The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1922-04-20
THURSDAY, APRIL 20. 1922
WE NEED A CLEANING UP.

WE NEED A CLEANlNG Of.
Ladies and gentlemen, you've got
q pretty little town, but you've got
a very filthy little town, so filthy
that l am not going to tell you just
Row low you register as measured
by the sanitary laws of this state
and nation" This is the scathing
indictment passed upon the officials
and citizens of Kingstree here last
Friday by DR.. Hayden, of the South
Carolina health department. after he
had looked over the town in an eff
fort to locate the cause Of an cpl
Genic of typhoid fever, prevalent here
since the first of the present year.
DR.. Hayden went further and told
US that we were guilty of criminal
negligence, inasmuch as we maintain
ed no active board of health and
had practically ignored all Of the
rules and laws of the state and fed
eral health departments.
DR.. Hayden was sent to Kingstree
in response to request sent the
state department of health for an
expert to come here and investigate
the sanitary conditions of our town
and determine if possible, the cause
of the eight or ten cases of typhoid
fever tlat has occurred since the be-
ginning of the year 1922. He arriv-
ed here Thursday night, just in time
to witness an operation, performed as
a last r2sort upon one of our citizens
stricken with the disease. The man
died few hours after the operation.
The ravages of the disease had been
too great end tco rapid for medical
or surgical skill. Thanks to a benev-
olent providence that there have been
no other cases Of such asmalignant
nature. But as DR.. Hayden pointed
cut, any one of US is iGble to just
such An attack so long rs we permit
the present filthy, unsanitary condi-
tioas to exist in cur midst, conditions
that are as bad if not worse than
they were at any time prior to the
installation of a public water and
sewerage system, about ten years
age.
The health department expert was
not slow IN reaching conclusion as
to the cause of the prevalence Of
typhoid fever. He pronounced it due
to the open closets that infest the
town from center to circumference.
These being permitted in violation
Of ordinances that should have been
enforced years ago, but were neglect
ed simply because it did not suit
some individuals, owners Of premises,
to install a sanitary closet or because
the old method was good enough for
him and could be maintained at a
nominal Or no expense. Unfortu-
nately there are people in every
community who think only in dollars
and cents; of the expense of a thing,
and too frequently risk their own
health and jeopardize that of their
neighbors for the sake of . few
paltry dollars. In this progressive
age and in every civilized communi-
ty health is vital. 1t is, or should
be placed above everything else and
when the potency CT this is realized
the yellow flag will cease to serve
as the danger signal. One Of the
first and perhaps the most important
steps to be taken towards the ex-
termination of typhoid fever is the
eradication of open closets and the
house fly which acts as a dissemina-
tor of the disease by carrying ty-
phoid germs from the closets, on its
feet, to your kitchen where per chance
he deposits them in the food We eat,
wafer or milk we drink.
The County Record is gratifed to
learn that Mayor Scott intends to
wage a relentless war upon the un-
sanitary condition of Kingstree and
especially upon the obnoxious open
closet. He not only has the ordi-
Bances of the town as his authority
in an aggressive and effective war
upon these nuisances but he has be-
hind him state and federal laws that
forbid their existence. And il the
officials of Kingstree continue to al
low o fragrant disregard of these
sanitary laws whereby the health of