Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1938-02-25
PEOPLES COLUMN
TO THE CITIZENS OF

T know YOU are keenly interested. AS
YOUR County Health Officer, also
am interested in that more than in
anything else, and so are all the mem
bers of the Health Department Staff.
This report, which will come to
YOU each month, is dedicated to your
GOOD health. 1t tells what your
Health Department has done during
the past month, what it plans to do
for YOU and for Worcester County in
future months. 1t will also tell you
from time to time what it has done,
and why.
| trust that you will be interested
enough to read this report.
AS you know, my term as Health
Officer began about the middle of De-
cember. Consequently this report
covers the period from the middle of
December to the end of January.
AS a new Health Officer in Wor-
cester County, find many heritages
that are of tremendous value in con-
Quoting a public health program. My
predecessors, particularly the late Dr.
Massey, had developed a program
which in many respects was unequall-
ed anywhere. The people of the
County I have found to be most CO.
operative with my efforts. Such adj
vantages are not always granted to
a new man. Consequently, feel that
the future offers many possibilities
for the improvement of our peoples
health, and to that task dedicate my
efforts.
w. R. Willard, M. D.
Berlins Health Center
Most noteworthy event was the es-
Establishment of the new Health Center
in Berlin. This was made possible
by the activity Of the Berlin Ocean
City Lions Club, who secured the fl
nancial cooperation of the County and
the towns of Berlin and Ocean City.
The clinic is located across the street
from Hastings Restaurant, has been
completely renovated to make it at
tractive and suitable for clinic work.
This Center was opened on December
9, 1888, and properly dedicated when
all members of the Lions Club sub
mitted to blood tests.
The need for such a clinic is mani
fest by the rapid growth in number
of patients treated each week. At the
first session of the Venereal Disease
Clinic there were only nine patients,
most of them transfers from the
Snow Hill Clinic. Now on each clinic
night about fifty attend, and the end
is not yet.
This clinic serves other purposes
than that of treating patients with
syphilis. The Worcester County Tuber
culosis Clinic was held there on Jan
uary 10th, with twenty-six patients
attending. On January 25th, Men
tai Hygiene Clinic was held in the
Berlin Center and other clinics are
scheduled for February and March.
Pneumonia Control
Especially noteworthy is the pro-
gram that has been undertaken for
the control of pneumonia. By taking
action against this disease, Worcester
County has joined with other prog
ressive Counties interested in the
newest development in public health.
This disease represents one of our
major causes of death; and among
germ diseases, for which we have
methods of control, it is exceeded in
only by tuberculosis. It is
estimated that the thirty deaths which
occur each year in this County from
Pneumonia represents an economic
loss of $4,000 at least.
Through the use of serum, deaths
can be reduced in appropriate cases
by one-half. Since not all cases of
pneumonia are appropriate for SER
UNI treatment, it is believed that the
total deaths in the County can be re-
duced about one-fourth. The County
Medical Society an dthe County Com
missioners have endorsed a program
of pneumonia control based on serum
treatment.
The effective use of serum de-
mands a laboratory examination of
the patients sputum and blood to de-
termine the appropriate type of ser
UNI to use. 1t also demands that SER
UNI be given early in the disease and
the earlier the better the results. Ger
tainly serum should be given within
the first four days if good results
are to be expected. The State De-
partment of Health is installing a
branch laboratory at Salisbury which
will be operating within the next few
weeks. This laboratory will make it
much easier than is now the case to
e-Oa H., III -. IL