American telegraph. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1851-1851, 1851-10-22
The Health OF Washington.

We have recently received copy of the
Report of the Board of HEALTH" made to the
Mayor of Washington by Thomas Miller, M. D.,
the distinguished President of the Board
No returns of either marriages or births which
have taken place in this city are given for the
reason that the number of these reported to the
Board during the past year, from the neglect of
ministers and accouchers, are so far short of
the actual number which do occur, that to pub
lish them would be giving very false impress
sion of the real number If the Councils deem
it important to collect statistical knowledge on
these Subjects land the Board think it is i'm
portant,) they must enact laws to make it
obligatory on ministers Of the Gospel and those
who are empowered to perform the marriage
ceremony to report marriages, and accouchers
or heads of families to report the births and
the laws must be enforced.
From experience, derived from past observa-
tions, the Board are sustained in the conviction
of the value and Importance of vaccination, and
it justi6es them in reiterating their former
opinions of the necessity of permanent vac
cine institution. They recommend, as con-
nected with a vaccine establishment, that there
be a pest house erected, and placed under proper
and permanent arrangements, so that it will be
accessible at all times for cases Of smallpox as
well rs any other disease of an Infectious or
contagious nature.
The attention of the Board has been called to
the practice which obtains in some of the
churches of our city, of receiving upon tempo
rary deposit dead bodies in their vaults, under
their churches and in their church yards. The
Councils whether some action on their part on
this subject might not be appropriate, and save
much trouble and ycxation in future.
There is in this report chapter on the sub
ject of alleys cutters, and sewers. From the
vigilant efforts of the members of the Board,
aided, as it has been, by the Mayor, the City
Councils, and efficient police, much, we arc
told, has been done towards effecting cleanli-
ucss yet much has still to be done. BY avail
ing ourselves of the natural advantages of the
locality of our city, by disregarding obsolete
laws, fixed opinions, and rigid construction of
old laws, and making our grades to accord with
common sense, founded scientific observa-
tons, we will remove many of the obstacles
which now exist to proper drainage, and in this
way carry off all offensive and unhealthy collec.
tons
But defect exists with regard to the con-
struction Of sewers. In the present plan their
mouths are left open, and no arrangement exists
to prevent them from eliminating most often
sive and deleterious effiuyia. In a communica-
tion heretofore addressed to the Mayor, the
Board suggested n method by which, IN their
opinion, the difficulty thus presented might be
obviated. 1t consists in having either n balance
valve over the mouth of every sewer or the
construction Of what is termed by plumbers
goose-necks or air. traps. The sewer on the
corner of l4th street aud Pennsylvania avenue
has been arranged according to this plan, with
the most satisfactory result.
The Board express their pleasure in announc
ing the healthfuness of the city during the past
year, and its exemption from epidemic and con.
tagious diseases, with the exception Of the
smallpox, which, however, prevailed to very
limited extent, and was generally confined to
the most destitute class of society, who resided
in the suburbs of the city, and who had never
enjoyed the advantages of vaccination. The
number of deaths during the past year exceed
those of the previous by few. But when we
take into consideration that we have growing
population of between forty and fifty thousand,
beside large number Of strangers and sojourn-
ers and when we examine the table of inter
ments, it can readily be accounted for; and
even with this increase compare most faOord-
big cith the healthiest parts Of the tcorld. Our
list Of deaths prove too the infrequency of
deaths from that class of diseases usually &C
credited to the influence of climate and locality.
In this respect our city has, within few years
past, undergone marked Improvement.
Republic