academic communities will be scanned
for the "best-judged original contribu-
tion, available in print or otherwise,
reflecting significant achievement in
the recognition, detection and abate-
ment or control of environmental pol-
lution." The recipient of the sculpture
Award, who will also receive a cash
honorarium of $2,500, will be selected
by the Committee on Science and the
Arts of The Franklin Institute, Phila-
delphia, Pennsylvania, America's oldest
science institute.
of
Environmental
Pollution
See opposite page
THE HEALTH BULLETIN
April, 1968
Lewis L. Dollinge
r Pure Environment Award 1968
Awarded by Franklin Institute
April, 1968
THE HEALTH BULLETIN
Whooping Cough
in Teenagers
and Adults is
Disabling Illness
Whooping Cough in teenagers and
adults is a disabling illness character-
ized by a severe persistent paroxysmal
cough occasionally culminating in vom-
iting. This often lasts for weeks or
months. The illness exists in mild forms
and is often simply called bronchitis.
A public health laboratory in Michi-
gan is carefully culturing and studying
persons with whooping cough. In 1967,
1,060 cases occurred in Michigan. A
study of persons exposed to whoop-
ing cough reveals that 21% of persons
who were vaccinated 0-3 years previ-
ously develop whooping cough. The
corresponding attack rate for persons
vaccinated 4-7 years previously is 47%,
for 8-11 years previously is 65%, and
for 12 or more years previously is
95%. Studies in Michigan reveal that
55% of positive pertussis cultures come
from the 10-19 year old age group.
Twenty percent come from persons 20
years old or older.
Analysis of the serotypes which have
been isolated suggests that infection
with organisms devoid of number 2
antigen are becoming more frequent.
It seems likely that the antigenic com-
ponents of the pertussis vaccine may
one day have to be altered.
Although pertussis is now a disease
of teenagers and adults (in immunized
communities), it is not clear whether
teenagers should receive another
"booster" vaccination. The neurologic
sequelae after vaccination, though rare,
may be more frequent in adults.
The North Carolina Supreme Court
According to a UPI report has de-
clared unconstitutional a Charlotte ordi-
nance designed to outlaw massages by
members of the opposite sex. The 1966
ordinance was passed at the request of
police who complained of "lewd mas-
sages" and prostitution in the city's
massage parlors. The ordinance exempt-
ed the YMCA, the YWCA and barber
and beauty shops. Supreme Court Jus-
tice Susie Sharp, writing for the majori-
ty, said the exemptions made the ordi-
nance discriminatory.
Motorcycle Riders
Beware
Motorcycle riders are sometimes
killed or injured because automobile
drivers or pedestrians refuse to share
the road with them.
The above statement can be found
in a new, revised edition of the pam-
phlet, "Motorcycles in the United
States." The pamphlet is published by
the injury Control Program of the Pub-
lic Health Service's National Center for
Urban and Industrial Health in Cincin-
nati.
Other causes of motorcyclist injuries
and deaths, according to Dr. Richard E.
Mariand, Chief of the Center's Injury
Control Program, are: (1) many new
riders lack adequate training and ex-
perience in controlling their vehicles,
and (2) many riders have not been suf-
ficiently informed of the dangers of
riding motorcycles and are unprepared
to deal with hazardous situations.
The new pamphlet includes informa-
tion on motorcycle registrations, the
importance of wearing helmets and
other protective clothing, as well as
benefits of wearing reflective materials
for night visibility.
10
THE HEALTH BULLETIN
April, 1968
An 1827 French
A Sfrange Alliance '"9 ^^^ third factor in LaPlace's law.
But the question was not answered
A Soap Bubble ^^ ^° whether this law of physics could
be put to practical use in terms of the
human heart. Dr. Hood and his associ-
ates have been investigating LaPlace's
p, . . 'aw of physics and its relationship to
rhySICIST heart patients. Evidence to date seems
to support the fact that LaPlace's law
A Modern Computer does have clinical usefulness. The UNC
researchers have found that in response
to valve obstruction or leakage the left
What do a soap bubble, a French ventricular wall normally thickens "ap-
physicist who died in 1827, and a propriately" so that tension tending to
computer have to do with modern rupture the wall is minimized. If the
open-heart surgery? At the University wall does not thicken "appropriately,"
of North Carolina School of Medicine, it usually means the heart muscle is
William Hood, M.D., Charles Rackley, weak and the pumping ability of the
M.D., and Ellis Rolett, M.D., with the heart is impaired.
