The Portland daily press., 1886-03-30
STATE BOARD OF HEALTH.
Their Annual Meeting in Augusta
Yesterday.
important Committees Appointed
and Business Transacted.



AUGUSTA, March 29.-The quarterly meet
ing of the State Board of Health was held
at the capitol this morning, all but two of
the members being in attendance. DIR. j.
o. Webster of Augusta, whose term expired
this year, has been appointed his own sue
cessor for a term of six yeavs.
This being the annual meeting it was nee
essary to choose president for the ensuing
twelvemonth, and DR.. F. II. Gerrish of Port
land, was unanimously reelected. DR.. A.
G. Young, Hon. S. j. Young, and Hon.
Lewis Barker were appointed as the finance
committee.
The following committees on special SUBJ
jects were selected, with instructions to pre-
pare elaborate reports for publication in the
annual volume of 1887:
On School Hygiene and Plans for SchoolHouses
On Drainage and Sewerage-AIr E. G. Jordan.
On Pollution of Water Supply-Dr j. o. Web
ster
On Disposal of Excreta-Dr +. H. Gerrish
On Ventilation Of Dwellings and Public Build
ingS-Dr. o. A. Horr.
On Sanitary Protection of Summer Resorts
Hon. S. j. Young.
The secretary reported that he had issued
circular urging upon towns the duty of es-
tablishing local boards of health. 1t is not
yet known how widely this recommendation
has been adopted, though there is evidence
of greatly increased interest in sanitary
matters.
The Board directed the secretary to insti-
tute plan for the regular and frequent noti-
fcation of the existence of various diseases
in the different towns and cities. 1t is pro-
posed to secure the services of some one ply
sician in each place, who willreport to the
board every week the number of cases of
each of the diseases prevailing in his locali-
ty. Ii this project is carried out, it will
be possible to discover the outbreak of
communicable disease almost Immediately,
and thus to warn the surrounding regions in
season for them to institute preventive
measures. The board can by this method
keep track of the progress of disease
throughout the State, and probably suppress
in its beginning many an epidemic which
otherwise might sweep over large area.
Already the Secretary has begun to collect
data regarding the epidemic of diphtheria
which prevailed % years ago, and the sub
ject was considered so important that he
was especially authorized to continue the
investigation. 1t is hoped that much light
may be thrown on the question of the con-
tagiousness of diphtheria by the study Of
this great epidemic.
The collection of vital statistics is one of
the functions of the Board; but, after a
careful examination of the statutes on the
subject and of the results obtained by Other
State boards which have attempted to
gather vital statistics under similar laws, it
has been decided that an endeavor to enforce
these statutes would be waste of time and
effort which are greatly needed in other
directions. A definite change of the law will
be recommended at the next session of the
Legislature, and year from this time it is
hoped to begin work on this very important
line of action.
A letter which has just been received from
the State Board of Health of Michigan was
read. 1t gave the details of a case of disease
which appeared in the town of Pinconning,
Mich, on the 18th of March, and presented
all the symptoms of Asiatic cholera. The
cause is not positively ascertained; but it is
suggested that possibly it may lie in some
freshly imported Valencia raisins, of which
the patient had eaten. Further develop
ments will be awaited with interest.
The annual report of the Beard is passing
through the press, and will soon be dis
tributed. 1t will be volume of about $50
pages.