In mid-December, 1905, a Professor E. H. S. Bailey of Lawrence, Kansas, received an express shipment from Topeka. The bundle contained two bottles of vanilla extract, multiple packages of ham sausage, Vienna sausage, Bologna sausage, corned beef, dried chipped beef, potted ham, potted tongue, veal loaf, beef loaf, and one bottle of water. A letter explaining the shipment jokingly noted “These I trust will arrive in time for your Christmas dinner. Of course we desire to have you make a careful analysis of them before proceeding with your dinner party… [Very truly yours], S. J. Crumbine, Secretary [Kansas Board of Health].” This and other letters by Samuel Crumbine are now available on Kansas Memory.
A pioneer in the field of public health, Dr. Samuel Crumbine of Dodge City, Kansas, used equal doses of humor and pragmatism to halt the spread of communicable diseases. His public health campaigns often used humorous illustrations, verses, and slogans to warn against unhealthy practices, but thier message was deadly serious. His campaign against houseflies urged screening windows and doors and used the slogan, "Swat the Fly."
Other targets of his campaigns were the common drinking cup or dipper and the exposed roller towel, often used on railroad trains and in other public areas. His success in this area was illustrated by the adoption of disposable paper cups and towels. Crumbine also warned against misleading labels on food and drugs. He became secretary of the Kansas Board of Health in 1904 and served approximately twenty years.
Selected letters by Samuel Crumbine are now available on Kansas Memory. For additional Crumbine materials on Kansas Memory go to People--Notable Kansans--Crumbine, Samuel Jay, 1862-1954.