The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1886-09-25
THURSDAY, September IS, 1856.

| Present same as Yesterday. The record OF
Yesterdays session was read and approved
Supervisor McLauchlan presented a pc
| ti,iOn from the commissioners Of highways
of La Sale, praying fer an appropriation
| from the county treasury Of one-ha!f the
cost of repairs on the bridge over the Ill
inois river in said town; said petition was
referred 20 the committee on roads and
bridges
Supervisor O'Loughlin, chairman com.
mittee on paupers submitted the report OF
the county physicians, which was read
supervisor OLoughlin moved that the
said report be received and placed on file.
Supervisor Gum moved as an amend.
ment that the report be spread upon the re-
cords and published with the proceedings
of the Board. Amendment carried.
Said report is in the words and figures
following 10 wit;
Nr. Chairman, &c:-The year being
about to expire for which the Undersigned
we're employed TO render medical aud sur
gical assistance 70 those who needed ii in
the county asylum, Jail, and township of
Ottawa, We submit the following report 10
the Board of Supervisors, with such Sug-
gestOn as have presented themselves from
time TO time during the year, and have
grown out of our personal observation while
in the discharge Of our professional duties.
These suggestions are not presented pre-
sumptiously, but simply torender what aid
we can 10 the Honorable Board in looking
after the interests Of the poor and afflicted
as well as the interests OF the tax payers of
La Sale county, with this understanding
we report as follows 10 wit:
FIRST During the past year We have had
about the usual amount of sickness in the
township of Ottawa Of former years, more
or less miasmatic disorders, such as are
indigencu to this climate and latitude,
with other ever-various Incidental diseases
that are 10 be expected in central Illinois.
There have been no epidemiCs of any kind
in Ottawa township during the past year
All the calls for medical and surgical at
tendance have been duly answered, pre-
| scrip'Ons made and medicines supplied to
all who were or are under or entitled to the
countys help. The county jail has had It's
usual complement Of prisoners during the
past year, still the building has been kept
| In go perfect u sanitary condition, that even
with the extreme hot weather Of the sum
mer no uncommon sickness has prevailed
| There Is but one particular fault with the
| building and that, imperfect ventilation OF
the sberiff's house, which, In our opinion
| Is most deplorably bad We are pleased 10
say that during the past year the sheriff
and his lady have kept the jail and all It's
lappurtenances In a perfect sanitary condi-
tlon, fol which they deserve the thanks OF
your Board. Your physicians have made
during the year one hundred aud eight
visits 10 the county asylum, and treated a
large numbe of medical and surgical cases
While the medical cases treated during the
year number about the same Is in former
years, the surgical cases are rapidly in
creasing There have been three cases of
gun. shot wounds into the stomach ana
llungs-twO the product Of suicidal attempts
to take their own lives, the other an acct.
dental wound with n pistol. All recovered.
| There have been a large number of other
| injuries, such AS facture Of bones gun.sho
wounds, etc. There have been performed
| quite "A number of minor operations, as am.
putatiOn of fingers, toes, and le ectiOn Of
| foot rs also crushing OF stone in the blad,
der, operation tor structure # the urethra
etc, etc. There have been fourteen
deaths at the asylum. The causes of
death were, consumption, four cases; utter
Inc cancer, two cases; hepatic dropsy, one
case; apopleXy, one case; Bright's disease
of the kidneys, three cases; one death from
old age, the patient being ninty four years
old one, a child found at the Chicago. Rock
Island ~ Z. depot, was taken to the asylum
but soon died-the cause of death supposed
to be starvation; and one from malarial
fever. There have been five births--fOur
girls and one boy. II we deduct the
births from the deaths, the county Is minus
nine rs far rs this institution goes. There
are now at your asylum twenty.tour persons
that are insane or Predetermined. Of this
number 1t is necessary to keep nine, more
or less of the time, under restraint On the
first day Of September, 1886, the number OF
inmates of the asylum was one hundred
and one-forty-two females and tifty.n
males There are at the present time les.
medical and surgical cases at the house
than any time during the year. AS would
be expected among the class OF people
here brought together, 4 large percentun
have old sores or are manned, or have some
chronic disease. We have taken extra
pains To look after the sanitary condition OF
the whole house, and permit us here Il
say too much praise cannot be awarded L
Warden Reedy and.his ever. wa;chful wifi,
for the thorough sanitary condition of the
house and premises 1t is credit to IL
Sale county that, while the second count,
in wealth and population in the state, IL
county house and appointments, with on,
exception, will rank with the best inStitu
ton of It's kind in the state Gentlemen
We have In the above statement noted al
exception, and with your permission ",
desire to call your attention 10 the Shant'
provided In which 10 store and preserve Ia,
meats for the use Of the inmates of III,
asylum. Your County Agen, will inform
you that the past year there was fattene,
and killed at the asylum eight Thousand
pounds of pork this pork was packed an,
stored In barrels provided for said storage
said barrels being placed In a house made o
plain boards where the meat would freez,
In winter and roast in summer. The mea,
that Is the hams and shoulders, alter beinl
4 duly sailed and smoked, are hung up In TIL