help of North Carolina Heart Associa- What does this mean to those indi-
ton Heart Fund dollars are putting these viduals who may need to undergo sur-
three seemingly unrelated pieces to- gery to replace a valve damaged
gether to add significantly to our through disease? If the heart muscle of
knowledge of how the heart works. such patients is weak, they may not
In the early 1800s, Pierre Simon de improve even though their valvular dif-
LaPlace formulated a law of physics ficulty is completely corrected. By eval-
v/hich can be used to calculate the sur- uating the appropriateness of the left
face tension of a soap bubble. Its prin- ventricular wall thickness, Dr. Hood
ciple guides engineers today in the ^""^ ^'^ associates hope to be able to
design of containers which hold com- P'edict which patients have good
pressed gas. The law of LaPlace relates enough pumping action to benefit from
the tension on the wall of a chamber surgery.
to the size and shape of the cavity, the """^s necessary calculations have been
pressure within the cavity, and the greatly facilitated by the use of com-
Ihickness of the wall. puter programs specially developed in
About five years ago, a group of ^^^'^ Division of Bioengineering.
investigators in Seattle devised a spe- ^''- Hood, in a paper presented re-
cial X-ray method of measuring the ^^"^'^ ^o the American College of Cardi-
dimensions of the left ventricle of the ology, won first prize among 53 pres-
heart, as well as the thickness of the entations for his report detailing the
heart wall. (The left ventricle is like ^3\vre of this research. A gold medal
an egg in shape and is the main pump- ^^^ ^ check for $1,000 accompanied
ing chamber of the heart.) This ad- ^^'^ recognition.
vanced X-ray technique provided two And so a strange alliance between a
of the three factors needed to apply soap bubble, a long-deceased physicist,
LaPlace's law of physics to the human and a 20th century computer may yet
heart. Through a procedure known as add another positive tool in the con-
cardiac catheterization, the pressure tinued fight to add years of life to
within the heart is measured, provid- those afflicted with heart disease.
April, 1968 THE HEALTH BULLETIN 11
Research to
Identify
'^High-Risk''
Suicide Group
Research to identify the "high-risk"
suicide group in New Hampshire will
be supported by a $29,752 Federal
grant to the New Hampshire Depart-
ment of Health and Welfare, it was
announced by Dr. Stanley F. Yolles,
Director of the National Institute of
Mental Health, U. S. Public Health
Service.
All suicides in the State in the past
10 years will be studied in an attempt
to clarify the characteristics of the high-
risk suicidal individual in a rural State.
Age, sex, race, marital status, occupa-
tion, socioeconomic status, physical and
mental health, place of residence at
time of death, mode of death, and
religion will be among the factors
studied.
"Psychological autopsies," detailed
studies of the circumstances surround-
ing a suicide, will be conducted for all
suicides in New Hampshire during the
two years of the project.
All findings will be computerized
for easy collation.
The investigators hope that exhaust-
ive study of past suicides will enable
the designing of suicide intervention
services specially tailored to lower the
suicide rate in rural areas.
In 1964, New Hampshire ranked
seventh in the United States with re-
spect to suicide. There were about 14.8
suicides per 100,000 population or 89
statewide in 1964.
During 1967 North Carolina had a
total of 472 suicides.
Poison Ivy, Oak
and Sumac
The leaves of poison ivy, oak, and
sumac usually share the blame for
causing an allergic rash and blisters
which afflict millions of Americans dur-
ing warm weather. Actually, the cul-
prit is urushiol— an ingredient found in
the sap of all three plants— according
to a new folder prepared by the Na-
tional Institute of Allergy and Infec-
tious Diseases (NIAID).
Urushiol is a potent substance affect-
ing 7 of every 10 persons it touches.
It causes an allergic contact dermatitis
of a severity which varies with indi-
vidual sensitivity and amount of expos-
ure. As with all allergies, it is not
known why some people react to
urushiol while others do not.
Contact with urushiol is necessary to
develop an allergic reaction. Touching
a plant is the usual method of exposure.
But garden tools, work clothes, roving
pets, or the smoke from burning plants
can provide indirect contact with the
substance.
Most people worry about scarring—
which rarely occurs— and overtreat the
symptoms. Removing all urushiol from
the skin and eliminating indirect con-
tact are most important procedures. A
drying lotion usually relieves the rash
and its accompanying itch, although a
particularly susceptible person with a
severe reaction should, of course, seek
a physician's care.
The new folder also devotes a sec-
tion to pointers on how to recognize,
avoid, and eliminate the plants.
Single copies of "Poison Ivy, Oak,
and Sumac" Public Health Service
publication No. 1723, may be obtained
from the Information Office, National
Institute of Allergy and Infectious Dis-
eases, Bethesda, Md. 20014.
