Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1891-02-05
MlSSOURpS HEALTH.
Report of Secretary Holman to the state
Board of HeaIth-Interest in Sanitary
Progress at Very Low Ebb and County
Officials Exceedingly Careless in Report
ing Vital Statistics.


Progress at a Very Low Ebb and County
Officials Exceedingly Careless in Report
ing Vital Statistics.
The State Board of Health met at
jefferson City the other day, when Sec
rotary George Holman submitted the
following annual report:
I have the honor to submit the following
report far your consideration:
Public Health.-No Information of any Sc
r1ous outbreaks of disease occurring i'll the
state has come to my knowledge since the
last meeting, and the general condition of
pubic health has probably been about the
average.
The annual report of the board, which was
submitted to the Governor, as required by
law, calls attention again to the Slarlng dc
IectS of legislation and equipment Tor SAM
tary purposes of this State, and which de-
fects must be remedied before any substin-
tial advances in the work of checking and
preventing disease can be made. II any
spirit OF sanitary progress or desire TO eNcei
III that form OF wisdom which aims TO pre-
vent rather than cure, ever pervaded the
state it seems dead or dying-the only eYI-
dence to the contrary being the efforts OF
medical men, individually and through their
local and State societies, to arouse the public
10 d sense of the necessities of the SITUATION
That such efforts should be relinquISheu
entirely to physicians is complimentary 20
ness like nor worldly-wse when the dan
gers of life and health and the arrangements
to business in times of epfdemics are re-
membered. Every man who does business.
or works for a living in any way, or VINO mas
family, has, or should have, an active III
terest i'll the prevention of diseases, ana IL
devising and firmly establishing the best
possible systems for their suppression or
complete eradication.
Upon the action OF the General Assembly
the present session will depend largely the
question whether it is worth while for the
board to longer attempt any thing for the
advancement of the public health interests
of the State.
The clerks of but two counties, namely.
BolIingcr and ste. Genevieve, have made the
returns of births and deaths fer 1899 re
CURED by section 542S, the clerk OF the last
named county, Mr.. j. F. LeCompte, hay
ing never failed in this respect so far as my
knowledge extends.
No Intelligent system of State sanitation
can be organized in the absence of the data
and foundation such reports afford i'll con
nection with the equally important require
ment of the early notification by physicians
of the occurrence of contagious or lnfec-
tious diseases in their practice, ana tins re
quirement should be made part of the legi5-
iatiOn asked of the General Assembly.
Medical Practice and Registr1tion.-Tht
annual report for 1880 shows the total mum
Der of physicians registered last year, bat Il
study of the details of this work by counties
presents some features OF interest.
During the year but one certificate was IS
sued for each of the following counties, VIZ:
Andrew. Barry. Galloway, Camden, Carter.
Clinton, Dale, Dcnt, Franklin, Howell, Lin
coin, Mercer, ozark, Perry, Phelps, Pulaski
Saline. Scott. Stoddard Texas and Warren.
Two were issued for each of tn" following
counties. Bates, Charlton, Clay, Crawford,
Dayiess, johnson, LacIede, Lewis, Miller,
Nov Madrid
Reynolds. shelby, Vernon, Wayne, Webster
and Wright.
Three Zach were issued for Benton. Coop
c.. Grundy, Holt, Howard, Knox. Lafayette,
Lawrence, Livingston, Mcdonald, Newton,
Oregon, Platte, Polk, Putnam, St Clair, st
Francois. Stone and Worth-and four each
in A0alf Carroll Cass. Cedar, Clark, Gentry.
Henry, Jefferson and Nodaway counties
Five each wer. issueA For Atchison, Barton
Green, Harrison and Randolph cuunt!cS
and six each for Audrain, Bollinger, Boone.
Pctts, Ray and sullivan. Seven
were issued for Linn, IL for Cape Girardeau,
Il for Jasper - for Buchanan, 50 for Jack
SON and % in the city of st. Louis
This is Il total of eghty-SiN counties and
the city of st. Louis leaving twenty eight
counties unrcpreSented by registration, and
The additional fact appears that more than
sixty eli ht per cent. of the total registration
for the year was in the border counties Of
the State. The principal cities being on TIL"
margin of the State doubt largely fntlu
ence this showing. but excluding this ele-
mcnt of the problem, the fact still is that
either the law is better observed there than
in the central parts, or that the professional
and population movement is more active at
he borders than in the interior. What effect,
f any, contiguity with other States having
avs regulating medical practice has 1 am
not at present prepared to say.
owing, perhaps, to the fact of the facility
with which registered physicians may under
he present law secure pharmacy licenses, Il
lecided increase of applications for registra-
ion is noticeable, and the proposed repeal
IF this feature of the law has led some tC
,vow that principal object in seeking med
cal license was to secure that basis the
urther right to maintain drug stores.
The question discussed at the last meeting
'Ggarding an extension of the requirements
concerning medical colleges to embrace
hree terms of lectures instead of two from
md after the present session seems to be
burning one with many members of the pro
essiOn in all parts of the State, and awaits
Tour decision if it should be your pleasure
o finally determine and dispose of it at the
present time