Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-12-07
Evening Session.

evening Sc6SaOTs
The attendance at the evening session
was somewhat larger than was that of the
opening session. DR.. Knickerbacker pre-
sided.
DR.. Charles Berry read carefully pre-
pared paper upon the
DEFECTS OF EXISTING LEGISLATION
respecting sanitary regulatinos. Many
pointed illustrations were made. He as
signed as one of tho principal reasons for
these defects an ignorance of the needs.
The paper was followed by a general
discussion upon the topics suggested in
the essay.
DR.. Hewitt, of the state board of health,
remarked upon the pecuniary embarrass-
ments to be contended with everywhere in
furthering the work of sanitary systems.
DR.. Berry explained some of the difficult
ties met with in his immediate locality.
DIR. D. F. Collins, of Minneapolis, re-
ported the work effected by the board
of health of which he is the secretary. He
explained that although the ordinance p TO-
vlded for sanitary inspection of the city
each month, it had been permitted to re-
main dead letter, and consequently two
or three alarming epidemics have occur
red in the city. To this fact he believed
was owing the present rampage of small
pox.
DR.. Cockburn being called upon to give
the record of mortality from typhoid fever
and smallpox the past year in Minneapo-
lis, stated that he was not prepared to
submit report at the present meeting
but would be pleased to do so at the next
session. Respecting the smallpox cpl
demic of last summer, he explained that
the origin in the city had been traced with
certainty to an emigrant who came to the
city with the disease. He was unable to
state the cause of the present cases of
smallpox other than that it had been
traced to case which had been
treated by practicing physicians of the city
who had failed to report the case to the
board of health, as is required by the city
ordinance, SO that the house, in which the
patient was confined had never been quar-
antined, and the wonder is that the cpl
demie had not spread any further and been
more general. The case will doubtless
make it pretty warm for the physician
derelect i'll his duty to report the case.
Respecting quarantining houses where
cases of diphtheria existed, DIR. Cockburn
stated that much difficulty had been ex-
perienced, The families always objected,
and generally tore down the placards
placed upon the house by the board of
health.
DR.. Knickerbacker spoke against the
popular custom of making the funerals of
contagious diseases public.
DR.. COckburn recited an instance where
diphtheria had been spread by public
funeral where the coffin was opened and
the corpse viewed by the friends.
DR.. Hewitt followed in the same strain.
He looked upon diphtheria as more danger
GUS than smallpox. He had known OF
many instances where infections of contag-
ious diseases bod become serious epidemics
from public funerals. He looked upon it
as next door to the custom in Russia,
where IN the event a child dies in family
small piece of bread was placed in the
mouth of the corpse and then put in the
mouth Of living child.
DR.. Berry reported that the Scandina-
VANS are very sympathetic, and that con-
sequently diphtheria and like contagious.
when it gets into one family usually goes
through the whole settlement, and the rate
Of mortality is simply fearful. He spoke
ly settled with Scandinavians and Ger
mans. Diphtheria passed through the
Scandinavian settlement, while not a Ger
man family was afflicted. The
mortality was 80 per cent.
Finally it did get into the
German families, and then Fit ragged
through all the families of that nationality.
The doctor would rather have forty
| cases of smallpox in his house than one
of diphtheria. He stoutly opposed pub
| lie funerals.
DIR. Phillips addressed the conference
upon the ravages of typhoid fever. His
experience taught him that it was difficult
| to quarantine families afflicted with this
fever. AS to the course of typhoid fever,
he stated that the newspapers had professed
to explain it away as occasioned by our
water. But he was free to assert that no
man knew the exact cause. Claiming that
it was the water is simply ridiculous. It
is more reasonable to lay it to poor venti-
lation.
The discussion here verged into urging
better ventilation, when an adjour nment
was made to this morning.
AN EXTENSIVE EMBEZZLER.