The Pensacola journal., April 27, 1919, Page 12, Image 12

About The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985

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what Hca Been Dons fcnd Whnt Remains to Be Accom
I plirhed Are Clearly Pointed Out in Review of Work
I liich Prosrceses Ao People Are' Better Informed
On Importance of Campaign.
usxutn ..n. ... ... ... ... ....
Born very pointed facts concerning
What ba boon dono and what yet re
taalng to be accomplished in the
tjtaalth campaign being carried on here
Bder the direction of the city, state
cad government health authorities are
Viry clearly set forth In a comprehen
gtve open letter by Dr. O. H. Cox to
the city commlaalonera and the public.
lSe says:
There has been brought to your atten
tion In verloua ways the different health
raeasures which are needed In this com
zilty. It Is now desired to systematic
catty present to you not only what has
then done but what yet remains to be
made an aocompllshed fact. .There has
been found much psssinHsm and some
times honest doubt as to the practicality
cf methods advocated or adopted. For
tis reason extra care and definite
thought must be given to any measures
which are to be carried out.
J Motlvee For Public Health Activity.
I -v. -,MAm- vh nv nubile health
effort is being made at this time or any
ether time. To t back to the funda
mental reason remember that sanitation
if being put in practice in this day and
0xo because people are generaly coming
t realise that it is the civilized and
decent thine; to do. This community can
o no lees than hundreds of smaller or
toea prosperous onee have done, to their
everlasting credit and pride. Further
i-wre the state board of health Is or
ganised to promote, good healtn among,
the people in all parts of the common
wealth. It stands ready a I will continue
to assist this region, as will be shown
further ' on. ,
t The United States Public Health ser
vice has a number, of reasons fOr ac-
8ve work here. It le continuing here
to same as during the war emergency.
When federal- military forces and the
Working forces of Industrial plants needed-
mors health protection than appar
ently oould be afforded by local commun
ity forces. This governmental force also
stands as an advisor and aid to state
crgsnixations. so that the efforts being
pit forth here are constructive from the
very beginning.
Finally definite reasons must be as
signed to the people so . that they will
0vm their hearty support. Their welfare
the aim of all governments. Some
rathorltlee have been able to estimate
the results of health work in dollars and
saints. - This is don to replace vague
sentimental , ideas by money values so
that people can grasp the idea better.
For Instance, after a severe epidemic ot
typhoid fever In Pittsburgh. Pa., a care,
f ul investigation of It in 1908. after the
5)o1C0
FOR
$4i
Our Laundry Work is Second to None in the City. Our Work is Always the Best. Always
Done by Experts in Their Line. We Want Every Man, Woman and Child in ' Pensacola to have
Their Clothes Laundered
66
am
Our Coupon System Enables You to Save 5 on Your Work. We
Coupons for $4.75 and When You Have Your "Work Done Here, You Pay Us in Coupons.
Order a Book or Books Today No Bundle Too Large
Everywhere. Our Drivers Polite and Courteous.
YOUR COUPON BOOK
Can be left at our office and
our cashier will take from it
each week the amount of your
bill. ,
This makes it handy for you.
THE
damage was done. . concluded that every
case of the fever cost the community,
which means the taxpayers. 1123.00 and
each death ?2,26o. But even the exact
business man admits that "there is much
in the world which canot be measured
in terms of money." !The life of a la
borer may appear to have a small money
value, but he Is entitled to protection by
the sanitary law. ' Such laws are made
for the benefit of the majority, : When
(they are enforced as sanitary measures
protection of the many against the few
is intended.
It Is conceded that there are some
valid reasons why health matters have
not been on a more active basis. But
when we get back to fundamental facts
we find only a few.
I Ignorance of sanitary needs and indif-
ference to them are the chief enemies
of sanitary progress. This applies to
citizens and officials. It is due to the
, fact that one. person or group has a 11m
! ited point of view. A health officer from
j tarining and purpose is the one who can
I point out the needs and (he remedies.
! Every community does and should have
1 local pride. Still even this has a danger.
People get the lmpressionn fostered per
haps by the utterances of prominent but
uniformed citizens,, that their town is
one of the healthiest spots In the U. S. A.,
which means the world. V
Every activity of a city government
has some sanitary phase. All these must
be harmonized. It la results which are
'demanded. When these are pointed out
. as the accomplishment of a thorough pub
' lie health program cost, will cease . to
ibe an objection.
