepers. A national
home will be the ideal"
If this isn't an argument for the
national home and an admission that
/ Florida can't care for it's lepers, what
! is it
! DR.. Greene thinks that if there is
leper colony in Florida, those al
ready in California and Louisiana will
/ be sent here. Isn't it rather unreas-
enable to think this? Is it likely that
the government would add to the
danger and expense by hauling lepers
from their already comfortable homes
third of the way and all the way
across the continent? Isn't it likely
that with a score of lepers in Florida
with population of a million, that
there are two thousand Or more in the
United States and that three homes
will be needed in the country?
! DR.. Green further says: at is quite
evident that California, if able to send
all of her lepers to Florida, may seize
the commercial advantage of advertis-
ing the fact that California is leper
free and that Florida is now 1eper
state"
We have watched news and current
literature quite closely and we never
heard either California or Louisiana
called leper state. If either of
them wants the name applied to Flor
ida, all it has to do is to print DIR.
Groene's letter in pamphlet form and
circulate it thruout the country. 1t
would rut the Injun sign on us sure.
DR.. Porter replied in Wednesdays
Times-Union to DIR. Greene, and he
literally took the skin off our health
officer, Using his own words as the
knife tc fay him with.
Gov. Cats, Joe Earman and DIR.
Greene have gone to Washington, to
keep the lepers out of the state. We
penses, and we think Cats should
have paid both his and DIR. Greene's.
We are going to find out. It's Cats
political trip. The only one of the
bunch who can influence the authori-
ties is Joe, who may get a chance to
take some of the statesmen and offic-
ials aside and tell 'em a few of his
inimitable stories. But Cats will use
the trip as political capital, all the
same.