Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1883-07-26
NEW HEALTH PLAN.
A Board of Health to Be eonsti-
tuted.
The Authority Already Granted In General
Fayor-Infant MOrtality-Statistics
For This Month.

A plan is on foot to add to the Boards OF
Control, already in existence, a Board OF
Health, and an ordinance creating such .
Board will be introduced at the next meet
ing Of Council. Mr.. Lewis Jones will be
lis patron. He has been not Q little
alarmed and annoyed at the condition OF
some of the alleys on the Island, land tie
same kind are elsewhere, too) which the
Health Officer has not the power TO remedy,
and to meet the difficulty, proposes to adj
yccate the creation Of a Health Board. The
plan seems to meet with general favor, and
will doubtless go through. Unlike the
other Board, this will not require a special
act OF the Legislature, as the power is al
ready conferred in the eighteenth section
Of the city's charter, as follows:
SEC. lS. The Council shall have authority
10 ordain and enforce such regulations
within said city as shall be necessary or
proper to secure the inhabitants thereof
from contagious infections or other dis
eases; to establish, erect and regulate hos.
pitfalls In or near said city; and TO provide
Tor the appointment and organization OF q
board of health for said city, invest it with
such powers, and ordain n enforce such
regulations for its government and sup.
port, and for the prompt aud efficient per-
Torrance Of its duties, as shall be neces-
sary or useful for the purpose aforesaid.
The plan has been approved by q large
number of citizens and officials, including
the Health officer, and indications are that
il will meet with no opposition. Toe Rec.
lister will publish the details OF the plan at
some future time.
There has been some little talk. recently,
OF the great mortality among children, pro-
duced by q variety of causes, principally
the hot weather, and to see how Wheeling
was afflicted in this particular, a REGISTER
reporter called on DR.. Edwards, the CITY
Health Officer, yesterday.
usual mortality among infants, but we can
readily see."
Producing bis death records for this
month, he ran rapidly over them aud then
said:
'sThere has been SO deaths thus far this
month. OF this number ii have been
children under five years. That is a small
proportion, especially for this season and
does not look as though there was any
great infant mortality. The total number
Of deaths is very low, also. At this rate
there will be AZ deaths this month as
against "a for the same month last year"
What is the principal cause OF death
among children at this season."
CHOLERA infantum is the chief cause. 1t
is a species of summer diarrhms. There is
not any dangerous prevalence of it, and
the city is now in good sanitary condition"
What is your opinion OF the proposed
Board of HEALTH"
II think it an admirable plan and one
that will remedy several existing evils.
By the present health ordinance, the
Health Officer was empowered 10 call on
the Street Commissioner to. cleanse neces-
sary streets and alleys. The Board Of Pub.
lie Works does away with this office aud
the Health Officer has no remedy. There
are various other matters that | will give
YOU when the plan is perfectly formula
rod