The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-07-17

As the Board of Health is to meet to-day
we hope it will seize the occasion to reflect
for few minutes upon the causes Of it's ex-
istence as a public body and upon the
reasons why the people of the city are taxed
to make liberal addition to the incomes Of
it's several members and to pay largo
amounts for clerk hire, the salaries of sani-
tary inspectors and other subordinates. AS
o slight aid to reflection adapted to the cir
cumstances we will hint to the two gentle
men who now practically constitute this
body that it did not grow out Of the necessity
for any addition to mere bureaucratic ma
chnery in our city government. Naturally
the machine politician saw in the creation
of new board, with nearly hundred
offices of more or less value, new
fields for patronage that might in
crease his strength in his political pre-
cinct, and has hitherto done his utmost
to utilize these fields; but there was a moro
substantial and proper impulse in the crea-
ton of this body. In 1865 or thereabouts
an energetic public opinion existed in this
community on the subject of several nui-
sances that then fourished exubcrantly in
neighborhoods where there are now rows of
fine houses and it was believed that if
these were permitted to continue the city
would become practically uninhabitable in
the heat OF summer. This opinion origi-
mated with medical men and had good reasons
behind it, rs all will agree who remember
the slaughter houses that were found in the
most thickly peopled neighborhoods, and
the bone-boiling establishments that at GER
tain hours injected the whole city. It was
found that our municipal authorities had
under the ordinary laws insufficient power
to deal with these troubles except
rs nuisances at common law, and that
process was troublesome and tedious SO
a short cut to practical relief was made by
the creation Of commission which should
POSSESS in all matters of sanitary connection
the necessary power to protect the people.
Much of the power with which the Board
was clothed in it's origin has been taken
away by party hostility to those who have
been incumbents from time to time but it
still retains sufficient, and it is for certain
purposes the executive authority in this
metropolis. 1t is it's duty to reduce the
death rate Of this city, and it has almostany
power that can justly be regarded as neces-
sary to that purpose There are many rea-
sons for the high rate of infant mortality.
Most of them arc beyond the reach Of ordi-
nary authority but some of them, and very
fragrant ones are within the reach Of this
Board One of these is the supply of i'm
pure and unhealthy milk. No person not
interested in this traffic denies its evil.
Distillers deny that it exists, and the
vendors of the disgusting fluid affect to
believe that it is sweeter and more
DELIGHTFUL than the milk of healthy grass
fed COWS but these are not authorities on
which opinions are to be formed The
traffic in this milk is great evil-a source
of great mortality beyond any doubt what
ever-and, an evil or not an evil, it is forbid
den by the laws Of this State, and the Board
of Health is the power whose duty it is to
enforce these laws. Will it perform this
dutyp Every day there como over the
Long Island ferries wagons loaded with this