1893-1894 - The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

FIFTH BIENNIAL r.Iil'OKT. 147
of the best citizens promptly gave notice that they would sell out and
leave the town before they would submit to it. Comment is unnecessary.
We would like to discuss this gi-ave matter at length, but our want of
space forbids.
Sutfice it to say that after a very careful consideration of
the subject we have come to the conclusion that nothing can practically
be accomplished in the way of vaccinating the people except under the
iniiuence of the scare
resulting from the presence in the community or
in very close proximity thereto of a case of small-pox. It is therefore
earnestly hoped that whenever such a state of affairs does happen to
occur the health officers and physicians generally will grasp the situation
and " work it for all it's worth."
In conclusion, we wish to call particular attention to section 11 of the
law, which requires the attending physician to immediately give notice
to the local authorities of the occurrence of a case of small-pox, and the
latter to immediately communicate the same by mail or telegraph to the
Secretary of the State Board of Health. The location of the case, the
origin of the disease and the measures taken to prevent its spread should
always be given in this communication.
P. S.—After the above was sent to the printer a report was received
from the Superintendent of Anson county of the existence in Wadesboro
of a case of varioloid in the person of a horse drover from Virginia, near
Bristol. He at the same time repoi-ted that the precautions required by
law had been promptly taken.
VITAL STATISTICS.
One of the most important functions of a sanitary bureau is the collection
of vital statistics. Section six of our law says :
"Monthly returns of vital statistics, upon a plan to be made by the
State Board of Health, or their Secretary acting under their instructions,
shall be made by the County Superintendent to the Secretary of the
State Board."
The plan devised by the late Secretary, the lamented Dr. Wood, and
still in vogue as the best available, is not calculated to secure complete
and accurate statistics, but merely a general idea of the prevalence of
jiarticular diseases, especially those of a communicable character, in the
counties, and the number and causes of death in the cities and towns.
Indeed, the conditions with us are such—an extremely conservative and
rather sparsely settled rural population in the main—that obtaining
reliable statistics from the State at large is simply out of the question at
present, and we fear will be for very many years to come. And yet it is
of peculiar importance to our State, inasmuch as immigration is greatly
desired, that we should have accurate and reliable statistics, especially
in mortuarv statistics. We say accurate and reliable, for when they