The Durant news. (Durant, Miss.) 1882-1985, 1939-06-08

Behind MiSsiSsippi's economic
rise in recent years is an achieve
ment often overlooked because of
its u~nobtrusive efficiency-the
quiet but dramatic battle of men
against disease and death.
This is the story of public health
In Mississippi, an epic of proven
ton of disease by men whose work
has won worldwide respect from
the inner circle OF those who know
its economic cost and social loss.
Begun at a time when mans en-
emies in an otherwise favored
clime-yellow fever. hookworm.
and malaria-held such high carni-
val that the South was known as
the nations s;ar0hter-house of
manhood. today Mississippi's pub
lie health program claims a
victory sweeping enough to wipe
out the geographic stigma of dis
ease.
The unimpeaehable evidence of
mortality records is proof of the
turn of the battle.
The mortality records for the
year 1885 show: lD that compared
with the rates of thirty-one states
having a low percentage of Negro
population. MissisSippi's white
death rate now ranks second best:
co that Mississiupl's Negro death
rate is next to the lowest of twelve
states having a high percentage
of Negro population: and (3p that
the total death rate of Mississippi
is well below the median line of
death rates for the fourteen
Southern states ar1 the District
of Columbia. Mississippi having
consistently meintafned the lowest
death rate in the Southern regis
tration area, surprising even the
nations capital city itself.
What has happened in the field
of public health service in MiSSis-
sippl since the first territorial
health law was enacted in 1899.
and the first city nealth department
set up in Natchez in 1918. is a long
story. The Mississippi State Board
of Health was established in 1877.
TODAY it is used by public health
agencies in ell parts of the world
as a laboratory for training stu
dents and authorities sent here by
foreign governments to study its
methods. Typical is this tribute
contoinod in q letter to the Boards
executive officer from one of the
well-known study Foundations:
"It is unfortunate that there are
so few state health organizations
that are good enough as object
lessons and training e for our
men who r studying on fellow
ships. as it is for this reason thai
w have repeatedly to request your
aid in accepting a few Fellows for
practical experience during the
summer. In the past you have rem
dered a real service to our Fellows
and through them to the depart
ments of public health in many
parts of the world"
The division of Vital Statistics
was set up in 1912. Since that time
Mississippi has been one state in
the Union whose health department
has consistently received morbid
ty and mortality reports from ply
sicians. Frederick l.. Hoffman of
the Foundation OF the Franklin In
stitute calls them ''the first reaS-
onably complete morbidity index
by counties available for any
single American state at the pres
ent time"
When the Mississippi Tuberculo-
sis Sanatorium began operations
in 1917. total deaths from tubercu-
losis were 2.743. This number has
dropped consistently 70 a low IN
1887 of 1900. Witn the addition OF
the Preventorium in 1923. the San
atorium, to quote the State Board
of Health, "is equipped to care for
every modern method in the treat
ment of tuberculosis that Is known
to the scientific world" and is
lone of the best stated institu-
tons in the United States"
The Health Boards Division of
Industrial Hygiene and Factory In
spection, established in 1929, was
the only such state agency in the
South until the passage of National
Social Security legislation in 1886.
1t registers all manufacturing
plants in the state employing wo-
men and children and inspects at