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

64 NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH.
On June 20th a circular-letter
was sent to the ^Mayors of
all couutv-seats and all other towns and cities of 500 or
more inhabitants, reminding them of the sanitary suggestions
previously made to them and referred to in my last
report, enclosing copies of a model health ordinance,
death certificate, burial permit, birth certificate and other
sanitary blanks, and begging them to make necessary provision
for the protection of the lives and health of their
people and for securing more reliable vital statistics.
An editorial on this subject, giving this letter and also
another addressed
to the physicians residing in the above
noted towns and cities urging them to interest themselves
in this matter and do all in their power to induce the
municipal authorities to take action—chiefl}^ by organizing
local Boards of Health—was published in the June Bulletin.
While the result was not at all flattering some of the
seed fell on good ground. Salisbury and Oxford adopted
the model ordinance—exactl}'^ as recommended—and other
towns, we have reason to believe, were induced by it to
improve their
methods — particularly this goodly town of
Greensboro.
The followino- will show in detail what was done :
On July 9th I received a letter from Dr. Leinster Duff}^
Superintendent of Health of Craven county, informing
me that an epidemic of typhoid fever of an extremely
malignant type was prevailing in the neighborhood ot
Core Creek and asking if any arrangement existed for the
special investigation of such cases.
His letter was promptly
referred to the President of the Board, who appointed
Dr.
AV. H. Harrell, a member of the Board, to visit Core
Creek and investigate the matter.
and made the following report:
Dr. Harrell responded