Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1891-07-21
BOARD or HEALTH,
Some Of The Leading Psltlls 4 S.
fstiTy YdutS's Report,
Which 10 GEE II U.u .uai Istesest snd
Value

Health IL About 70 Iseus his annual Hepofi
for the yesf 1880. This report contains
$50 pages. The contents have been vsry
carefully compiled. and many Of the sub
jscts viil be fsuEd Interesting 70 tie gen.
,rsl public - veil - Instructive and thu
whole report is an admirable book Of ref.
srence on sanitary matters. In opening
the secretary says:
III 10 With pleasure that we can again
begin N annual report With the statement
that. in the year just passed. the State
Board Of Health and the local boards have
hsd but few serious epidemics Of consa.
sious diseases to contend with; neverths-
less infection 10 come Of its dangerous
forms IL always near, Sad not Q week nor
hardly . day has passed without. the receipt
Of Intelligence Of outbreaks Of infectious
diseases which. IL neglected. would. In
some cases. have assumed the proportions
Of epidemics. That these outbreaks have
not more frequently spread from the houses
in which they have first appeared, We feel
sure 10 due. in 3 large measure, to the
faithful sad intelligent action Of the local
boards Of health. On the other hand We
are sorry to say that the non-obseryancs Of,
or tardy compliance with. the plain pro-
visions Of the lay on the part Of some ply
sieisns, or local boards Of health, or other
persons, has sometimes provided the oppor-
,uai.y for the spread Of the infection, and
neeessitated . final struggle much more
troublesome and costly than II need have
been.
In the office Of the State Board Of Health
the work has steadily increased, and its
demands upon the secretary are never
ees.iBs. The daily correspondence With
local boards Of health and other persons is
extensive, the calls for sdvice on questions
Of public health are frequent. the reports
Of outbreaks Of infectious diseases have to
be responded to with the supplies Of the
necessary circulars and other printed mat
tor furnished by this office, unless the
records indicate that they are on hand in
sufficient numbers or quantities.. Analyses
Of samples Of water for the purpose Of
dst. rmning their suitability as drinking
water supplies have been made upon
request, s. far As the other work Of the
Office would permit. for local boards Of
health, ply sicians, water companies and
lr.vate citizens Of the State
The report treats in full the epidemics Of
smallpox at SeaTsport. diphtherls st East
port and the scarlet fever outbreak st G uil-
ford, Also the outbreak Of rabies at Bruins
wick. The subject Of wafer analysis with
notes en- some Of the samples examined, 10
treated conciseIy and will be found Of great
interest The secretary includes in his
report the chief reasons for the enactment
Of . Law relating u vital statistics and sp-
p. n 10 the law passed by the last Legislature
This il followed by the iull test Of the
other public health laws which vent into
effect this year.
Nearly eish y fur pages are devoted to
the r. ports made by the local boards dur
ing the year These are followed by the
orders and By Jaws Of local boards Of health
or extracts from them. Msny valuable
suggestions for municipal sanitary reguls-
fious may be obtained from a careful Pc
ru.Al Of these bylaws
There lie one feature included in this re-
port that should be broushsto the attention
of every housewife. IL is the paper,
"Pfacticsl Sanitary and Economic Cook
inn, adapted TO Persons Of Moderate and
Rmall Means" by Mrs. Mary Human Abel.
This paper. or essay, 10 Published b} pr
mission Of the secretary of the American
Public Health Association. The Lonb
prize Of $500 offered through this assocts-
ton wss awsrded the writer OF this essay.
la awarding the prize the committee say
..1hs committee consider |. duty. IN
s.ardinv the priz., to emphssizs the fact
tfat Of all the essays submitted the one
selected Is not only pre-emnenfIy the berf'
hut that it 10 also intrinsicAlly an admirable
treatise on the ,u' ct II ia simple and
lucid Ia statems nj. methodicsl in strange
msnt, AMI well adapted to the irsc ia!
wsn,s Of the classes to which it Is addressed.
Whoever may read it can have confidence
in the souudnes Of its teachings. and can
no. fail to be Instructed in the art Of cook
ilg by It's plain receipts. found as they
are upon the correct application OF the
scientific principles Of chemistry and ply.
siology tn the proper preparation OF food
for man
The Hnxl and exhaustive report OF Prof
8 II. Woodbridge on the steam Nesting
ard ysn,ilating OF the s ate House fnds
place in this volume.
The secretary says: 1.-The efficiency of
the local boards generally we believe has
steadily increased and . csLdld examination
NJ the extract, from their annual reports,
we think, will subs;sntists Whit we say
Ia the first place, the number OF boards
repor,ing tn this Board in 1890 IL 400 out OF
n total Of $50 towns, against 1878 in 1852,
aud 33s in 1883 Again, it may be observed
that oui bresks Of diphtheris, scarlet fever
ani t, phoid ftssr have in almost all in
stances been confned to the primary cases
or the ti,s. family
.'Of the three most serious infe etous Us
ssses, diphthsris. .cirlst fsver aud y-
phoid fever. it appears from the reports of
the local boards Of heslth. that there vas
ooly q moderate prevalence in the State
ssu.rsliy. There were, however. Few
notable local exceptions. OF 100 ioesi
boards of health, 100 expressly state
that no cases OF diphtheria. scarlet fever,
or typhoid fever occurred during the yesr.
and 20 other boards do not report caees OF
these diseases; or n total of l60 towns IN
which these diseases are not reported rs
having occurred Last year OF 31S boards
reporting, 159 contained no reports OF these
infectious diseases.
The reports show that during the year
1880. cases Of diphtheris occurred in only
80 towns, AS against 1873 in 1883 Inc
cr,tary urges the greatest precsuiion
against the contagioa of this disease and
saws ,hst i. IL TO be fought IS enc of the
creates, enemies If child f. and says
they ,hould be guarded sgAins, /, As from
smslipox.
Scarlet fever was reported in Sc to~ns
in 1890 a. compared with SO towns in 1859.
In lhe great m. jority of outbreaks the dis
Ease .ppesrs to have been OF rather
mild type, as il was in the preceding year
There was but one outbreak OF small
pox during the wear. Measles WAS reported
by only Il boards.
Speaking Of cerebro spinal mehinsihs
Dr.. Ycung SAYS: 1.-The doubt ~ TO us
tssiousness would justify reasonable
precautions sssinst its spread
"Rsports from II local boards OF heni.n
s,A,s that drowning accidents occurred In
their town. in which one or more persons
lost their lives. We fi,d il stated in none
Of these reports that intellige' I. sysft mauc
efforts we're mAte to fssuscitate Any Of
tue e drowned. or apparently drowned nsf-
san, Altar tn, in hattiss were recovered.