The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-03-31
Peoples Forum
State Health Program

To the Editor of The Age-Herald:
 I have noticed with great deal of pleasure the several ringing edi- torials appearing in The Age-Her- aid recently on public health mat ters. have in my hand an editorial which appeared in the issue of March 26 under the caption, "They Chose Prevention" This editorial would indicate that you were under the impression that the efforts being made for malaria control in the Ten nessee valley and in Walker county were accidental or haphazard, whereas they are the result of 8 systematic, well organized campaign inaugurated by the state board of health in 1920.
 You will be interested to know that the state board of health, col. laborating with the United States pYp plic health service and the inter- national health board, has divided the state into five districts and placed over each district sanitary engineer. MT. Wrightson. son-in- law to General Gorgas, has charge of the work in the Tennessee valley and the counties immediately con- tiguous, with headquarters in Hunts- vile. MT. Johnson has been as signed to Jefferson, Walker, Tus- caloosa, Calhoun, Etowah, St. Clair, Shelby and BibbN counties, with headquarters in Birmingham. Mir. Craig has been assigned to Autauga, Clarke, Choctaw, Washington, Hale, Perry, Greene, Sumter, Pickens and Marengo, with headquarters in De- mopolis., He is putting over very extensive drainage project near Prattville at this time, which prom ises to be the most extensive rural project undertaken in any county in the south. The money for this pro- ject is being put up by the lana owners. It will drain in the neigh borhood of 5000 acres of swamp lands. MT. Craig is serving this group of farmers free of cost to them. MT. Rector has been assigned to Baldwin, Escambia, Conecuh, Covington, Monroe, Butler, Wilcox and Lowndes. MT. Carter has been assigned to Montgomery, Pike, Bar bour, Huoston, Coffeee, Dale, Ge- neva and Henry.
 All of this work is directed by George H. Hazelhurst, chief of the bureau of sanitary engineers of the state board of health. The engi- neers work through the county health units, where one exists, and assume direct charge of small pro- jects in towns where there are no health units in the county. In these small towns the state board of health, aided by the international health board, puts up 25 per cent of the money necessary to do the work. It is confidently believed that with in ten years we will be able to re- duce malaria to a negligible quan- tity in the state. The deaths from malaria have been reduced from 530 in 1917 to 259 in 1921. The sta tistics for 1922 are not yet avail able. No county has malaria dis tributed all over the county, but only in certain spots. In practically all of the counties we have located these areas, and having done that, we feel sure. by intelligent effort, we will be able to rid those areas of the disease within the next ten years. You will observe that Alabama's s health problems are malaria, hook worm, typhoid fever and pellagra. The Alabama death rate in all other diseases is far below the registration area. If we control the four diseases which make up our peculiar problem we will have the most desirable country to live in in the world.
 Hoping that you will give the state board of health the benefit of your very valuable assistance in it's efforts to rid the state of hook worm, malaria and typhoid fever, am, respectfully yours,
 J. w. WEIGH.
 State Health Officer.
 Montgomery, March 29. 1923.