12
THE HEALTH BULLETIN
April, 1968
Jogging
Is
On
The
Way
To
Becoming
A
National
Sport
Hal Higdon writing in the Magazine
Section of the New York Times stated
that "Jogging is an In Sport." The
North Carolina Heart Association goes
one step further and suggests that jog-
ging may become the national sport.
Ever increasing evidence is being
amassed to indicate that the sedentary
life being led by many Americans may
well be contributing to the incident of
heart disease in this country. Dr. Paul
Dudley White, one of the founders of
the American Heart Association, has
long advocated exercise as a preventive
measure in heart disease. Other noted
Americans have taken up the cause.
Secretary of the Interior, Stewart L.
Udall, along with Senators Strom Thur-
mond and William Proxmire are among
our government officials who are de-
voted advocates of jogging.
Jogging differs from walking or run-
ning in that with jogging there is more
up and down movement than any mode
of locomotion. This up and down
movement of the arms and legs adds
to the overall effect in that it stimu-
lates the circulation of the jogger.
Hal Higdon in his New York Times
article states that "when an out-of-
shape person starts to jog, he may
find it difficult to maintain even a slow
6 mile per hour pace for more than
a hundred yards." While the North
Carolina Heart Association agrees that
jogging is an excellent form of exer-
cise, it hastens to add that no one
should attempt to take up jogging
until they have had a physical examina-
tion. This is especially important with
those individuals who are overweight
or have a history of heart disase.
Jogging may well become the "In
Sport" that can add years of healthy,
happy existence to many who would
otherwise find it very difficult to en-
gage in any physical activity. One of
the especially appealing aspects of jog-
ging as a sport is that all one needs is
a good pair of shoes, an old pair of
trousers, a .=.hirt, and if nothing else, a
large room to get into the swing. There
is no expensive equipment to buy,
no clubs to join, and it's a sport that
one can enjoy in public or in private,
day or night. The North Carolina Heart
Association urges everyone to see their
physician and based on his recommen-
dation join the "In Sport."
April, 1968
THE HEALTH BULLETIN
13
Education
to Ploy a Key
Prevention Role
A Sharp Increase In The Detected
Use of Marijuana
By U.S. troops in Vietnam was dis-
closed recently as the Defense Depart-
ment took steps to unify anti-drug poli-
cies in the armed forces, according to a
recent UP! story. Frank Bartimo, assist-
ant Defense Department counsel was
quoted as saying that final figures for
1967 will show a rate of 2.5 men per
thousand troops compared with a rate
of just under one man per thousand in
1966. Whether the figures reflect an
actual increase in the use of marijuana
or better enforcement becaues of pub-
licity is an open question. A Depart-
ment of Defense directive has been
issued to "prevent and eliminate drug
abuse in the armed forces." Education
will play a key role in the prevention
program.
An American Medical Association
Committee
Has concluded that marijuana is a
dangerous drug, but current legal pen-
alties for possessing it are too strong,
according to an AP dispatch. Dr. Henry
Brill, chairman of the AMA committee
on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence
and vice chairman of the Narcotics Con-
trol Commission of New York, said
marijuana has a "long and clearcut his-
tory as a drug of abuse in Asia and
the Near East where it is recognized as
a serious social problem associated with
psychiatric disorders."
THE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF TETANUS
The master of a large ship mashed
the index finger of his right hand with
the anchor. Seven days later a some-
what foul discharge appeared; then
trouble with his tongue— he complained
he could not speak properly. The pre-
sence of tetanus was diagnosed, his
jaws became pressed together, his
teeth were locked, then symptoms ap-
peared in his neck. On the third day
opisthotonos appeared with sweating.
Six days after the diagnosis was made
he died.
Hippocrates 460-375 B.C.
MEMBERS OF THE NORTH CAROLINA STATE BOARD OF HEALTH
James S. Raper, M.D., President Asheville
Lenox D. Baker, M.D., Vice-President Durham
Ben W. Dawsey, D.V.M. Gastonia
Ernest A. Randleman, Jr., B.S.Ph. Mount Airy-
Paul F. Maness, M.D. Burlington
A. P. Cline, Sr., D.D.S. Canton
Joseph S. Hiatt, Jr., M.D. Southern Pines
J. M. Lackey Rt. 2, Hiddenite
Howard Paul Steiger, M.D. Charlotte
EXECUTIVE STAFF
Jacob Koomen, M.D.. ISLP.H. State Health Director
W. Burns Jones, M.D., M.P.H. Assistant State Health Director
J. M. Jarrett, B.S. Director, Sanitary Engineering Division
Martin P. Hines, D.V.^L, M.P H. Director, Epidemiology Division
Ronald H. Levine, M.D., M.P.H. Director, Community Health Division
E. A. Pearson, Jr., D.D.S., M.P.H. Director, Dental Health Division
Lynn G. Maddry, Ph.D., M.S.P.H. Director, Laboratory Division
Ben Eaton, Jr., A.B., LL.B. Director, Admiriistrative Services Division
Theodore D. Scurletis, M.D. Director, Personal Health Division
14
THE HEALTH BULLETIN
April, 1968
Health
Planning
Council
Gets
Under Way
The recently formed Central Coastal
Plains Health Planning Council has
wasted no time in beginning to fulfill
the purposes for which it was created.
