Sacramento daily record-union., 1881-03-09
HEALTH REPORT.
Annual Report Of the City Board Of Health
suggestions Made.

HEALTH REPORT.
Annual Report Of the CITY Board Of Health
suggestions Made.
The CITY Board of Health, by its Secretary,
has submitted its annual report for the year
ending February 28. 1881, which is to be
printed in pamphlet form by the Board 1t
is too extended to be here given in full. 1t
contains the transactions of the Board during
the year, including sanitary improvements
effected, and recommendations with view
to further results in that direction. The lead
ing portions of the report are as follows:
During the past year the sanitary inspec-
/ ton of the city has been attended to with a
| thoroughness far exceeding that Of many
| former years, and as consequence the clean
| illness of the city has been maintained and
the abatement of nuisances has been effected
with corresponding efficiency. This improve.
ment has resulted mainly from the fact that
the present Health Officer, I. 7. Phillips, has
! devoted nearly his entire time and energies
| to the duties of his Office. while, heretofore,
the Office has been regarded by the incumbent
as sort OF supplementary employment TO
/ his ether and main business, and It's duties
have been performed in correspondlpgly
desuItory manner. This statement is not in
| tended, however, to reflect on previous
| Health Officers OF on their efficiency, as the
salary allowed, viz $50 per month, could
not be, and was not expected to compensate
| an efficient man for devoting his entire time
| and attention to the duties OF the othce.
would suggest to the Board, therefore, in this
connection, the propriety OF recommending
| to the Honorable Board OF City trustees the
passage of an amended ordinance requiring
the Health Officer in future to devote his
whole time and attention to the duties of the
Office. and the allowance of such an increase
in the amount of salary as they may deem
sufficient compensation for such additional
services.
THE NUMBER OF NUIsAEoEs
Reported as abated during the year is 225,
consisting principally of defective house,
drains, overfowing privy- vaults and cesspools,
accumulations of garbage and vegetable and
animal refuse in yards and vacant lots and
underneath houses and in cellars. China
town (so-called) underwent during the early
part of the summer as complete supervision
and cleaning UP as was found practicable un-
der the power possessed by the city authori.
ties over such matters. A recourse to the
Police Court has on several occasions been
deemed requisite in order to effect the abate-
ment of nuisances; and the Health Officer
reports that the City Attorney and Police
Judge have both manifested an active sympa-
thy with the Board in their efforts TO keep
the city in cleanly and healthy condition,
and that with few exceptions he has found
the owners of property willing to effect such
sanitary improvements on their premises as
were shown to be desirable and necessary.
The filling in of low lots on which stagnant
water remained after the fall of the river,
has received considerable attention, but on
account of difficulties in the way of effective
legal control over such matters, this part of
the work has not been quite as satisfactory as
could be desired. Nevertheless, much has
been done in this direction, several lots hav-
ing been filed in to the general level of the
neighborhood, and thus proper causes of
complaint by the owners of adjoining proper
ty have been removed.
Great improvements have been effected in
the condition of that perennial source of COM
plant, China slough, lying north of street,
both by the partial prevention of garbage 1
dumping and the depcsiting of house offal
therein, and by the filling in of the west end
thereof, beyond Second street. Doubtless in
a short time hereafter the place will be con-
verted from an eyesore, and center of
pestilent exhalations, to a fairly beautiful
sheet of pure water and pleasant place OF
resort. The Central Pacific Railroad Com
pany have expressed themselves desirous of
doing all ia their power to cooperate with
the city authorities to that desirable end.
SMALLPOX MATTERS.
In the month of December case of small
pox was reported, which proved however to
be nothing more serious than varioloid, on
the corner of Twentieth and M streets.
This following on the outbreak OF the disease
in San Francisco, it was deemed of sufficient
Importance to engage the attention of the
Board, not only in respect of quarantine, but
also as to the use of other safeguards against
the spread of the disease. The City Board of
Education had their attention called to the
matter, and in consequence they appointed a
committee to confer with the President
pro TEN. of the Board of Health, as
to the propriety of general re-vaccination
of the children in attendance on the public
schools. The result of the conference was,
that it was decided to issue an order that all
children in attendance on the schools, to-
gether with the teachers and employees who
had not been yaccinated within few years,
should be IeVaccinated, and produce certifi. |
cate Of such vaccination before being allowed |
to continue their attendance. The President |
pro tenn. of the Board of Health, after con-
sultation with his colleagues, and with their
consent, proffered the services of every men,
Der of the Board to carry out this measure of |
general vaccination gratuitously. In conse
quence of this arrangement certain hours of
each day, for nearly two weeks, were set
apart for performing the service at the offices
of the several members. Pure bovine vac
cine virus was procured from reliable sources
and the work was thoroughly performed
between two and three thousand children in
all having been vaccinated under the arrange
ment, besides large numbers, doubtless, who
resorted to their respective family physicians.
YEAR OF UNUSUAL HEALTRFULNEss.
If we may Judge by comparison of the
mortality reports of last year with those of
the year preceding, and with those of former
years generally, we shall be satisfied that
either there has been less sickness than usual
among the population of the city during the
past year, or that the sickness has been of a
less serious character. | think the expert
enee of most of our physicians viii concur in
showing both these conditions to have ex-
isted, and as matter of fact that it has been
year of somewhat uncommon healthfulness.
The following statement in tabular form of
the number of deaths reported from March,
1880, to February. 1881, inclusive, and also
of those reported in the corresponding period
of the previous year, will show clearly the
truth of this statement.
Table, showing the total number of deaths
occurring in Sacramento during the years
1879 so and 1SS0-S1: