Text
from Arkansas Public Health History Video
ANNOUNCER: (OVER
MUSIC) Preventing disease and disability has been a major concern of the Arkansas Department of Health for a long time.
In fact, the roots of public health can be traced back to 1832, when Little Rock's town council created the first
city board of health in the Arkansas Territory.
Relatively few Arkansans died when yellow fever ravaged the Mississippi Valley in 1878, yet the epidemic's effects
proved to be the catalyst to organize the first official state board of health.
It wasn't until 1913 that a permanent state board of health was appointed. Largely financed by John D. Rockefeller,
this new board of health focused on eradicating hookworm disease, and, later, the spread of malaria.
The Great Depression of 1929 amplified the health problems of that era. Many people who could no longer afford private
medical care turned to public health for assistance. During this time, thousands of immunizations were given to combat
typhoid fever, smallpox, and diptheria.
The outbreak of polio in the 1940s prompted the Department of Health to begin educating parents on the importance of early
vaccination.
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