The New York herald., 1879-03-09

n then transpred that Grammar School No. "a cor
ner Of ioath street and Tenth avenue. avenue had been
age. who by the way is the niece of Mr.
whose apartments In the basement of the school,
week ago yesterday she developed symptoms OF
ported to the Board OF Health on the Following
day. The school was Immediately dismissed. and.
as stated still remains closed DR.. James desired
that President Wood should make an official demand
for the removal OF the patient, and this occasioned
another curious complication. Mr.. Wood and the
local Board OF Trustees are anxious that the
school should be reopened as possible. but
think that the removal of the patient is sanitary
which they have control. besides not
wishing to take the responsibility in case anything
serious should result to the young LADY. Mr.
Wood thought the patient could be isolated a. there
entrances for the children both sides OF the
building. The Sanitary Inspector differed from him.
however. and thought the proper thing would be
Island. To this Mr.. Knapp objected and stated that
after the most strenuous efforts ne had succeeded in
renting house to which he proposed 70 nave MS
danger. Dr. James objected to this unless the house
stood alone. and. as t rranspired that there was
house adjoining the matter was disposed OF ior tho
present by an agreement that an inspector should
visit the house to-day and report the condition OF
the patient the Board of HEALTH with suggestions
10 what best to be done in the matter.
WHAT DR. Y. H. JAMES SAYS.
DIR. T. H. James, Assistant Sanitary Superin-
tendent said to the reporter that the Board OF Health
was in wise responsible for any delay. 1t was
their duty simply TO- report cases Of contagious dis
promptly twice day. In very many instances.
especially among the poor the parents were at fault
called in for several days or until the case
hopeless. Frequently the first intimation they
had of disease having broken out was the notice Of
death. Often times when the disease was of NAL
lignant type, and where o dispensary physician was
in attendance. who is only required to answer sick
calls once day. death would ensue before dag.
nosis had been made. Doubtless too. 1t frequently
that physicians neglect to report to the Board
of Health promptly. .lany of them seem to think
hat thew AR not irQd n
law is explicit enough on that point We furnish
the blanks and even the envelopes to physicians.
and yet asked the other day by doctor
whether 1t was really necessary to report cases of
scarlet fever. Here is case in point. The prin-
cipal of a certain school called here short time
ago and asked whether Doctor-I won't mention mis-
name-had reported any cases Of scarlet fever.
He stated that he knew the doctor had
been called to attend several in the vicinity
OF his school, We looked through the lists and found
that he had reported two. The following day, how
ever he came in and reported three more, and then
asked If the principal Of the school had been to
1t is clear that he knew he had been reported.
and consequently was spurred to do his duty.
the Board of Education or over the public schools.
and cannot suggest any remedy for the evils you
have referred to.
A PRACTICAL SUGGESTION.
Agentleman who has had long experience in the
There is no doubt about the fact that too much
circumlocution is used in the process Of notifying
principals Of schools of the location Of contagious
diseases. Physicians of the Board of Health
vaccinate public school children. and why
would it not be just much in the
line of their duty to attend to this busi-
ness? Let them take say four to six sanitary
inspectors II the cases reported average forty per
day they could easily personally visit the homes.
find out which schools the children attended. notify
the parents that they must be kept at home and
having blank prepared notify the school at the
time. This would be double;precautions be-
sides saving the time now wasted in transmission of
the report from the Board OF Health to the Board OF
Education, thence to the schools and finally to the
parents. 1t would be far surer method than the
one now in. operation. as more or less of
the notices reach their final destination.
Another point which has been overlooked. Suppose
agiven day only two notices received at
a school in which there eleven twelve hundred
pupils The ledgers containing this great number of
names have to be all scanned and in the very
magnitude of the task the thing being looked for is
very often missed. This occasions also,
sary waste of the teachers time"