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

12 The Health Bulletin March, 192",
overlu>iitc(l, crowded places, like inovins
picture tliciitres, hotel lohlties and so
on, safety from infection would be
promoted.
Wlieu a patient contracts pneumonia,
the quicker be gets in bed and procuios
the services of a j,'ood physician the better
bis chances for recovery will be.
While the physician can do little in the
way of treatment excei)t "supportive,"
he can look ahead and guard against
complications and better cope with
them if occurring, all to tlie benefit of
the patient.
Since writing the foregoing we have
received the report of the United States
Department of Commerce announcing
the principal causes of death during the
year 1925. Happily there was a decrease
throughout the registration area of the
United States in the death rate from
pneumonia. The decline, specifically
speaking, was from OS iter 1()(),00() population
to 94. A very percei'tible reduction.
The decline applied to North
Carolina in about the same proportion
as elsew^here. In order that you may
readily understand even yet how high
the rate is, it is only necessary to compare
tlie rate from pneumonia deaths
with those as a result of typhoid fever.
In North Carolina, calculated on the
same basis as pneumonia, tlie death
rate from tj'phoid fever was less than
10 per 100,000 population. In short,
pneumonia is now annually killing approximately
ten times as many people
in this State as typhoid fever.
SCHOOL ABSENTEEISM AND DENTAL DEFECTS
Now that the six months term of
scliool is closing for the school year
in this month, it would be interesting
to know just how many days school
children enrolled in the [lublic schools
of North Carolina have missed on account
of dental troubles. The Virginia
State Board of Education has published
a report pointing out that something
more than 50 per cent of the children
enrolled in the public schools of Virginia
had defective teeth, and that 40
per cent of all school absences in that
state for the particular year the survey
covered was due to dental disorders.
Since the North Carolina State Board
of Health commenced its dental work
for school children in 1918 the percentage
of dental defects on each subsequent
survey has been constantly
falling. The survey covers from 65,000
to 100,000 children per year, and in the
beginning of the work in 1918 slightly
more than 80 per cent of all children
enrolled in the schools wiio were examined
were found to be sufifering with
defective teetli. The survey for 1925
and 1926. covering nearly 90,000 children,
indicated that the percentage at
that time suffering from dental disorders
needing attention was a little
more than 45 per cent of the total
examined. It will be seen by comparison
of these figures that the percentage
of dental disorders in North
Carolina is ver.v close to the percentage
found in Virginia. Thus it may be su]>
posed that the progress in combating
this condition is about equal in the
two states so far as we know. However
we do not have available the
figures for the direct cause of absenteeisms
as necessarily that report would
have to come from the educaticmal
officials; but we are inclined to believe
that the percentage would pi-obably be
found about the same. The reader who
is fond of figuring out percentages according
to mathematical custom can
figure for himself or herself just how
many hundred thousand school days
such a percentage means would be lost
to all educational efi'orts. Anyhow, all
of us know that we are just beginning
to make progress in the promotion of
dental improvement for the coming
generations. It is one of the most
worthwhile efforts which could demand
the attention of all public health workers,
teachers, educational authorities,
dentists, and physicians, all cooperating
together.
THE RECKLESS DRIVER
He took a chance,
Did hasty Hans.
The chance he took
Was another man's
man
The other
Lies maimed and shaken.
He bad a chance,
But it was taken.
— The New York Times.
i