The Health bulletin [serial] - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

:
18 The Health Bulletin January, J 927
before they reach the waste basket, the
cnmnion destination of such literaturi'.
Effect of Lair IJiiforccmcnt rrccrdciit
Another factor of especial importance
in the success of an undortakinij of
this character was the well established
public recognition of the fact that all
North Carolina health laws had been
actually enforced. The ytate Board of
Health had rigidly followed the policy
of askinir for no statutes that it did not
intend to enforce. There have been and
are no dead letter health laws in North
Carolina. A state is far better off
without any statute for the enforcement
of which adequate machinery is not
provided.
Early Developments in
Sanitation
For many years the danger of the
typhoid fly was a major theme of the
Bulletin. In view of the common reliugnance
against the mention of privy
in public, the awakening of the public
interest more generally manifested itself
in different communities in the
form of "swat the fly" campaigns
sponsored by the local physicians and
progressive citizens. In many instances
the State Board of Health succeeded in
getting this energy directed into the
more productive channels of sanitation
campaigns. By such means more or
less successful campaigns got under
way in the larger cities and in some
other communities. The first attempts
at constructing fly-tight privy systems
took place about 1910. It is interesting
to note also that the cotton mill companies
were among the first to recognize
the value of privy sanitation. One
of the first box-can privy systems in
the State was installed by a large cotton
mill company in 1910 for their village
of about one thousand homes.
Inauguration of Rookiform EracLication
Campaigns
Dr. Rankin did his first hookworm
work in 1903, but the hookworm eradication
campaigns were inaugurated
about 1910. The educational work in
sanitation done in conjunction with
these campaigns which were carried
on intensively for several years exercised
a potent influence in
of sanitation.
the interest
Origin and Character of the First
Wholetime County Health Units
The first whole-time county health
units, established in 1911 and for
s veral years thereafter were county
sanitation units, manned l)y a physician
health oflicer, and one or more sanitary
inspectors, concentrating on hookworm
work and the construction of sanitary
privies. Four of these, not the original
four units, had county-wide rules or
ordinances compelling the installation
of sanitary privies. One county had
an annual sanitary privy tax, as a
means of partially financing the administration
of the work.
The Adoption of a State-xcide Sanitary
Privy Law
On the 24th of February, 1919, the
General Assembly ratified an act now
known as "The State Sanitary Privy
Law." In the interest of a better understanding
of the discussion of the work
under this law, sections 2, 4 and o are
here quoted as follows
"Sec. 2. No person shall maintain
or use a residence located within three
hundred yards of another residence,
that is not provided with sewerage, or
with septic tanks approved by the North
Carolina State Board of Health, or
with a sanitary privy which complies
in construction and maintenance with
the requirements of this act: Provided,
however, that nothing in this act shall
curtail the right of a municipality to
require and enforce immediate sewer
connection.
"Sec. 4. Every privy located within
three hundred yards of the residence of
any person other than that of the
owner or tenant thereof, shall be maintained
in a sanitary manner and in
accordance with reasonable rules and
regulations to be prescribed by the
North Carolina State Board of Health
and posted in suitable form inside of
the privy by an officer of the said
Board.
"Sec. 5. The head of a family or
household, the proprietor of a boarding
house, hotel, restaurant, or store, the
principal or superintendent of a school,
the agent or station-master of a railroad
station or depot, or the person in
charge of an office building, establishment,
or institution, shall be responsi-