Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1881-09-08
State Health Boards.

VI Improvement. anu ttb "ith pVSsi-
bility. also. Of crude speculation and OF
not less crude inventions. Even sani-
tary literature has in it much OF the ex-
perimental, and there is need that all
things proposed be brought to rigid
test. lest they become death dealing,
instead of life-saving. 1t is. however.
one of the encouraging facts that SO
manv Of our States, as well as our cities,
have full-formed Boards of Health. COM
posed of men who can be held RESPONSE
BILE for their acts and for their advice.
In addition TO the twentv-three States
already having Boards, Pennsylvania,
Arkansas and Indiana are likely to be
successful this year. The reports of
these are beginning to be rendered, and
form a very important addition TO our
We this year take up. As first in order,
the report of the State of New Jersey.
1t is made especially prominent from
the fact that the Board has had to con-
tend with four decided epidemics, all of
which will pass into record as inn
pOrtant in the history of diseases
and its causes. The first was the
well-known typhoid fever at Prince
ton. With all the talks about
malaria, all the rumors as to causes and
the many contradictory items which
found their way to the press, it was
quite important that an authentic mar
rative be given. The Secretary of the
Board had the very best opportunities
for this work. 1t required much sitting
of statements and close local examina-
ton into details. This seems to have
been diligently attended to. The result
is 4 clear detail of facts and discussion
of the probable origin of the disease.
1t seems highly probable that the fever
originated from local causes, which had
nothing TO do with malaria and the rem
edy for which was an entire change in
the system of sewage disposal One
cannot read such a history without per-
ceiving the great importance of a we'll
devised plan of exactness in all the de
tails of sanitary construction, and OF a
superintendent which shall be as vigil
liant as intelligent and see to it that no
possibilities of accumulated filth can
occur. A comparison OF the meteoro-
logical table shows how exceptionally
warm the months of April and May had
been. with an absence of the usual rains.
No doubt, this had much to do with STIR
ring the latent poison into activity, and
thus making aerial sewage or contain
mated air abundant.
Not less decided and not less typical
was the occurrence of malarial fevers |
at Bound Brook. While malaria was
very prevalent in many States and in |
many localities of New Jersey last year.
yet the condition of things at Bound
Brook was such as to furnish admirable ,
opportunity for more exact study. The I
mangrove swamps of Africa give not I
more decided evidence of special mala-
rial productivity than did this town. /
The man who has seen several little 1
craters all the more enjoys Vesuvius,
because it is SO very declarative. A /
town in which no inhabitant escapes is
not to be explained away by any gen /
eral theory of origin. The debris of a
half century had collected in sluggish /
water-bed, amid rank vegetation, whose /
decay had stored away much organic I
matter. 1t was near the discharge of (
two or three small streams, which thus 4
brought down the accumulation of a
large, low watershed. The alienation
of heat and of water had been unusual.
and had furnished all the conditions for
fermentive or putrefactive changes.
The results were up to the plan. So 4
the people thought; SO the courts
thought. For the goodness of the thing
is this: 1t gave rise to trial which will
ever be notable in American legislation
1t proclaimed drainage for health a
necessity rs never before Ii not only
the removal of a mill-dam,
but The restoration of stream bed.
New Jersey justice was as rigorous as
if it had caught 4 culprit, and declared
that men. women and children must
not have their animation suspended in
such manner The result TOO IL a