Cost of Public Health Work.
No hard and fast figure is possible be
cause local differences are many. Aver
ages from many sources show that four
per cent of the annual budget is not
too much. Another way is to allow 50
cents per capita of population. These
i are influenced by many circumstances,
j most of which are, self evident. It is a
''definite fact, however, that health can
be purchased. The price is paid though
the channels of prevention. The people
are getting better Ideas on the subject,
j They demand that a fair share of their
I tax money be used 'to protect them.
They went their disease and death rate
, kept down." Definite and sufficient ap
propriation for health- work must be
i taken clearly into account. This and ex-
I pert service are cry In nds of the day.
Surveys and Programs.
Our purpose has been lo make a' sur
vey of the public health situation in
Pensacola and Escambia'; county, and to
formulate an effective - local program.
The problem has been to get a thorough
survey and study of the facts. The idea
PENSACOLA JOURNAL. SUNDAY MORNING, APRIL 27, 1919.
of a mere passing "Investigation
been carefully avoided. This Is not- a
campaign. It Is Intended to be a definite,
eonelee , arrangement of fundamental
facts. From these the proper conclusions
may be drawn. Permanent remedial ac
tion Is the final need. The following part
of this communication will be devoted
mostly to (1) Copdltlons as they exist.
(2) What has been done to remedy the
undesirable ones so far. (3) What should
be done In the Immediate future.
1. Conditions As They Exist.
""This Is intended a a constructive and
not - deatructive criticism. At - various
times it has been apparent that this city
and county were not up to the average in
the way they handled matters pertaining
to -health. - - ,
(a) Infectious diseases were not report
ed to hardly any extent by the majority
of physicians. There was a great laxness
In this important aspect.
(b No provision was made for lnsoec-
Jtion of schools. .
ic) o xouow-up work : was ; done by
doctor or nurse to attempt to check
contagious diseases. '. .
(d) Sanitation as applied to disposal ot
human wastes was largely neglected, as
was evidenced by the existence of nearly
3,000 foul. open,, surface privies within
the city limits, in the areas not reached
by sewers.
(e Shallow . wells and driven pumps
abound to numbers of 400 or. 600, and
many of them I are so situated that pol
lution and Infection of the water Is prac.
tically a foregone conclusion.
(f) Restaurants, soda fountains, confeo.
; tioneriea. markets and stands where food
is handled were not up to a proper stand,
ard In regard to protection of foodstuffs
or general cleanliness and arrangements.
This was evidenced by low scores which
were made on a very thorough basis.
. (g) The milk and dairy question was
not on any definite or satisfactory basis'.
No efficient watch was kept on sanitary
conditions from the cow to the consumer.
More conscientious dairy men had no
encouragement. Tuberculosis of cattle
which can be transmitted to human be
ings abounded. Evidence of this Is made
by the fact that the qualified veterinarian
of the- 17. S. department of agriculture
is finding herd after herd In this vicinity
where 40 to 50 per cent of the cows
test out as tuberculous. If there were
no other objectionable features this
should be cause for serious alarm.
(h) The question of drainage, which to
the health authorities means prevention
of diseases, had been neglectd. Malaria
Tever is theone greatest danger. Wet
place breed mosquitoes and one species
of this Insect carries' malaria. 'No mos
quitoes, no malaria.
Tour health department - as organized
consisted of one part-time health officer,
and six sanitary patrolmen under the
commissioner of health. The health of
ficer was too busy to give much of his
j time to public matters. The four field
j inspectors, each of whom had a certain
section of town, had very little central di
'rection. - No matter how conscieutlou&
they might be they could not. advantage
ously go it alone and get many results.
They could keep down gross nuisances
and answer complaints, and that is about
all.
- The" patrolmen acting as milk inspector
and market inspector, respectively, were
not getting desired results as to sanita
tion of the food products under their
supervision. Therefore the many useful
functions of a department for health of
the community were being Inadequately
handled or left out of consideration al
together. There were ample laws on
the statutes in regard to all these ques
tions. , Where these did not quite cover
G O U P
at Our Lau
ndry
the state laws weer definite. - Hence- It
has become apparent that the responsi
bility for health conditions which is fixed
by law and assumed by the community
was not always aoepted in critical times.
