Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-10-11

The National Board OF Health is begin
ming to show signs OF life. 1t IS an
nounced that at the annual meeting OF
the American Health Association In
Washington, next December, movement
viii be inau gurated TO influence Congress
TO give it another chance TO prove that IL
is very useful institution.
or course the movement VIII fail. Con-
gress and the country have bad enough OF
the National Board OF Health. II 1t had
been given all the authority 1t wanted 1t
would by this time be exercising greater
power than any department OF the govern
ment Congress recognized It's greed ior
power, and sQuelched it. Only enough
money has been gwen it, during the last
year or two, to keep 1t alive, and Congress
will act wisely by abolishing 1t altogether.
The Marine Hospital Service does the
work which the national board pretended
to do, and does it quite satisfactorily 1t
is becoming evident, however, that the
Marine Hospital Service ought to be given
greater powers than it now has. 1t
ought to have power to make regula-
tons for all the ports OF the
country with respect to vessels coming
from injected ports. As the law now is,
the Marine Hospital Service has nothing
10 say about quarantine matters, and has
no power TO prevent vessel with yellow
fever, cholera or smallpox on board from
entering port. All matters Of that kind
are under the control of the local health
authorities.
1t is probable that at most of the ports
the health authorities are capable and
yigilant, but tits not improbable that there
are health officers who are either neglect
ful of their duties, or who do not know
how to discharge them intelligently. II
there are such officers it would not be
difficult for the cholera or yellow fever to
slip by them, and get lodgment in the
country,
1t is noticeable that the quarantine reg
ulations at the different ports are very
different, and at some Of them the regula-
tiOns, owing to the rivalry between ports
and the demands of commerce, are not
such as proper regard for the public
health require. A few weeks ago a vessel
direct from port where the cholera was
prevailing was permitted to proceed
without fumigation or detention to Phila-
delphia, and to discharge her cargo
there. The health officers at that port
are satisfied, doubtless, that they acted
with discretion; but did they? 1t is GER
tain that there are health officers at some
of the ports who would have regarded the
vessel as dangerous, and would have
treated her as such. The history of chol-
era shows that a ship from cholera port
is not free from infection simply becau Sc
the disease did not make its appearance
on board of her during a voyage of three
or four weeks.
The regulations at all the ports ought to
be the same and very strict. Although
the regulations at all the ports but one
may be excellent and properly enforced,
yet the whole country may be made to
suffer because of oarelessness, Ignorance,
or inetficiency at that one port. The only
way to have Uniform and intelligent quar-
antine regulations throughout the coun-
try is to give the national government
such control of quarantine as will insure
efficiency and uniformity in all matters
pertaining to it.