Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-10-13
STATE BOARD OF HEsLTH.
RIVER POLLUTION OCCUPYING THE
ATTENTION OF DOCTORS.
Red Bluff Threatens to
Do So.

The regular quarterly meeting of the
State Board of Health was held last even
| ing at the Office of Secretary Tyrrell.
There were present Drs. Orme, Brice'and,
Ruggles and Tyrrell. A letter was read
from DIR. Clunesss explaining the cause
of his absence, he being at Paso Robles
Springs. Drs. Cole and Simpson were re-
! ported as being in attendance at the Amer.
can Public Health Association in Brook
Ign.
In regard to the opinion of the Attorney
General relative to the exhumation of hui
man bodies, DR.. Ruggles related an instance
of burial in the Asylum cemetery at
Stockton, which is outside the city, in
in which body being inferred which it
was desired to have removed to San Fran
cisco. In view of the Attorney. Generals
opinion DR.. Ruggles gave permit for the
removal of the body, which was not accept
able to the authorities at San Francisco.
After some discussion of the matter the
Board Endorsed the action of Dr. Ruggles.
DR.. Ruggles reported that he had, at the
request of the Executive, visited various
spected their sanitary condition, and would
submit the results in report to be made
hereafter.
A letter from DIR, D. E. Salmon was read
in relation to the cattle diseases in Santa
Clara valley, and stating that their depart
ment had no authority to enforce any
measures looking to the destruction of in-
fected cattle, and recommending a State
law to prevent the movement of such cattle
from infected districts. Placed on file
The Secretary read letter from Dr. Dod-
son of Red Bluff regarding the depositing
OF the sewage of the town into the Sacra-
mento river, which was placed on file for
further consideration.
DR.. Dodson stated that it was contem-
plated to run the sewage of several blocks
in Red Bluff into the Sacramento river,
and requested the State Board of Health to
take some action to prevent it.
DIR. BricelaDd reported that the city of
Redding had abandoned the idea of depos-
iting its sewage into the river, and made
arrangements for utilizing it on u sewage
farm
DR.. Ruggles presented an opinion from
the District Attorney of San Joaquin
county defining nuisance, including the
discharge of sewage into streams used for
potable purposes, which was ordered
spread on the minutes.
On motion of DR.. Ruggles it was decided
to appoint committee of three TO investi-
gate the source of any pollution of our
rivers used for domestic purposes. Said
committee shall request all Incorporated
cities and towns to submit plans of their
sewage disposal for use and publication by
the State Board of Health.
The President appointed Drs. Briceland,
Ruggles and Tyrrell.
DIR. Ruggles said that having officially
inspected the sanitary condition of the
State Prisons in San Quentin and Folsom.
and being satisfied that a certain class of
criminals among those suffering from pull
monary diseases are iDjuriously affected by
confinement in San Quentin owing to the
climatic influence, he would offer the fol-
lowing resolution
Resolved, That q circular be issued by the
State Board of Health to the Superior Judges of
each county in the State requesting that before
sentencing criminal to the Stale Prison an eN-
animation be had by the County Physician re-
garding the physical condition of the prisoner,
ana II any pulmonary disease be present, or
likely to develop, that such prisoner be sem
fenced to Folsom Prison instead of San Quentin.
The motion being seconded by DR.. Brice-
land, at the request of DIR. Rugges final
action upon it was deferred until the next
regular meeting of the Board.
Dr. Orme stated that he had visited San
Francisco for the purpose of investigating
cases of leprosy in that city. He found
that one case had been reported from New
York in the person of Chinaman, another
case from Napa, and reported progress
with his report.
Adjourned.