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

216 THE HEALTH BULLETIN.Time Health Officer of Sampson, forthe month of December, shows that hegave eleven lectures on public health,at various points in his county, to anaggregate audience of 1,575 people,and, further, that during that monthhe examined 721 rural children, finding376 of them seriously defective inteeth, vision, or hearing, or because ofadenoids or diseases of the tonsils.There were also several incipient casesof tuberculosis. Of those found defective,his report show-s that fifty wereTotreated and cured of their defects.accomplish these results Dr. Coopertraveled 505 miles on the public roadsof his county during that month.A NEW AWAKENINGHealth and Child Welfare Coming to'the FrontThree years ago no one ever thoughtof asking the State Board of Healthabout how to raise babies. Peoplethought then that health work consistedin pensioning off some good oldsoul in every town and calling himthe "health officer." It was understood,of course, that this pension should bevery modest, and his duties, if possible,even more modest. Sure enough, theywere. About all he ever did was toitack up yellow placards aroun smallpoxcases and condemn dead horses,hogs and cattle as "a public nuisanceand a menace to health." Great healthwork, wasn't it! Such work looks likechild's play now, compared to the reallife-saving work being done by wholetime county health officers.As a matter of fact, there is at thepresent time a hundred times as muchvolunteer health work going on in theState as was done by most of the socalled"health officers." To illustrate,the writer reproduces herewith the firsttwo letters he opened in this morning'smail. The first is from a mother in alittle village that never was able topension off a health officer, and it isjust about as well off, anyway. Theletter reads as follows:State Board of Health, Raleigh, N. C.Gentlemen:—Please send me someliterature, about a half dozen copies, todistribute to some poor, ignorant motherson the care and feeding of babiesfrom birth to two years of age.Very truly yours,Mrs. J. P. PThe next letter was from a very busyphysician. His letter is brief and tothe point, but he still has time to domore than deal out pills and renderbills. His letter, with the namesslightly changed, is as follows:State Board of Health, Raleigh. N. C.Gentlemen:-—Please send Miss HattieRoberts, of Doesville, your literatureon tuberculosis.Sincerely,C. LThese are not special or selected letters,but they represent the general runof requests for literature and informationon public health and sanitation.Three years ago not as many such requestswere received by the StateBoard of Health in a month as arenow received daily.All this represents the dawn of thehealth age and a special movement inthe direction of child welfare. Childrenare beginning to come into theirown. It certainly argues well for astate when we begin paying more attentionto the health and well-being ofour babies, when we are taking ourchildren out of factories and when wegive them longer school terms. Remember,these little children will bethe citizens of North Carolina in thefuture, and the greatness of a state isno greater than that of her citizens.Let the good work go on. Whereyou know of a case of tuberculosis askthe State Board of Health to send abulletin on tuberculosis; where youknow of a baby whose mother mightprofit by receiving free literature on