There are numbers of Instances where,
when action looking towards disease pre
vention should have been inaugurated,
nothing definite was done.
The laboratory maintained by the state
for this western section Is adequate in
every respect. It will continue so. and
thus should be a -wonderful aid In any
new orga.:atlon contemplated.
U What Has Been Done So Par. -
Local history- during the past three
months in regard to sanitary questions
is a matter of what can be found on
your records.-in the press, and what may
be -aeen'about town. - "-
A' aanitary privy ordinance was adopt
ed and Is being installed with minimum
opposition-under the rection of the pue
Uc health, service, aled by the city san
itary patrolmen,' turned over, to the med
ical officer in charge. The state sani
tary officials are co-operating, mainly in
the milk zone outside the city limits, and
a a .i . ..... n .mv ,fVI t(TU
a WWVU IUO umvj - w
It will ; be noted that practically all
places where Canythlng Intended for hu
man food is handled have been effectually
screened. It is intended that all shall do
the same. v By means of scoring most
places have been brought to a better
condition and idea of cleanliness or sani
tary order. ; Thia has been accomplished
by persistent Inslstance on compliance
with the law. " While there does not
seem to be much progress made in milk
inspection,' nevertheless most dairies have
been visited and Instructed what they
must do to avoid conflicting with the law.
A trip through the country will reveal
many improvements completed, or in the
process of construction. Some milk pro
ducers are anxious to comply with rea
sonable regulations. Others are in need
of more forceful procedure than simple
instruction.. The tuberculosis situation Js
being remedied as fast as thorough tests
can be made. A number of cattle have
been shipped away for slaughter or other
wise safely disposed of. However, It is a
serious menace yet to the health of .the
milk using community. Considerable dis
cussion of health matters "has stimulated
many people to thng about the need for
such things, eo that they will be In a
hotter frame of mind in reeard to them.
This we may call education of the peo
ple. ' i "
School . rnertlal Inspection. as stated
shove, had not ben followed to any ex
tent. In the eountrv rural schools pro
vin ha been ma1e bv the district state
health officer and school hoard to examine
all children and then work with and for
the parents to have all remediable defects
corrected as far as possible. It stands to
reason that tho 4,000 school children
sho'ild have some supervision in regard to
their health, on which so vitally depends
the usefulness of their future.
The Lockey school has been examined,
another is undergoing the process, and
this will be continued by the government
medical officer until : the first of May.
Then a physician under the direction of
the bureau of child welfare of the state
board of health will arrive to continue. It
is hoped . to have a complete record of
.ich h!l1 nnil thia will ha ndde! tn from
t year to year as long as it is under the
scnool system, v 5
., Many serious conditions, like diseased
tonsils, obstructing adenoids, decayed
teeth, poor vision, and above all trachoma
or "chronic contagious granulated eye-,
O
V-r fx'
Q
DR. C.
Passed Assistant Surgeon . TJ.
lids." have been discovered. Bad eyes are
much too prevalent, and present a serious
; problem.
A follow-up system conducted by vis
iting nurses is the logical sequence to all
thla work. Allusion is made all too fre
quently now to the fact that "once upon
a time" medical inspectons were made
but nothing' came of it. Support from all
quarters would be more hearty if more
permanent efforts were assured. Confi
dence must be restored.
The reporting of contagious diseases ty
the physicians is being more definitely ar.
ranged. The state .1 v did require each
case to be reported to Jacksonville head
quarters. Recently it has been changed
so that if some one responsible locally
will collect these morbidity reports and
then transmit them on it will be satis
factory. Here again is shown the need
for a full functioning department. Col
lection of facts about cases means so
much locally in handling contagion whilo
there is yet time. It also gives a closer
touch to those reporting, and will help
to make returns more thorough and ac
curate. s
In many ways then progress along pub
lic health lines has been made. It is more
apparent to those active in the work. Sti'l
It Is evident to anyone who thinks and
looks. To have the majority of the people
know these things and to act intelligent
ly in conjunction to further matters woulj
UNO
None Too Small.
H. COX.
S. Public Health Service.
be an accomplishment greatly to be de
sired. Pensacola and . Escambia county
must proceed with the spirit of the times.