This group of professional health
service personnel, health service con-
sumers, community leaders and inter-
ested private citizens from Wilson and
Greene Counties have as their main
objectives, determination of health
services necessary to and desirable for
those persons living in the planning
area and discovery of methods for pro-
viding these services.
Dr. Badie T. Clark is Chairman of the
Central Coastal Plain Health Planning
Council.
One of the first needs determined
by the Council was the necessity of up-
grading the quality of health services
already existing in the planning area.
Toward the accomplishment of this goal,
this Council is sponsoring its first Sym-
posium at 1:30 P.M. on May 22, 1968
at the Imperial Inn in Wilson. Dr.
Thomas Griffin of Wilson listed the
goals of the Symposium as:
1. Develop a connecting link for
free interchange between insti-
tutions concerned with patient
care and those primarily con-
cerned with research and teaching.
2. Provide methods for extending
and coordinating the N. C. Re-
gional Medical Program objectives
to community hospitals by use of
a communication network.
3. Develope frequent interchange
between those practicing in the
field and those concerned with
research and teaching.
4. By leadership and example, en-
courage community hospitals to
become learning centers for all
health care personnel.
5. Stimulate highly motivated and
capable practitioners in health
care to become interested and ac-
tively involved in teaching and
learning.
Dr. James Lieberman will address
the group concerning the success of a
two-way microwave television system
presently in use in the Atlanta area in
both diagnostic consultation and con-
tinuing health and medical education.
It will be pointed out in his discus-
sion the tremendous prossibilities of-
fered by this medium because of its
immediacy, visual presentation, and
emotional impact.
In additon to Dr. Lieberman and Dr.
E. T. Beddingfield, First Vice-President
of the Medical Society of the State of
North Carolina, several other distin-
guished health service specialists are
scheduled for the Symposium. Partici-
pation of the out-of-state speakers will
be supported by a grant in aid to the
Central Coastal Plains Health Planning
Council from Merck Sharpe & Dohme.
The Symposium will end following a
6:00 P.M. dinner meeting and summary
of findings presented by Dr. E. Harvey
Estes, Chairman of the Department of
Community Health Sciences, Duke Med-
ical Center, Durham, North Carolina.
April, 1968
THE HEALTH BULLETIN
15
THE HEALTH BULLETIN
P. O. Box 2091
Raleigh, N. C. 27602
^Z-
^
% '
^0.
%â–
O.
'&
'^o.
-&
>y
LIBRARIAN rrrjAn^
DIVISION 07 HEALTH AFFAIRS LIBRARY
N.C. J^lM. H03P. U. N. C.
HAPEL liILL, N.C.
%
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DATES AND EVENTS
May 19-20 — American Social Health
Association, Board Meeting, Sham-
rock Hotel, Houston, Texas.
May 19-22 — Annual Meeting: National
Tuberculosis Association,. Houston,
Texas.
May 20-22 - Child Welfare League Re-
gional Conference, New Orleans, La.
May 21 — Council on Aging, 1 1 2 W.
Lane St., Raleigh, N. C.
May 23-25 — S. C. Public Health Asso-
ciation, Myrtle Beach, S. C.
May 27-29 — Planning Computer-Based
Hospital Information Systems, New
York Hilton Hotel, New York.
May 27-31 — Annual Meeting: Southern
Branch, APHA, Roanoke, Virginia.
May 29-30 — N. C. Heart Association,
19th Annual Meeting & Scientic Ses-
sions, Winston-Salem, N. C.
May 30-31 — Meeting of the South-
western Medical Society, Roaring
Gap, N. C.
June 6 — Regional Rural Health Con-
ference, Assembly Building, Wilson,
North Carolina.
June 6-7 - Eastern NCPHA, John Yan-
cey Hotel, Atlantic Beach, N. C.
