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

260 THE HEALTH BULLETIN.THE DOCTOR'S LARGER DUTYHis Greater Privilege and the Possibilities Within His ReachAddress Before the Sixth District Medical Society by Dr. F. R. Harris, Henderson, PresidentWe are all keenly alive to our dutyto our patients, but may it not be truethat we are so engrossed with the individualthat we too often forget thatwe owe a larger service to the community?When we recall that, in 1911,we had in North Carolina over 2,000more deaths from tuberculosis, over1,000 more deaths from pneumonia,over 1,000 more from typhoid, over1,800 more from diarrheas (under twoyears), and nearly 500 more deathsfrom whooping cough than we wouldhave had with the average death ratein the United States, I am forced to theconclusion that somebody is at fault.This lamentable state of affairs is dueto indifference on the part of the public,and this is due to ignorance of thelaws of health.Now, to whom can the public lookfor relief but to our profession? Weknow the conditions; we know theremedy. Then is it not our boundenduty, as citizens, to give the benefitof our knowledge to the public? TheState Board of Health, with its efficientand wide-awake secretary, is doing allit can with the petty sum at its disposal.But this is only the enteringwedge. It rests with us, the rank andfile of the profession, individually andcollectively, to do our part in thisgreat work. If each member of this societywould do his part in this workduring the coming year, with the pen,on the rostrum, on the street, and especiallyin the homes whenever andwherever the opportunity offers, whata strong right arm might we not beto the State Board of Health, and whata blessing we would be to the publicin the prevention of sickness, the prolongationof life, and in promoting.in many ways, happiness and prosperityin our beloved State! This is whatI regard as the paramount privilegeand duty of the profession.The Physician and Vital Statistics.Our last General Assembly passeda strict and comprehensive vital statisticslaw. It is incumbent upon us,as guardians of the public health, topopularize this law by telling the peopleof its significance. In my judgment,we shall find a great many obstaclesto be overcome before the peoplecan realize that it is for the publicgood. Let us lose no opportunityto aid the State Board of Health inpopularizing this advance step bypointing out to the people the advantagesthat will accrue from its enforcement,and even by going out ofour way to personally see to it that everybirth and death is reported to thelocal registrar of the town or township,whether or not it occurred in ourpractice.The Physician and Preventive Medicine.Let our slogan be, "A competenthealth oflicer paid for his entire timefor each county in the State." Pardonme if I suggest right here that wesee to it that in each instance a competentcounty health ofl&cer is selected,and not be guilty of selecting a manbecause he needs a job. Rather let usselect a man because the job needsthat man. With a competent healthofficer paid for his entire time in eachcounty, each county should arrange aprogram of popular lectures to begiven by the members of the countysociety throughout the county, partic-