Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1876-06-30
The Massachusetts, Board Of Health.

The seventh annual report Of the State
Board of Health of Massachusetts Is before
us-a thick. blue-book of nearly 600 pages,
filed with maps. diagrams. and other illus
trations. several Of the maps being of large
size. That which faces the titIe-page Is an
index TO the river basins of Msssac husetts.
showing which of them have been and
which remain to be studied by the Board :
experts, with view to solving the prob
lens Of sewerage and water-suppiy now
pressing upon every large town along these
water courses. The report mainly consists
of special report on the pollution OF rivers
the water supply, drainage. and sewerage
of the State from the sanitary point OF
view and the disposal of sewage. The
cost of making this, including trip of the
Boards Secretary to Europe. exceeded
IS 900, and was met by a special approprl-
alton. To say that the result is worth the
outlay is to give but faint ides of the value
of it. Besides the local description Of the
several basins, there is an account, by DR..
Folsom, of foreign systems OF utilizing
sewage which may stand as a summary OF
theory snd actual experience on the subject,
and should make this report as eagerly
sought after outside OF Massachusetts, as 1t
is by those to whom it is directly addressed.
Other valuable papers having general ap-
plcability are DR.. Bowditchs 5 - Sanitary
Hints :" Mr.. Philbrick's Defects in House
Drainage, and their Remedies - and the
report on the Registration Of prevalent
Diseases " attempted by the Board last
year This experiment was unique in the
history of preventive medicine. and Is said
to have " surpassed the expectations Of
many who were interested In its trial.
One hundred and ninety-four physicians
voluntarily forwarded each week to the
Boards registrar postal-card with
printed form on the back. recording the
prevalence and intensity of some fifteen speci-
fed diseases. These returns were classified
and computed according II tue districts
from which they came. and very week the
data thus derived were published IN the
Boston papers, the bulletins reading very
much like the signsl-seryice weather re-
ports. The Board estimates that If large
areas were included in the field OF obserya-
ton, there might be bulletins issued by a
central authority giving timely warning OF
the rise and spread of zymOtic affections.
Indeed, they say, 1t Is not too
much to predict that probabilities may
vet be cast with some degree OF precision,
as we advance in our knowledge concerning
epidemics. Tie Initiation of this system,
seems likely TO prove OF very great public
service. One of the most noticeable papers
is that on an epidemic disorder in hotel
a. Kye Beach, last summer, caused by use
of impure ice. This cause seems to be
established beyond question. The ice fused
only at the hotel, TO which the epidemic
was confned) had been cut from stag
nan. pond. and proved to contain a good
deal of offensive vegetable matter. The
conclusions of the paper are that the preya-
lent belief that water clears itself OF all I'M
purities in the process OF freezing, IS not
sustained by scientific observation and
that too much care cannot be taken to
guard against all impurities in the sup
plies of drinking-water.