Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-12-28
STATE Ro4RD or HEALTH.

Tho Final Meeting for 187S-Review Of
tho Sickness In the STATE During the Year
/ Some Valuable Reports.
Tho State board Of health held its last
meeting for 1873 in this city yesterday.
There were present DR.. Hand, of st. Paul,
DR.. Hewitt, of Red Wing, DR.. Staples, of
Winona, and DR.. Leonard, of Minneapolis.
Many subjects of interest and vital impor
tance to the general health of the State were
discussed, and reports presented upon vari-
Gus sanitary questions. From these it was
gathered that epidemics had not been COM
mon in the State. There were two dis
eases which had threatened to become
| epidemic smallpox and diphtheria. The
last is still prevailing to some extent in diff
ferent localities. To guard against the
spread Of these diseases, the State board
have kept vigilant watch and given prompt
and hearty aid and cooperation to the local
faculty and authorities wherever necessary.
Smallpox first appeared at Mankato early in
the year, when prompt notice was given to
all towns in danger, and vaccine was freely
distributed and thoroughly used. The di-
sease, which threatened the whole valley of
the Minnesota, was confined nearly to its
original limits.
| The board complimented the local board
of Mankato, for the energy and prompt
ness displayed in handling the disease.
The other endemics of smallpox occur
red in the fall and winter, in the upper val
ley of the Red River. In each case, the
State board sent a competent physician with
abundant supply of vaccine, and the disease
did not, in either case, get beyond the orig
inal locality. Careful observations were
taken, and full accounts of these outbreaks
will be given in the report.
The report stated that diph.
liberia made its most severe and
fatal attack upon Mankato. The State
board co-operated with the local board in
every way possible. 1t had careful analysis
OF samples of water from the in
fected districts made by the State chemist,
Professor Peckham, and committee, of
which DR.. Franklin Staples was chairman,
visited each infected house and carefully en-
quired into the causation of the disease in
this and other of its inroads into the State.
DR.. Davis contributed an article on small
| Pox and diPhtheria, which was ordered
printed in the annual report.
DIR. I.eonard's paper giving the collected
observations of meteorological facts made in
different parts of the State, under the direc-
ton OF the board for series of years, was
ordered printed in the report, it having an
important bearing upon the climate and
health of the State.
The secretary of the board, DR.. Hewitt, re-
ports progress in receiving registration of
the health board of the pupils in our schools.
This work is already done for 1878 in the
university and at Carleton college and other
schools. This examination is thoroughly
done and includes most of the facts called
for in life insurance. The conclusion based
upon accurate facts of this character cannot
but help to solve many question of i'm
paired health, disease or premature death.
DR.. Hand reports on yellow fever and the
proceedings of the conference on that sub
iect at Richmond. Va, which, with DR..
Hewitt, he attended as delegate.
The secretary of the board was instructed
to edit the vital statistics of the State for
/