National Republican., 1876-11-29
The ytEaLrH OF THE CAPITAL

ANIMAL Report of ths President OF
U.e Board of Health-Sauitary Com
dftfon of the City-COmparisO1 Be-
tween the Old and New System
Work OF the Subordinate Offices
Births, Marriages and Deaths Dar-
ing the Year.
The president of the Board OF Health, DR..
T. S. Verdi, has prepared the fifth annual re-
port of the work performed by that body in
the District of Columbia. After giving
lengthy and elaborate review of the manner in
which the board has attended to the welfare
of the citizens of this community by abating
nuisances, filling lots, inspecting and condemn
ing food, suppressing the spread of infectious
diseases, and thereby bringing the city up to
an enyiable standard of healthfulness when
compared with other cities, he concludes as
follows:
Much has been said about the expenditures
Of this board. No one has impeached, how
ever, its accounts, for there never was de-
partment in which the public moneys have
been spent with so much fidelity. Although
the board has trusty and bonded treasurer,
he IS not allowed to pay even for a pen-holder
the bill for which has not been presented to the
board, referred to the committee on finance,
and BY said committee reported to the board.
The board approves or not the bill, and If ap-
proved, the treasurer is ordered to pay It. At
the end of every month this officer is required
to make financial statement, and at the end
of the year his accounts are audited by COM
mittee of the board and the proper accounting
officers Of the Government. Hence we state
with pride that the accounts of the board are
above suspicion. But
ARE THE EXPENSES OF THE BOARD EXCESSIVE,
taking in consideration the amount of work
performed That the work is necessity In a
well governed community we have demon
strated.
Let US compare the expenses for sanitary
work during the old, inefficient regime with
the present successful one /: Sanitary squad of
police, composed of ten policemen and a lieu
tenant, ignorant of sanitary laws and the sci
ence of hygiene, and under no advisory ssni-
tary counsel, S13 800; office and salary per
aDnum of secretary to a Board of Health,
composed of many members, without money
or authority whatsoever, 81 600; medical at
tendance and medicines for the poor, 1S71-'2
%, average per annum, So, 900; removal Of
garbage, 1S72-'3, average, S25, 900; removal
of dead animals, 81 600; total, S62, 500. No
inspection of food, 10 inspection of marine |
products no registration of vital statistics, no
interference with contagious and infectious |
diseases, and systematic inspection of streets,
alleys, yards, houses, sunken lots, sewers, &c. |
no taking up of domestic animals at large;
no protection against rabid dogs, except by |
shooting them promiscuously, often wouu1iny
people instead of killing the dogs; no board |
of sanitary experts to whom citizens could re- |
fer nuisances of a special character and fiId |
relief; no hoard of sanitary experts for t
pruning and promulgation of sanitary laws,
rules and regulstions-a system, in fact, re- |
markable only for its negatiTeness and ineff- |
cheney. |
The Board of Health, as at present con-
sti,uted, is composed of five mcmbers-thr,e |
physicians, one lawyer and one merchant, at |
q salary of $4,000 each per annum-S10, 600; |
one medical officer, S2,500; one medical sa1i- |
tary inspector, 81 800; one chief clerk, 81 900;
five sanitary inspectors, at 81 200 each, $4,000;
three food inspectors, at 81 ,2OO, $500; ore
pound master, 81 200; four clerks, at 81 200, |
health Office and registration service, 81, 500;
messenger and janitor service, 5000; collection |
of garbage, $l5,600; care of sick poor and
medicines, $1,000; pound service, $4,000; |
transportation of oHals, $1,000. Total, $685.
100.
COMPARATIVE EXPENSES OF BOARDS OF
HEALTH
Memorandum compiled from reports of other |
health boards: Philadelphia, expenses for
1874, 1885,, ,s09.44; population, $1,000; ex-
ending April 80, 1875, expenses, St69, ,031 81;
population, S42 900; expenses per capita, s1.37.
Baltimore, for the year ending October 81,
1875, expenses, S26S, ,S55.47: population, $780,
600; expenses per capita, 7613 cents. New
York city, for the year ending 1873, salary ac-
count alone, S2l5, ,277.04.
NUIsANcEs.
During the year %, ,261 nuisances of greater
or less degree have been reported and abated;
81 houses were condemned as unfit for hu-
man habitation and destroyed or rebuilt by
their owners; 424 others were reported as be-
ing in unsanitary condition from various causes,
and the cleaning and repairing of the same
ordered and enforced; 166 sunken lots upon
which stagnant water was found have been
filled, and ! GAL sewer connections made.
These results indicate the extent and value of
the service.
FOOD INSPECTIONS.
Since the commencement of the current
fiscal year the efficiency of this important
branch Of the service has been greatly i'm
paired for want of funds, Congress having
failed to appropriate as estimated and urged
by the board. During the year % ,2l7 pounds
Of meats; :, $40 pounds of game; 2,632 dozen
eggs, and large quantities of fruit and vegeta-
bles have beer condemned as unfit for food;
value of such ID when of wholesome quail
ity, S11, ,926... The inspection of marine
products has beer thorough and efficient.
The number of fish inspected aggregates f.
755, ia; condemned as unfit for food, A ,423;
the condemnations of shell fish include g., ,915 |
CLAIMS, 6l ,0S4 crabs and 4 ,759 bushels oysters;
value of condemnations when Of wholesome
quslity, S6,60l.7Q.
ANIMALS AT LARGE.
1t is made the duty of the board by Con-
gress '!to make and enforce regulations to
prevent domestic animals from running at
large in the cities of Washington and George
town." Under the operations of this law
2,66S animals have been taken up and i'm
pounded, of which ,9l7 were killed, mostly
dnus G4l Uere redeeued and snId
MEDICAL SANITARY INSPECTION.
This service has been prosecuted with intel
ligence and vigor, and the valuable statistical
information collected concsely set forth in
the tabular statement herewith presented, and
10 which attention is invited.
REPORT OF THE TREASURER.
From the treasurer's report 1t will appear
that S52, ,235 was appropriated for the service
Of the board for the fiscal year ending June
so, 1876, and that the same sum has been ex-
pended. The receipts and disbursements are
accurately presented in detail, as certified BY
the auditing committee.
REPORT OF ATTORNEY TO THE BOARD.
This report shows that the number of cases
referred for prosecution during the year was
13S; number of convictions, 5S; number of
cases RoLe prosecuted or discontinued, 62;
number of cases dismissed, 6; amount of fines
SS5. In the past, as in former years, the
regulations of the board have been sustained
by the courts Of the District, and compliance
with the requirements of such regulations,
uniformity enforced.
sECRETARY's REPORT.
Letters received, ,4S0; replied to by in
dorsement, ass; letters written and recorded,
4S9; referred to health officer, 1877; other refer
ences, 211. Ninety-six meetings have been
held during the year, and the proceedings had
at same duly recorded.
VITAL STATISTICS.
The second annual report of Dr.. D. W. Bliss,
registrar of vital statistics, shows the doings
of that Office for the year ending September 80,
1876. Births reported, 4,2S5, (370 more than
were reported last year;) of this number %
were twin births-32 white and % colored. OF
the entire number ,5GS were white, and l ,717
were colored; 2, ,lS4 were males, and 2,l01 fe-
males; ,290 were white males, ,27S white fe-
males; 1874 were colored males, and S23 COL
o ed females. The percentage of births to the
tai population was 2.67S, or at the rate of
26.7Sl per 200, an increase of 2234 per 900
over last year. The percentage OF white births
to ha white rlnnnl afinn az