The San Antonio light. (San Antonio, Tex.) 1883-1886, 1883-06-28
LOCAL NEWS.
THE MEDICAL ASSOCIATION

house, and the following members were
present:
Drs Geo. Cupples. +. Herff. Fred Terrell,
Secretary, L. X. King, b. E. Hadra. Amos
Graves, T. J. Tyner, DIR. Berry, +. NJ. Burlesou,
e. II. Tyler, G. G. Watts, James Bartlett, j.
Braunnagle, City Physician, and Edward
Bennett.
DIR. G. T.. r. King was called to the chair and
the Secretary, DIR. Fred Terrell, read tho
minutes of the last meeting, which were APP
proved. On behalf of the committee on
formula for death certificates, DIR. Hadra pre-
scented the following report which was
adopted:
To the President and Members of the West
Texas Medical Association:
SAN ANTONIO, June %, 1SS3.-Your COM
mittee appointed TO revise the formula of the
physicians death certificate, reports the fol-
lowing additions subject TO your consideration
What winter used2 What kind OF privy?
| How near to well? Are there branch bitches
or stagnant water on near the premses2
Who is the family mikman? Hns any other
mem Der of the family been affected in the
| same manner and how long a2oi How Is the
ventilation of the hOuseI In what story did
the pc son sleep? lObstetrical casesl What
| midwifep
Remarks. are respectfully requested
| to ascertain under the head of remarks and
| report especially I'm cases of zymotic diseases,
all facts and circumstances, which in your
Judgement may have any bearing on the causes
| of Transmission of the disease.
Committee of three, consisting OF Drs.
| Herif, Is. Hadra and Geo. Cupples was APP
pointed 10 present the report to the City
| Council, with request to adopt IL and make II
| compulsory for physicians to comply with it,
| and fill up all of the headings in IL.
DR.. I. j. Tyner then read the following in
| teresting paper on general sanitation;
| Mr.. Chairman, and Gentlemen:
By request of the association, take much
| pleasure in presenting this paper, nOtwlth-
| "A X.
| the subject of preventive medicine means
necessarily, an outlay of money from those
| tartan, IL his work Is TO he successful requires
| systematic and continuous labor, reaching over
long periods of time, given too, not only with
| out pecuniary reward, but involving cost TO
| himself Hence IL cannot be expected, that
| however great the Importance, not only to the
| present but also the future, the matter will
| never be adequately cultivated by private in
vestigators Yet | claim IL TO be our moral
| duty TO at least givea reasonable amount OF
| our time to tho subject OF public health. 1t Is
quite time sanitary organizations appointed
| and equipped by law are of necessity more eff
| izatons that have effected wonderful results,
| both in their own localities and through their
influence outside have been of incalcuabe
| benefit.
The subject of sanitation is broad, embracing
| everything that can prevent disease. hardly
know how to begin in order to say that which
| will be of the most interest to us here. How
| ever, will take first the mortality of the city
for the past three months, which che City
Physician was kind enough to give me. de-
sired IL for longer period, but 1t seems the
records have not been RePt s From March nj, u
es S Sfype Of auag s%Ts p Ss
different causes OF death, age, etc. This gives
us death rate of about 80 annually in
population of the city. at about $4,000,
which is doubtless to high. Ii is two-htths
greater than it should be in II general compar-
ison of other healthy cities. There was how
ever, an epidemic of measles during this Pc
ROD and the death rate of children was very
high. The fact is APPALLING ana the cause or
causes should be earnestly sought for and re-
moved. The topography of the city is favora-
BILE. Surface drainage. is good, and the air Is
salubrious. In II word as to natural sanitary
advantages San Antonio stands pre-eminent,
and with these advantages properly utilized,
prevention of diseases could he brought almost
entirely under contro'. There is no doubt in
my mind, but that health here could be raised
| TO the highest standard.
New Orleans now pays thousands of dollars
per month for flushing her street CUTTERS
while san Antonio could with comparatively
small outlay, flush nearly every gutter in the
city with the purest wat L, and past experience
has clearly demonstrated the ACCESSIBILITY of
such u system. However, it is a lumentable
fact the few drains or bitches we have are po-
luted with garbage OF all kinds, including fecal
matter, which should be made a punishable Of
Tense. And, strange TO say, through igno-
rance or indifference TO consequences or taste,
the water is used by large per scentage OF our
population. | could give instances where a
number of privy vaults are made to empty into
Sdu HeurO creek.
The river which should be a source OF health
is made the receptacle of everything offensive,
and instead of being a bold running stream, IL
is rendered sluggish and almost stagnant in the
centre OF the city by number OF mill dam g..
or course, to suggest their removal would Gre
ATE strong opposition by Il few Interested par
ties but claim, us sanitarians-and hope |
AIN not taking too much dignity to ourselves
to say guardians OF the public hoalth-we have
no right TO consider the pecunlary interest of n
few individuals when the health OF the entire
city Is involved.
The prvy vault system here is of the most
Objectionable kind, and with the lights of the
past to guide us, Is almost criminal in city of
this size. III the danger ended with the vault IL
would be a small matter, but IL only begins
there. The subsoil becomes contaminated, and
wells and csterns which are pervious, contagi-
Gus, become polluted with organic matter. In
the last 20 years, during which time SO much
| study and attention has been given to pre-
ventive medicine, our current literature has
been filled with reports of epidemics OF dph-
liberia, typhoid and other enterc fevers, trace
able directly TO water polluted by seepage
| from priVy vaults, also to milk which has been
diluted with such water.
| could give many positive and instructive
examples, but IL would make this paper too
lengthy. The distance which organic matters
are carried by seepage has, so far an know,
not been definitely determined. DR.. Hadra
gave me case " hich he observed In this city.
Ii was demonstrated in this way. To overcome
} the foul odors of a vault, carbolic acid was
used freely, and In short time the well, 10 feet
J distant, became SO strongly impregnated with
the acid IL had to he abandoned.
The few water closets we have here are equal
, ly Objectionable, for the pipes you could not
call them sewers-are only of sufficient length
TO carry the eXcrem nts TO a pit somewhere in
the yard. If mis-state hope to be corrected