Vol. 60, 1909 - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIOMS. 25
this Institution will accomplish untold g;ood sick, involving the comfort and material
throughout the country. prosperity of 5,000,000 homes, and 25,000,-
The last Legislature appropriated a suf- 000 people, and that one-third of this was
ficient sum to secure the entire services of directly preventable. On account of inadr
the Secretary to the State Board of Health, equate authority for medical officers during
and require that he give his entire time to the Spanish-American war, we lost sixteen
that office. The State Board of Health has of our soldiers from preventable disease to
elected to this position, as you are aware, every one lost in battle. And 85 out of
Dr. W. S. Rankin, formerly dean of the each 100 of them were inmates of Hospi-
Medical Department of Wake Forest Col- tals during that short struggle from some
lege. In electing Dr. Rankin as Secretary, character of disease. During the Russothe
Board has not only honored Dr. Rankin, Japanese war, with medical officers having
but they have likewise honored themselves, co-equal authority and rank, except on field
and I feel that Dr. Rankin will discharge of battle, Japan lost but one of her men
the important duties of this office with from sickness to every four killed in battle,
fidelity, honor and credit to himself, as well and only fifteen of every one hundred of
as to the State. them ever saw the inside of a Hospital. As
The State and the Medical Profession of an argument for peace, we are told, that
North Carolina owe a lasting debt of grati- two hundred and ten thousand men died as
tude to our honored retiring Secretar\— Dr. the result of battle in both armies during
R. H. Lewis, who filled faithfully thisposi- the Civyl War. As an argument for health
tion for 18 years, and retired at his own laws we are told, that seven hundred and
request. We feel grateful for his work and fifty thousand people died of tuberculosis in
know that his most efficient services made the I'niled States during the last four years,
it possible to secure tlie entire time of a and that at least three (luarlers of a million
Secretar>' to the State Board of Health. are continuously sick of it.
This is a very decided advance since it gives For a moment think of the money annuan
active member to the Board of Health, ally expended by the Department of Agrimaking
it possible for him to devote his en- culture, SIO, 000,000 in the last ten years,
tire time to this office. in investigation and extermination of fever
I trust that the time is not far distant in cattle, cholera in hogs, pests in cotton,
when each County in the State will realize corn, etc., and other profitable things of
the importance of having their County Su- commercial value; then compare with the
perintendentof Health on a salary sufficient assistance we have received from our Legisto
justify him in devoting his entire time to lature in this our unselfish warfare against
that office. There is increased work for him pestilence affecting men, women, and chilto
do with the increase in population. He dren. We have been called a Medical
could be kept busy improving the sanitary 'i'rust.—God forgive, and may such as think
condition of the towns in his County, look- thus see us as we are—the nol)lest of all
ing after the jails, and the schools, and he professions, poorest of all trades!
could easily be appointed the Medical In God direct and give us men of sound
spector of Schools in his respective County, minds and healthy bodies who are earnest
The conservation of health promotes the and eiilliusiaslic over this great work. It
conservation of wealth, and vice versa, has been said that enthusiasm is the motive
therefore it would pay the County to do this force of progress. No really great deeds
from a commercial standpoint, to sav noth- were ever done in arts or arms, in literature
ing of the good done in the way of prevent- or science, that was not the product of ening
disease and saving human life, and thusiasm. It beckoned Columbus across
building upour country wifh strong, healthy the ocean; it struck fire from cold flint; it inmen
and women. vented the alphabet; and it saw in the steam
With our State organized in this way and wreaths from a tea-kettle a force greater
the people educated, with otherStates acting than that of all the men in the world united;
in accord with us, aconuniation which will it tunneled the Hudson; it took signals unnecessarily
come, we will soon have "A Xa- der the ocean; it carried messages through
tional Department of Public Health," all the air; and it harnessed lightning to carry
joining hand in hand— National, State, and the vehicles of man. It discovered the cir-
County. This done we will soon have laws culation of the blood; invented the ligature;
to back us, vital statistics accurate, and pre- it introduced vaccination and anaesthesia;
ventable diseases placed at a minimum, and it laid the gentle hand of healing on the
and more lives, more homes, and more wounds of humanity through antiseptic surmoney
saved, than by any other general gery.
agency in the whole plan of Government. It was with the three noble medical heroes
Think for a moment that during last year who gave their lives to free a large section
ISiiD.ooo persons died and 100,000 were of the country from the annual dread of