Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-07-30
BOARD OF INCOMPETENrs
The Character Of the National Board of
Health-A Costly aud Unnecessary
Nuisance. #F4
Washington Special DULY 27 to Chicago
Times.

Washington Special DULY 27) to Chicago
Times.
The national board of health is still busy
hunting for volunteers to send to Havana,
Matanzas, and other ports, to investigate
the yellow fever. Meanwhile it seems to not
have time to investigate the efficiency of the
different disinfecting materials at home.
At all events the following is published here
this morning: "The Hon. Casey Young,
member of the House, from the Memphis,
Tenn, district, took some specimens of
disinfectants to the national board
of health to have them examined and
reported upon in order to supply
the most efficient articles to his afflicted peo-
pie at home. He called upon the board q
day or two ago. That lively body had for
gotten all about the disinfectants, and
couldn't find the articles after long hunt in
the Offices. This is given by Mr.. Young as
an illustration of the lax of business man
agement on the part of the national board of
ineficients."
TIME PRECIOUS.
It appears, in addition to the statement
made in the foregoing paragraph, that the
board now declines to examine the differ
emit disinfectants, on account of waste of
time, and Representative Young accordingly
took them to the Marine Hospital bureau,
where Supervising Surgeon-Gen
Hamilton immediently placed them
in the hands of the chemist of the de-
partment, by whom they are now being
tested. There is undoubtedly very great
dissatisfaction with the operations of the
national board of health. Their career from
the outset seems to have been blunder.
When they met to organize they sat ten
days without taking the oath of Office, and
discovered when they applied for their pay
that
ALL THEIR ACTS WERE ILLEGAL,
and that they could not be paid. special
bill had to be passed by Congress to legalize
their acts, and to secure them payment.
Their next step was to recommend
the passage of q bill great
ly charging their powers, in which
they we're not successful. The next move
ment was to endeavor to secure out Of their
fund of three quarters of q million 5000, 600
for the experiments of Prof. Gamgee, in q
refrigerating ship, Notwithstanding previous
experiments of the same kind by that gentle
man proved to be failures. Secretary Sher-
man defeated this, and insisted upon bids.
Since that time it is difficult to understand
WHAT THE BOARD REALLY HAS DONE,
except to appoint an army of clerks and in
spectors, to pay for house owned by .
member of the board double the rent
paid for the house adjoining it, which
is part of the same block and idsn, ical
with it, to appoint q number of medi-
cal inspectors to visit different places, and to
attempt to publish newspaper. As soon az
the epidemic broke out at Memphis there
was much excitement in the national board
of health. A number of inspectors were ap-
pointed to visit various places and report on
the sanitary condition of the respective To-
calities. These inspectors were to be
PAID $40 A DAY
and travelling expenses, and as there are
over twenty Of them, the daily cost
of the national health brigade will be
considerable. 1t appears that the data
fronl which the Health Bulletin Of
the National board Of health g puplishsd