III. An Organization For Future Needs.
In the light of what has existed and
what has been done so far there appear
several reasons why something definite
must be organised which will promote
the health of the community. Let us
enumerate these:
(a) It is the sign of progress to so or
ganize. (b) The times drMd more thought on
the part of those ui authority for those
who elect them.
(c) When a town becomes a city stricter
regulation of individual action becomes
necessary.
You have had it demonstiated to you
that sanitation pays. ; -
The people who have borne the cost
and trouble of certain Improvements will
now demand protection by a definite re
sponsible organization.
The center and driving force of your
needed oarganization will be a V'Hh of
ficer in the shape of a man wno knows
what to do and how and when to do it.
He should be the "sanitary expert" on
whom you can depend for advice on
all ciylc affairs into which the question
of health enters. This means that he
will need to give all his time to the af
fairs of his department. You may think
that such a peraqn cannot be found. Cre
Sell You a $5.,
Our Wagons Go
YOUR COUPON BOOK
Can be left at our office and
our cashier will: take from it
each week the amount of your
bin.- -.yy:
This makes it handy for you.
ate the position and then the nan
found. : Once he haa authority to ncs
indicated personnel can be found I
trained under him. The quetslon of
pense enters here. As has been she
above, the percentage system can be tr
aa applied to annual income, or you
settle on the 50 cents to $1 per capita
the need seems most indicated. -A
desirable health officer could hex'
be found for less than $3,000 PC"N y
with maintenance of car In addltlc 1
bear in mind that the state boiJ I
appropriated 11.000 toward this In ev
that he may serve the health needs
Escambia county. In addition there n
possibly be another source to bear sac
of 'the expense. The Item of sanUr;
inspectors need to be no heavUy thsa I
la now. Five, or six good raenean lac
after the maintenance Of the bog-and-cc
privy system, correct nuisances, and
spect milk and food supplies
it is quite evident that several vtsir
nurses should be employed. -X i
recommend not less 'than two from t
tlrst. The scope of thetr duties car
be the subject of , special paper. I
trith school inspection and Infant w:
wcrk; visiting cf practically all conta
oua eases to see that all precautions a.
taken to prevent infection of others; vt
Itlng of poor and destitute Sick under t:
city physician; and , assisting at a clhA
for those who can come out for treatmerjt.
there will be found much needful werx
to do. 1
There wiy be other expenses neorj-
sarlly charged to theae activities. Sot;
of these will be printing, office asstd
ance, and upkeep of equipment. ; t '
One very important item whloh fortuaM
ately will not loom large in this cor-
munlty will be mosquito control. Tt
m.ia-ia t- ni and this is taken vp by a?
special report by. the.atate sanitary en
gineer after a survey-made on April is.
17 and 18. ,Ue finds that the former.,
natural courses and ditches which have t
been allowed to become choked up frost
neglect can bo opened . adequately at )
small expense. ; The small amount of
water which may remain can be so rest. I
ed with oil that mosquito breeding wW J
be nothing compared to the present. W )
must look at this from the standpoint or; !
disease prevention. Malaria ; Is always
With . "r I
stw is not) a remote
possibility. ; jjj,-,
It lias been stated that the health -anA1
sanitation touch nearly every phase of
city activities, at; least In advisory ca
parity. With the department W streets
and public utilities-is shared an interest'
in garbage disposal, the sewerage sysi
tern, the water system. th - iinin..,.
problem, plumbing inspection, and build-'
ing Inspection. The question of license
to food handlers and especially to mllftu
dealers should certainly be approached,
from the health side. ; The' police depart 5
ment has many things In common wlJf
the health department. It is not always '
easy to decide whether a person has com 4 I
mined a crime under the criminal o-f 1
sanitary code. At all events the goof 4
of.tlfo many has eben harmed by tlu
action of the liw. 4 1
Departments which guard the welfar- '
cr tlie iwipit certainly shoulj stand to- '
gether. You health department certainly'
merits close consideration and definite
thought.
V. , , Respectfully, . f
. ' O. IL COX,
" : P. A-Surgeon.
SEE PASTIME AND LIBERT
THEATRE ADD OX PAGE 18,' WOM
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PHONE 114
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