Three cases of poliomyelitis recently
occurred in Texas. All cases were in
previously unimmunized children less
than two years of age. While there
have been no very recent cases of
poliomyelitis in North Carolina, it
should be recalled that a case of par-
alytic poliomyelitis did occur in North
Carolina in 1967. Previous to this no
case of this disease, which is both po-
tentially fatal and a potential embarrass-
ment to our child care programs, had
occurred in this state for more than
two years.
Scientists of the Public Health Serv-
ice's National Center for Air Pollution
Control have developed a device which
measures the density of smoke emis-
sions from dresel-powered vehicles by
simulating the responses of the human
eye.
The proposed new Federal standards
to control automotive air pollution-
include a requirement that smoke from
diesel engines be limited. The newly
developed device, called the light ex-
tinction meter, is designed primarily
for use in laboratory test procedures to
determine whether this requirement is
being met.
16
THE HEALTH BULLETIN
April, 1968
20t'h Anniversary of The Arthritis Foundation Recognized
Mrs. Dan K. Moore gave recognition to the twentieth anniversary of The Arthritis
Foundation at the Executive Mansion in May. The First Lady's guest of honor was
little Miss Ann Elizabeth Emery of Charlotte who is Child of Hope for 1968.
Among the three hundred guests were representatives of the military services.
Shown above (left to right) are Mrs. Maurice J. Vorwald, Specialist-5 Maurice J.
Vorwald, Ann, the First Lady, Major George Marecek and Mrs. Marecek. Major
Marecek and Specialist Vorwald are members of the United States Army Special
Forces — the Green Berets — at Fort Bragg. May was Arthritis Month in North
Carolina by Proclamation of Governor Dan K. Moore. Mrs. Moore is Honorary
Chairman of the North Carolina Chapter of The Arthritis Foundation.
If
m
*C^J^^^
i
^^^^ywtr^^^^^^^^^
Dr. Richard Page
Hudson, Jr. Named
Chief Medical
Examiner for
North Caroh'na
Richard Page Hudson, Jr., AA.D., has
been named Chief Medical Examiner
for the State of North Carolina, accord-
ing to announcement by Dr. Jacob Koo-
men. State Health Director. This appoint-
ment was approved by the State Board
of Health in their recent annual meet-
ing in Pinehurst.
The Office of Chief Medical Exam-
iner, to function under the auspices of
the State Board of Health, was created
in an Act by the 1967 General Assem-
bly to provide for a statewide system
for post-mortem medicolegal examina-
tions. The appointment is made for a
term of four years.
In announcing the appointment Dr.
Koomen said, "We are most fortunate
in securing the services of Dr. Hudson,
who has outstanding qualifications for
the position of Chief Medical Examiner.
His leadership should mean much to
North Carolina in this important field."
Dr. Hudson, a native of Richmond,
Virginia, is a highly qualified and skill-
ed Forensic Pathologist. He will assume
his new duties September 1st at an
annual salary of $30,000. The office of
the State Medical Examiner will be lo-
cated in Chapel Hill and will function
in close collaboration with the Univer-
sity of North Carolina, School of Medi-
cine, Department of Pathology.
Dr. Hudson attended Duke University,
Durham, N. C. and the University of
Richmond, Richmond, Va., where he re-
ceived a B.A. degree in Chemistry. He
received his medical degree from the
Medical College of Virginia. He served
his Internship in Pathology at John
Hopkins Hospital and was Assistant
Pathologist at John Hopkins Hospital
from July, 1957 to June, 1958, when
he was called to military duty as a
Captain with the U. S. Air Force Med-
ical Corps.
He was a Research Fellow at Harvard
Medical School, Department of Legal
Medicine and was a resident in Clinical
Pathology at Kings County Hospital,
New York. He has served as an In-
structor in Pathology at John Hopkins
University, State University of New
York, Downstate, and the Medical Col-
lege of Virginia. Currently, he is Asso-
ciate Professor in Surgical Pathology at
the Medical College of Virginia.
Dr. Hudson holds certification in
Anatomical and Forensic Pathology. He
is licensed to practice medicine in Vir-
ginia, New York, California and Massa-
chusetts.
He is a member of the Richmond
Academy of Medicine; Medical Society
of Virginia; American Medical Associa-
tion; Fellow, College of American Path-
ologist; American Academy of Forensic
Sciences; Fellow, American Society of
Clinical Pathologists; and Japanese-
American Society of Pathologists.
Dr. Hudson is married to the former
Sally Sewell. They have four children.
THE HEALTH BULLETIN
May, 1968
Dr. Charles M.
Cameron, Jr.
Resigns f-o Accepf-
Oklahoma PosiHon
Dr. Jacob Koomen to Supervise
Work Temporarily
Governor Moore has announced that
Dr. Charles M. Cameron, Jr., is resign-
ing as Director of the State Office of