Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-04-14
Health Laws.

II would be an ignorant and narrow
minded man indeed who would OBJECT
to reasonable and proper health regu-
lations, or who would withhold his as
sistance in the enforcement OF the
same.
South Carolina has such regulations,
but they are not properly enforced ana
we are inclined to the opinion that they
wilt not be enforced lirril there' mas
been considerably more educational
work along much broader lines than
have been followed heretofore, or are
being followed now.
The health rules and regulations
have been framed by the state board
of health in the light Of all existing
wisdom as to the best means OF pre-
venting and handling disease, and so
far as we know there is not a single
regulation that lacks the backing OF
good sound sense, especially as to the
object sought.
But in a number of cases the regula-
tions are impracticable from the
standpoint of enforcement for the rea-
son that they assume too much arbi-
trary authority on the part of the en-
forcing officer, with too, little regard
to what the average citizen considers
his fundamental rights.
For instance, as speaking by the
book, Dr. Hayden of the state board or
health, was right the other day when
he told DR.. Hunter, "You have more
power than a king" but he seemed to
have lost sight of the fact that in this
country, kings no longer have any
power. i
There is nothing the matter with the
principle of compulsory vaccination, or
the law that requires every child to be
vaccinated during its first, sixth and
fifteenth year, with it's parents liable to
punishment in case Of neglect; but
with so much law to begin with it
seems just a little unreasonable to put
a penalty on teachers and trustees for
without being able to show vaccina-
ton scar. If the law had been enforc-
ed in the family the question could not
have come up in school, and if nothing
has been done by way of enforcement
in the family, why should the trustees
and teachers be held criminally re-
sponsible?
There is not medical man in the
world who will claim that he knows
positively how influenza is communi-
Gated, whether by contact, by floating
germs or spontaneously developing
conditions in the system, and this be-
ing true, is there little wonder that
there should be feeling at an arbitrary
order for the closing Of a picture show
or even church on account of influ-
enza? 1t might be different, of course,
in the case of whooping cough, mea-
sles, mumps or other disease about the
contagion of which there Is less doubt.
The principle criticism of the board
of health is not so much as to its dog
ma as to how best to preserve the
health of the people as to its methods
of procedure-its inclination to assume
authority without responsibility, and
to undertake the carrying out of its
ends in disregard Of due process of
law.
That the doctors should be upheld in
their efforts to preserve the public !
health there is no question; but there
are involved in these rules and regula- |
tions some exceedingly delicate ques-
tions of constitutional liberty, and it |
should be remembered that in the final
show down before the courts the rights
of the Individual will take precedence |
oyer the power of a king"