Los Banos Rotary Club History
Dr. Moyle Gives Resume of County Health Department

Concrete evidence of the benefits accruing to the people of Merced County through effectiveness of the county health department was graphically given to members of the Rotary Club Tuesday noon by Dr. Chester Moyle, county health officer.

First complimenting the Los Banos city officials and city department heads for their whole hearted cooperation and support of the county health program, Dr. Moyle said that Los Banos, and also Gustine, are, from, a health standpoint, the two cleanest cities in the county.

As to the health program on a countywide basis, Dr. Moyle first declared that four governmental services in this county—public health, medical care, welfare, and protection to persons and property accounts for 57 per cent of the entire county budget; and that it is his primary ambition to reduce these costs.

Pointing to the accomplishments of the health department since he took over the office, Dr. Moyle stated that noticeable headway had been made in reducing the infant mortality rate in this county. In 1948 34 ½ per cent of infant deaths in this county were due to diarrhea—lack of sanitation and filth. Persistent work by health department nurses and sanitarians, education and enforcement of sanitation laws caused this mortality rate to drop to 13.2 per cent in 1949, and to 4.3 per cent in 1950. Last year, Dr. Moyle said, not one infant death in the county was attributable to such cause.

Enforcement of sanitation law has also been effective in increasing our general health, he said, and pointed to the fact that when he took office there were 138 food establishments in this county not equipped with hot water tanks and proper sinks. Put in the past few years the department has instituted a continuing program of education for food handling establishments, and provided health examinations for food handlers. Over 150 food handlers on the West Side have received health training in this department, and another class is to be held here soon.

Commenting on tuberculosis, its health danger and the high cost of treatment to the taxpayers of the county, Dr. Moyle illustrated his point with a map of the City of Merced, showing the so-called slum, areas. That area which comprises only 5 per cent of the city, is charged with 63 per cent of the active tuberculosis cases in the city. Active cases, he said, are transferred to the sanitorium at a cost to the county of about $300 per patient per month; or are isolated under strict restrictions at their home. Persons who will not comply with required health restrictions at home, are subject by law to be sent to the California Medical Facility at San Pedro where they are treated and forcibly confined so they cannot further spread the disease.

In 1948, the speaker said there were three tuberculosis deaths of children in this county, traceable directly to a known carrier of the disease.
Stressing the importance of health education to all peoples, Dr. Moyle emphasized that regardless of the humanitarian principles involved, the problem is one of dollar and cents economy. Welfare costs in California today, he said, is about one million dollars a day.

As a further example of the tax-dollar benefits that have been made possible by improved health conditions in the camps and slum areas, Dr. Moyle said that two years ago there were 124 cases of infant diarrhea placed in the isolation ward of the county hospital, at a cost of approximately $26 a day. Such cost, for the 2,150 days involved, cost the taxpayers $55,900. Last year there were 72 such cases, 512 patient days, at a cost of $13,312—a saving of $42,588 to the taxpayers besides the saving of lives effected. Merced is the only county in the valley where no infant deaths from such disease was reported last year.

Of all deaths in the county last year, Dr. Moyle said that heart disease was the number one killer, of which 90 per cent was of the degenerative heart condition and only 10 per cent acute heart trouble. Cancer caused 10 per cent of the deaths, accidents 8 per cent, tuberculosis 3 per cent, and pneumonia, at one time one of the greatest killers, claimed only 2 per cent. Peculiarly, Dr. Moyle said that of all accident deaths, only 8 per cent were caused by motor vehicles.

Greatest single killer among infants was premature birth, which amounted to 40 per cent. This, Dr. Moyle said, is largely a problem of education and pre-natal care.

The county health department, in cooperation with the county superintendent of schools, is this year inaugurating an expanded health education campaign, and in this connection have engaged the services of Dr. Oliver Berg, professor of health education, Stanford University, who will help formulate a county-wide educational program, and also address parental groups throughout the county on health problems.

February 8, 1952

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