Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-02-18

Proceedings.
The sanitary convention, ex-Gov Mar
shall presiding, began its session yester-
day morning with prayer by Rev. DR..
Breed. Among the listeners to the
papers and discussions were several
ladies, Chief Justice Gilfillan, Steward
DRYER, of the States hospital for the in
sane, and few members of the legisla-
tire.
HEALTH OFFICERS OF CITIES.
The first paper presented was by DR.. 0.
J. Evans, health officer of Minneapolis,
on the difficulties in the way of health
officers of cities. He treated of the neg
lect of sanitary precautions in erecting
buildings and providing sewerage; of the
opposition to interference with the sale
of adulterated, stale or unwholesome
food; of resistance to quarantine
regulations; of common mistakes as to
the duties of health officer; of the false
teachings Of quacks, driven to Mime
sofa by the restraining laws OF other
States. who represent durable diseases to
be what they are not; of the lack of Off
cial operation and legislative consider
alton; of the unhealthy use of streets and
alleys for private purposes, etc., and
made some recommendations, among 9th
ers: That there should be State board
of health with local cooperative boards.
In case of quarantine there should be au
thority and harmony Regardless of cost,
cities should have large supplies of wa
ter and comprehensive systems of sewer
age. More heed should be given to the
death rate and less to the tax rate. The
paw of the health officer should be proper
toned to the work. In a Western city
of sc, 900 inhabitants there was enough to
occupy all of ones time. In conclusion
he expressed hope that in time health
would be as highly valued as wealth.
DR.. Brewer Mattocks, health officer of
St. Paul, was called out for impromptu
comments, and in the course of his re-
marks said that what DR.. Evans stated
conceded exactly with his experiences.
But the city councils of ST. Paul had been
liberal and the health officers of the city
have had, that far, good opportunities.
The trouble here is that the health office
is an annex to the county physician,
whose county duties should occupy all
his time. The people are being slowly
educated, but sanitary measures must not
be made too burdensome to them. We
are too apt to complain of slow progress
Another error is to refine things, to carry
theories too far. If men lived according
to the advice of some sanitary writers,
they would be mere sanitary machines.
Yet we must keep on, adding precept to
precept till every parent will be as care
full of his child's health as he would be
of the health of a five hundred dollar
colt They don't altogether rely upon
chance and the doctors as to their colts,
but guard their health.
Mr.. McClung, of St. Paul, called out
by DR.. Mattocks, though the people were
aware that filth is filth, but were ignor-
| ant of ventilation The fact that halls
and houses are disease traps even when
! built by architects, is evidence of the
lack of common acknowledgement only
| with the mass but among the most intel
ligent. A proposal to spend few thou
sand dollars for sanitary work wonld shock
the city. If a railway train kills one
citizen there is great cutlery. Yet hun
| dreds of children are killed every year
and nothing is said about the causes,
because of the lack of sanitary knowledge.
In conclusion he spoke approvingly of
the proposal to detach the board of health
from the city council and have it COM
posed of selected persons instead of an
accidental membership, which rarely
affords a quorum who will pay any at
tention to the objects of the board.
DR.. Hewitt thought Mr.. McClung had
struck the key note as to local boards of
health. They should be independent,
per manent and have an interested mem
bership. The real functions are not only
as to epidemics, but are permanent and
practical, relating to water supply, drain
age, dangerous occupations, etc.-to pre-.
vent disease by removing causes which
operate to produce disease. The eXecu-
| tive officer should be an investigator, for
| every locality has its peculiar needs. 1t
rests with the legislature to remove the
difficulties, which are greatest IN the
country, where sometimes the local
| boards refuse to act The State board
has arbitrary power in case of epidemics
to establish quarantine anywhere, but
active local boards are needed.
DIPHTHERIA.
DR.. Hewitt then introduced the special
order of the session by reading from the
report of the committee of statistics a tab
ulated statement showing the rapid in
crease OF the death rate by diphtheria,
and stating that over ten per cent. of all
deaths in the State are now from that
disease. The medical profession had
been slow III coming to the knowledge
that it is malignant contagious disease.
1t was wanted to bring out facts, and he
asked DR.. Staples to present the report of
the committee on diphtheria.
Dr. Franklin Staples, of Winona, read
the report called for. It states that the
observations of the board for four years
have established the fact that diphtheria
is increasing in general prevalence,
but is preventible by sanitary measures.
1t was an erroneous opinion
that there was some general or universal
cause for the disease 1t may be due to
a variety of causes. Its spread requires
something more than contagion---sus-
ceptibility to contagion. Given the physio-
logical tendency, with foul air and water
and inferior food and the disease will
doubtless be worse But no one should
be allowed to go from an infected house
to children There should be no public
funerals of those who die of this disease
Good sanitary rules will lessen the suscep-
tibility to contagion. Diphther a arises
SnOradica1ly from causes some of which