The New York herald., 1879-03-09
CONTAGIOUS DISEASES REF


March h6...............-.... g.. SO ~ -
March 7......-............... ~ ~
or these there small percentage of of
diphtheria, here and there of the measles and q
solitary of typhoid fever but the bulk were of
scarlet fever and, shown by the death rate. many
of the malignant type The reports also went to
that the disease is spread in nearly equal pro-
portions all the city. and is confined to any
particular locality, although slight preponder-
ance in the number of cases be noted in certain
tenement house districts, and the east
and west river fronts The duties of physicians
defined by law, and are as follows:-
REPORTS TO CONTAGIOUS AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES
SECTION lSl-That every physician shall report to the
nd s bis
orher place OF dwelling and name known which such ply
having such disease during any part
using ply scian thereat must peril see that such
report or has been made by some attending physician
itary Code to include all diseases Of infectious
rsfssrsS TO the Cholera yellow fever snapox diph
iberia. ship or typhas typhoid. spotted relapsng and
publicly declared by the Board Of Health dangerous the
The usual penalty for violating the Sanitary Code
is $780, but physicians rarely prosecuted. while it
generally conceded. and even admitted by officials
of the Health Board, that there doubtless many
cases of contagion attended to by physicians of
ceent repute which never reported at all After
the physician does report the Board of Health noti
es the Board of Education, the Board of Education
the principals of the 220 schools and departments,
and the principals then send the following notice
the parents OF the children who to be kept away
from SCHOOL,
You required to keep your children school
person passed stage peens OF
Calling OF of sea5s in ysros smspoS nS and ia dph
liberia until the physician states that the sick
used has been in each disinfec;ed
EVILS OF THE SYSTEM.
1t will be seen from the above that considerable
attendance
dren school from the time disease is frst no.
ticed by the physician until the principals are
enabled to notify the parents Delays of days
often occur Two instances which accidentally
came under the reporters observation, will
illustrations. In Grammar School No. 80, situated
in district where the disease is very
prevalent. the usual notice received by
number from which the reported was in at
tendance He sent home. but failing to tell his
mother the reason, she called at the school during
the noon recess to make inquiries. When informed
by the principal of the the startling fact
pired that the child, the report OF whose case had
only been received that morning. was dead and had
been buried several days.
In the Tenth ward two children, brother and Sis
ter. living in tenement house, were in attendance
at of the schools. The little boy stricken
down with scarlet fever His sister attended school
regularly communicating the disease to others. 1t
is said that death resulted. but the case was
reported at school until after the original
.ercr the little boy had recovered and was at his
studies again. The schools being closed yester-
day canvass of them could be made. but there is
reason for supposng that the aforementioned
nature
A STILL GREATER EVIL.
The inefficency of the system has already been
shown; but possesses still another danger greater
than any heretofore spoken Of 1t is a well known
fact that there several OF what called favor
ite'' schools. aud which attended almost en-
tirely by the children of people in comfortable cir
cumstances. Notable among these are No. 49, In
Thirteenth street, and No. AZ. in Twelfth street.
These supposed to be ward schools, but II is
notorious that they have among their pupils chill
dren who reside all parts the city. President
Wood of the Board of Education admits that he has
children get the with their school
fifty.sevenih street Now, If scarlet fever breaks
out in family residing in Harlem, and the children
attend school say. for instance in the Ninth ward
how are the school officers to become cognzant of
the facts? Notices now are only sent to schools In
the vicinity where the disease is reported to exist
There Is no remedy under the present system, but
there is doubt whatever that the fever has
been communicated in the manner Indicated
aud without any record being made. II
with the view of obtaining suggestions as 10 how
this great evil could be remedied that the reporter
instructed to interview gentlemen connected
with the Boards OF Health and Education. 1t
will be seen that where every IN responsible,
as 10 usually the case no one Is really responsible,
and while IL generally conceded that evil
isted official could be found to suggest remedy.
une thing at least evident neither of the Boards
raferr-d TO desirous of having further labor
PRESIDENT WOODS VIEWS.
Mr.. William Wood. president OF the Board Of Edu-
cation, found Mt his office, of Grand aud
Elm streets. lie said :''I know that the delays you
speak of occur but the fault is not here aud really
cannot how they be avoided. We have
more knowledge of the existence of contagious
disease than have, until receive the regular
notice from the Health officials As Mr.. Herman has
explained tn YOU, IL would be utterly impracticable
for to attempt send to every principal notices
of each individual We have under control go
schools and departments. Multiply that by forty
the average number of reported daily and you
have = $40. The only thing possible for us to do Is
TO send notices to all the schools in the ncghborhood
where the disease Is located. IL child resides in
house In one part of the city where the contagion is
and goes to school in another part--and doubt ess
there are large numbers who do know OF no way
under the present system that the teacher be
notified OF the fact. have frequently children,
with their books, get In tue lower part of
the city aud ride up far Ffty-sevcnth street.
Formerly we only received one report per day from
the Board OF Health Now receive two-onc In
the morning aud in the aftcrnoon-snd
is often said that parents snouid know enough Of
their own accord to keep their children at homo;
but among the very poor. where whole family eat,
sleep and live In one roOm the public school IL
nursery for five or six hours Of the day, and the
wrrtched mother is only too glad to send them there
for the relief II affords her. The danger from
tagious diseases in the public schools will be
removed so long the poor live like pigs In tenc
mcnt houses aud the Board OF Apportionmcnt
nnslly refuse to appropriate money enough to
furnish proper school facilities. Our schools
uvcrcrowdcd, but we have money with which to
build new ones. The evils the outgrowth of
Iwccdisn. aud the people OF the present decade ara
the sufferers
SCHOOL CLOSED UP.
While the reporter in conversation with Presi-
dent Wood DR.. James. OF the Board OF Health.
tered, as did also Mr.. David NJ Knapp, chairman Of
the Board OF school Trustees Of the Twelfth ward.