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

:
8 The Health Bulletin March, liJii'i
cducatldii, and few of the othtM- di'partlUL'Uts
of au institution can point to
such expensive adjuncts to their teachiKK
fai'ilities.
When the department of
heiilth and hyi^'iene is accorded equal
budfiet recoj,'nilion with the department
of athletics in our schools and colleges
a great advance in health betterment
may be expected. Tlie suggested change
waits largely upon the time when educational
directors will interpret their responsibilities
in terms of healthy men
and women graduates rather than in
championship games and gate receipts.
The above discussion is not to be
considered as an attack on organized
school athletics which should find a
natural expression in interclass and
intercollegiate games. It is useful, however,
to suggest comparisons between
trends in departments of our educational
institutions in order to give
proper emphasis to the work of each.—
The Xat ion's Health.
A CASE OF SMALLPOX NOW INEXCUSABLE
It does seem that in a moderately
intelligent and civilized state as North
Carolina ought to be, that it would no
longer be necessary to urge upon the
people the necessity for vaccination to
prevent such a dangerous and loathsome
disease as smallpox. A recent vaccination
is almost a sure preventive.
It is clean. It is safe. It produces
only one small scar. It assures one who
is protected through vaccination that
he cannot possibly become a menace to
other people. It has the evidence of one
hundred and twenty-five years successful
use to recommend it. In all these
one hundred and twenty-five years use
of vaccination in all countries of the
world, not more than one lost arm or
life in a million reported as accidents
following vaccination have ever been
proved to be true. Not more than onetenth
as many deaths have ever been
caused by smallpox vaccination as from
scratches incident to the use of common
pins in wearing apparel. Notwithstanding
all the proved scientific safety and
cleanliness of modern vaccination a few
loud mouthed official minders of other
peoples business are always able to
keep a few timid souls from availing
tliemselves of the protection vaccination
afCords.
A case of smallpox was recently reported
in one of the State's oldest and
most famous boarding schools. This
fact leads us to repeat one more time
that it is now practically inexcusable
for a case of smallpox to occur in any
boarding school or educational institution
of any kind, or in any charitable
or penal institution. The first duty
of the authorities of all such institutions
is to protect the health of their
proteges. They should demand protection
against smallpox, typhoid fever
and diphtheria as the very first requisite
for admittance. These requirements
are reasonable and easy to secure ; and
the requirement can be stated in the
printed requirements for entrance, and
should be rigidly enforced.
If any fool anti of whatever strii>e
wants to raise objection let him do so
on the outside where his ignorance cannot
so seriously menace the health of
others. Every instituti(m has the full
constitutional right to prescribe the
rules and regulations necessary to safeguard
the health of its students or inmates
and this right should be scrupulously
exercised.
During the year 1925 there were one
thousand nine hundred and twenty
cases of smallpox reported to the North
Carolina State Board of Health. During
the year 1926 there were one thousand
five hundred and ninety-four cases
reported. During the year 1926 the
State Board of Health wrote every
physician in North Carolina who had
recently reported a case of smallpox
either in the latter part of the year
1925 or any time during 1926 asking the
physician reporting it to answer the
following question
"We are endeavoring to ascertain
what per cent of those having smallpox
were previously vaccinated, also the
year of vaccination. We notice that you
reported the case or cases named below
as having smallpox. Will you please
fill in space opposite the name as to
whether or not they had been vaccinated
and return to this office."
In response to this request to the
physicians who had reported these
cases, living in almost every section of
North Carolina, we received replies