The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1922-08-18
RANKIN WOULD SHOOT q d
FOLKSFULL OF QUININE
And Yet There Hasn't Been Death Fron
Malarial Fever in This City in Ten 8
Years - We Protest ss s Il

PUT 10 al oii q SN'i> -r~1r~I
combat malaria infection are
not regarded with any degree
of enthusiasm by ply slciani
ir this part of the State
DIR. w. S. Rankin, head OF th3
State Board of Health tl,ink
Elizabeth City is pining fro:a
malarial infection and in need
of ton or so of quinine, he
has got to do some tall prop
agandizing to convince Z d
local medical fraternity.
The whole truth of the matter ~
the records of the Keeper Of Vita
Statistics for Pasquotank havenf
shown death from malaria in hv1
years and DIR. c. B. Williams, wht
has kept the vital statistics OF ths
city for nearly ten years, does no}
recall a death from malarial fevck
in all his experience.
DIR. Zenas Fearing, City Hesltl
Officer. and for many years identt
fed with the health work of the city
and county, says that malaria is
very rare in this city and sectioQ
and he has personally seen only tive
or three mild cases this summer.
But the State Board of Health 1s
making the rest of the State and
the nation believe We are all in n
helluva fix in these here parts and
about to die in swarms unless ht.
gets in here with his experts and
shoots US all full of quinine In 3
season. Here is sample of the
propaganda DIR. Rankin's boys areE
now putting out. Read:
Or. Rankin's Scheme
"Draining swamps, oiling stagnant.
waters and stocking lakes with mos
quito eating minnows is too costI}
and too Ineffective a means of con
trolling malaria in eastern Nort
Carolina and next year the Stat
Board of Health is planning to in$
wade twenty counties in that section.
of the State with ten tons of quin-|
inc and let the mosquitoes do Their
worst
Five grains of quinine every daK
for every man, woman and child g
the infected district, whether infect
ed or not, and from ten to thirty
grains for those who are infected
will drive out the disease in tive,
years. and raise the standard of
health in that section from 30 to 80 I
per cent in the opinion of StateI
Health Officer W. s. Rankin.
"Plans for the work have been
worked out on the basis of expert
ments made by the board coverinS
a period of several years, unders the,
direct supervision of DIR. H. A. Tax
lor, of the International Health
Board. No other means has proved
effective. and cannot prove effective
until every mosquito has been killed
in a low-lying territory covering &pr
proximately 1900 square miles. e. /
Drainage of that much territ0fy,I J
much of it under water for many
months in the year, and the extermi3
nation of the mosquito would han
rupt the State government, In thu
opinion of health authorities. The
only other means of control Is y
killing the last malarial infecti0n
and let the mosquito live unmoleEtcd[
The work, covering q five-year PED
riod, will cost approximately $50
coo. ,.rsi "a
Under the plans worked out b
DIR. Rankin, staff of medical on
GERS will be sent into q county, and
careful examination will be mad
of every citizen in the county. Bloo&|
tests will be made to determine 81
there is any malarial infection. Edus
cational work will be undertaken t6'
secure the cooperation Of the entire
citizenship" s,sosis4
i Or. Williams Speaks. Il
Dr. Claude b. Williams, Heaith|
Officer for the County and Keebe|
of Vital Statistics doesn't thin
much of DIR. Rankin's scheme IL q
is TO be applied to this city and yi@
cinity. 1t may be all right fot
Brunswick, Pender, Onslow, Paul
co and some parts of Hyde, Dsrl
and TyrrelI counties; but. the nes|
for it in Pasquotank isn't apparen
TO DIR. Williams.
Il am not convinced that we heyj
enough malaria to worry aboutty d<<'
clares DIR. Williams. He seys:
have no record of death FROM ni1*
larial fever in this county and hav|
never heard of one. Occasionalli
one finds mild case of malariR
which yields readily to purgativl
a lot of folks have chills becaup,
their stomach is out of order; ths1
load up an already crowded stomscI
with watermelon, scuppernon'
grapes and such things, throw ia.
much work on their digestive appsr
| Concluded on Page 81