The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-06-30


 auditorium which has been we'll nigh despaired of by long-suf- fering public. We feel that both professional pride and our pecu- niary interest should be subordi- mated to the general welfare of the community in which we live. We are, therefore. unwilling to have an unseemly controversy over a public building which has already been the occasion of too much painful agitation and cha grin, not to say scandal
 THE SMITH COMPANY,
 Industrial Builders. Inc
 Birmingham, Ala, June 29, 1923.
 A Doctor. on Public Health To the Editor of The Age-Herald; i;
 The undersigned was very much interested. as well as quite sur prised. to read in the Peoples Forum" of a recent date a letter written to you by R. E. Weiss, Gated June 20. 1923, in which MT. Weiss took occasion to speak rather disparagingly and sarcas- tically of the state board of health, as well as of the county board of health.
 The undersigned has no connec- tion whatever with these boards, but l cannot refrain from saying something in behalf of the very splendid work being done by both of these boards in preventing disease.
 Cautiously enough, in tho same edition of your paper that carried the letter of MT. Weiss there ap- peared news item regarding the visit of Dr. J. J. Durett, city health officer of Memphis, Tenn, in which Dr. Durett was quoted as stating that he was using a part of his vacation in coming to Bir- mingham and Jefferson county be- cause the reputation of these places for leadership in health matters had spread far and wide.
 Dr. Durett was quoted as say ing: You people have every req son to be proud of the work of your health department. It is setting an example that the whole country is watching. I have never seen a city. with the means said
 
 handling it's problems"
 The medical profession has al- ways been styled as the noblest of professions, and I hope will always be worthy of that reputa- tion. Members of the medical profession are usually unselfish and do a great deal of work for which pay. if we speak of money as pay, is never received. For example, in one edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association, in looking over the medical news for one week as re- ceived from the entire country, I see that work Is being carried on free of charge in Chicago, H., for the relief of children whose ears are defective. A free tuber- culosis clinic for children has been opened in Baltimore, Md, in ad- dition to five already established, the new one to be devoted en- tirely to children up to the age of fifteen. There Is also in the city of Baltimore an orthopedic clinic. where those little unfortu nate children suffering from bone
 
 for free operative procedure call culated in many instances to re- store them to a more normal stature and correct the unsightly deformities that disfigure them. Reference Is made in this column to the efforts of physicians to root out and bring before the bar of justice certain so-called doctors who are dispensing narcotics against the laws of our country, all of this work being carried on free of charge. Over in the state of Indiana there is a free clinic where persons suffering from the dread heart diseases, and unable to engage private physicians, may report and be treated by some of the most able physicians Of In- diana. In New York City. where so much Is being done by it's splendid physicians. reference is made to the fact that n a short time the city will be giving radium treatment for cancer, this being the most expensive treatment ut:i- ized in the treatment of that very dangerous disease. In the state
 
 are launching a great public health drive in connection with which will be a campaign to have all those school children given medical and surgical attention whose parents cannot afford the expense. The great Baptist de- nomination has taken a practical interel in the matter of public health, having just opened for operation their twenty first hos pital, all of these twenty-on hospitals now having a bed ca pacity of 2,659. During the past year they have treated almost 50,000 patients. and are planning to build new institutions that will raise the number up to thirty-two hospitals. As may be surmised. a great deal of the work in these hospitals is for people unable to pay bills. and for the purpose of carrying on research work in preventive medicine. All of the above quote from a casual sur vey of one weeks medical news. What more might l write by studying the news for two or tHTee weeks dS IL SoeS OIl tHiou6 u out our country every week? Permit me to add a word as to the opinion of your correspondent regarding the handling of this question. He would have the peo- pie to see that their houses are carefully screened, and the hard ware dealers will do this at very little exepense. without hiring any sanitary experts to oversee the work at large salaries" It is pre- sumed that in this ideal solution everybody who lives in houses | would have plenty of money to have all this screening work care