The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1885-12-29
STATE BOARD OF HEALTH.
Regular Quarterly Meeting Of the
Board.
An Inkling of What Their Annual
Report Will Contain.
Especial to the Press. ]

AUGUSTA, Dec. 2S.-The regular quarterly
meeting of the State Board of Health was
held at the capital this morning. There were
present DIR. F. Fl. Gerrish, president; Hon.
S. j. Young, DR.. 0. A. Horr. Mr.. E. c. Jor-
dan, DR.. j. O. Webster and DR.. A. G. Young,
secretary.
The secretary gave an extended account OF
his work dnring the past three months. This
has been very largely in the direction of pro-
tecting the State against the entrance OF
small pox, which has prevailed so extensive
ly in the provinces contiguous to Maine. He
has personally visited the most exposed re-
gions; inspected and instructed the sanitary
inspectors; made excursions into the in
fected districts in Canada in order to ascer-
tain the actual condition of affairs; aroused
the authorities of New Brunswick to an ap-
probation of their danger and a vigorous
effort to rid themselves of the disease; vac
cinated six hundred railroad employees of the
Grand Trunk and Maine central; kept
watch of the progress of the epidemic, and
issued weekly bulletins of infected localities
to the newspapers and sanitary officers of
this part of the country; published circulars
pal officers of towns, and the general public;
and conducted an immense correspondence
with the great number of inquirers about
the disease and its progress. The inspectors
have done very faithful service, and deserve
great praise for the manner in which they
have overcome the difficulties of their often
trying positions. Though the disease has
abated considerably in Montreal, it is still
raging in some of the suburban towns, and
the Board is unanimously of opinion that no
existing measures of prevention should be
relaxed ON our borders. The need of the in
spection, vaccination and disinfection will
exist as long as small pox continues in an
epidemic form in the neighboring provinces
There have been but three cases Of small
pox in Maine this year, and not one Of these
has communicated the disease to any other
person. The people are, to large extent
yaccinated; and yet it is known that very
many have failed to avail themselves of the
abundant and freely offered means of protec-
tion afforded by the authorities. Every one
of these negligent people is a menace toall
his neighbors; and it is a cause of regret
that there is no law compelling them to sub
nit to vaccination.
Owing to the enormous labor occasioned
by the small pox epidemic in Canada, it has
been necessary to abandon nearly all of the
projected lectures before the teachers insti-
tutes. 1t is hoped to arrange this work next
year so that lecture ON hygiene shall be
given atevery county meeting of the teachers
in the public schools.
The annual report of the Board is in pre-
paration, and promises to be a document of
great interest and value to the people. The
physicians in the State have responded to
the circulars of inquiry by forwarding much
instructive information concerning prevail
ing diseases, and an abstract of these replies
will be Incorporated in the report There
will also be detailed account of the oper-
ations of the Board, papers on various
sanitary topics by several members, and re-
port of the recent meeting at Washington of
the American Public Health Association and
the conference of the State Boards of Health,
which were attended by the president as the
representative from the Maine Board