The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-11-21
Active Measures Against Conta-
giOus Diseases.
The Board Of Health Will Awaken the Solid
Nine" to Other Matters Than SHOW.
ing Through Franchises.

Board Of Supervisors.
In stating his reasons for Offering the
amendments the doctor said that he had
been studying the health and quarantine
laws for the city and found great def
CLERGY in the stringency of many Of the
orders passed by the Supervisors. He had
also been in communication with the Health
Departments of Eastern cities, and the COM
parison showed the sanitary laws OF San
Francisco 10 be altogether too lax, inaSmuch
as every attention is given to Asiatic chol-
era and smallpox, while scarlatlna, diph-
iberia and membranous Group are more or
less ignored, although the three latter dis
eases are more deadly than the others.
The first amendment he offered was the
introduction OF the words "scarlatina, dipl-
iberia and other contagious diseases" IN
Section of Order 1901, which provides that
physicians shall report at the Health Office
an account of every patient suffering from
smallpox or Asiatic cholera or deaths from
those diseases.
DIR. Joseph r. Davidson remarked that
scarlatina and diphtheria were included in
tie wording of the said section as it APP
peared on the postal-cards used at the
Health Office for notification purposes.
NO PENALTY FOR NOT REPORTING.
Mayor Pond, who was the presiding oifi-
Ger, called for sample OF the postal-cards.
and upon reading it asked, SIS there no PEN
atty enforced upon physicians who do not
report cases of contagious diseaseST
DR.. le Toumeux replied, No; and that's
what Pm getting at.
The Mayor said he would favor the APP
pointment of committee to revise the
health laws, and DR.. lie Tourneux remarked,
Il m coming to that
The second amendment offered by the
doctor was to Section so of Order 1901,
which provides against the removal OF
quarantine flags. his substitution was to
the effect that when report OF contagious
disease has been made to the Health Officer
notice of that disease shall be posed on
the front door Of the residence OF the
patient; and the penalty for tearing down
the notice shall be not less than $50 fine or
not more than SlOo, or from 20 TO 1Oo days
imprisonment in the County jail.
Dr. Davidson opposed this amendment.
DR.. lie TourneuX said he expected opposl-
ton, but as a similar law to the proposed
amendment was in force in Alameda, Los
Angeles and other places lie considered San
Francisco should not be behind smaller
places in sanitary measures. He exhibited
the following sample of a card TO be posted
ON front doors of buildings wherein may be
contagious disease:
Notice.
DlPHTHERlA.
CONTAGIOUS DISEASE,
Exists in the family residing In this house.
" ben the danger from cOntasIon has passed this
card Will he removed. BY oider
BOARD OF HEALTH.
Any person removing this card without au-
tho'ity is liable 10 prosecution.
DR.. lie Tourneux assured the board that he
was not indulging in buncombe; that he
was thoroughly in earnest, and felt certain
the board would be remiss in its duties if it
~, lAft
sally did net prevent DR.. Davidson from
voting in the negative when the motion Tor
approval was put.
ALL EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS.
The third amendment Offered by DR.. le
TourneuX was to the section ordering prln-
cipals of public schools not to accept GER
tlticates Of physicians treating contagious
diseases unless countersigned by the Board
of Health. His amendment included prin-
cipals or teachers of all educational institu-
tons in the city.
The fourth attack against contagious
diseases by the doctor was in the form OF
resolution, which will be referred 10 the
Supervisors, and provides that the bodies OF
persons dying from SAID diseases shall not
be removed from the room where the death
has occurred until taken therefrom Tor
burial, and shall BIZ buried within twenty
four hours after death. No formal cere-
mony shall be permitted at residence or
church.
"Well, DOCTOR" said DR.. McQuestin.
"how about taking body to an under
takers, and what about stranger dying at
hotel2 Would you have the body buried
without notifying the friends of deceaSed?"
DR.. lie Tourneux replied that the law was
now most emphatic upon that point.
Drs. lie Tourneux and McQuestin were
then appointed committee to present the
amendments and resolution to the Health
and Police Committee and the Supervisors.
E..li No Chft no. tif,
audience, startled the board by asking il it
was a Board of Health or a Board of
Death" lie said that Converse street, be-
tween Eighth aud Ninth and Brannan and
Bryant streets, was cessp00l on account
of tie absence of sewerage there. He
seemed fighting mad when he told the board
that he had appealed to them in vain for the
past six months.
Mayor Pond asked Secretary Hoesch for
Information upon the matter and was sur
prised to learn that Converse street is
private one, and although condemned, the
principal owner Of real estate there, j. En-
right of San Jose. had refused to put in
sewer, as no outlet could be gained.
The Mayor said that if the property
owners do not at once attend to the evil the
dwellings will be vacated.
SMALLPOX HOSPITAL.
DR.. P. Fl. Humphreys was appointed Resi-
dent Physician OF the Smallpox Hospital
at Twen;y-sixth street, at salary of $50
per month.
The resignation of DR.. w. p. Simpson,
Resident Physician of the City and County
Hospital, was accepted. The doctor resigned
because he is go East.
The following premises were ordered con-
demned as unfit for habitation and in
filthy and loathsome condition: 935 and 93S
Folsom street. second floor If go Battery
street, rear OF 621 jackson street, upper
floor OF northwest corner Of Clay and Stock
ton streets, premises fronting on Pacific
street, between Front and Battery, and stag
nant pools between Valencia street and
Mission road and Army street, AMI also Oh
westerly side Of Kentucky, Solano and
Santa Clara streets.
Quarantine Officer DR.. Lawlor reported
that he had examined seventy-one incoming
vessels and collected S452 80 in fees. He
referred to the discovery of smallpox on
the steamer San Bias and the thorough
fumigalion OF that vessel.
City Physician DR.. ii. M. YemanS re-
ported that he had treated 123 patients in
the County Jail during October.
DR.. G. w. Lundborg, resident physician
at the Almshouse, reported 19S patients and
1872 cases treated in his office during Oc-
tober, with sixteen deaths.
7. l.. Weaver, Superintendent of the
Almshouse, reported eighty-seven inmates
during October and 724 remaining on No
venber Doth.
DR.. j. FL. Healy, Superintende Ply
stefan at the City and County Hospital, re-
ported All patients In that institution on
November 10Th. During October there were