The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1891-02-07
MISSOURrs HEALTH.

Report Of Secretary Homan to the STATE
Board of HeaIth-interest In SANITARY
Progress at a Very Low Ebb and County
Officials Exceedingly Careless In Report
ing vital statistics.
The State Board of Health met a;
jefferson City the other day. when See
retary George Homan submitted the
following annual report:
have the honor to submit the following
report for your consideration:
Public Hcalth-No Information of any Sc
rious outbreaks Of disc Use occurring in the
state has come to my knowledge since the
last meeting, and the general condition OF
public health has probably been about the
average.
The annual report of the board, which was
subm tied to the Governor, as required by
law. calls attention again to the glaring de-
fects of legislation and equipment for saui-
fary purposes of this state. and which de-
. fccts must be rrmrdied before any -ubstan-
tial advances in the work of checking and
preventing disease can be made. IL any
spirit of sanitary progress. or desire to excel
in that form of wisdom which aims to pre-
vent rather than cure, ever pervaded the
state II seems dead or dying-the only evil
dence to the contrary being the efforts or
lntus
local and state societies, to arouse the public
TO a sense of the necessities of the situation.
That such efforts should he rclinquishcd
entirely to physicians l. complimentary to
their di-interestedinrs-. but neither b;Si-
ncs--lise nor worldly wise when the dan
gers of life and health and the dcrangementc
To business in times Of epidrmics are re.
memb"red. Every man who does business
or works for Il living in any WY. or who has
a family. has, ct should have. an active in
tcrest in the prevention of diseases, and IN
devils ny and firmly establish N: the best
possible systems for their suppression or
complete eradication.
Upon the 1c:inn Of the General Assembly
tn present ssiun will depend largely til"
question whether it i worth while for tn
board to longer attempt any thing for t.
advancement of the public health Interests
of the state.
The clerks Of but two counties, namely.
Boliinscr and ste. Gen we've. hIv = made tn"
returns of births and deaths for lN'b re-
quircd bv section 5f-N. the clerk Of the last
nim",; 'uniy. Mr.. J. r. Letnnpte. Inv
ing never filled in this respcc; So far ~ my
knnwlcJg" extends.
No intelligent system of StIte sanitation
can he organized In the absence Of tue dat
and foundation such reports afford in con
M elton with the equally important require
mcnt of the early not ificItipn by phy ~icians
nf th" occurrence of contagious or inirc-
ti"us diseases in their practice. and this re-
quiremcnt should be- made part Of the l'gi>-
lat iOn asked Of the General Assembly.
Medical Practice and Rrgi>tr ,tion.-Thc
annual report fpr 1881 shows the total MUM
bcr Of phy-iCi ms registered last yC ar, but Il
study of the details Of this work by counties
presents some features Of interest.
During the year bu: one ccrtifi ats was is
sued for each of the following counties. VIZ:
Andrew. Barry. Galloway. Camden, Carer,
linton. Dale, Dent. Franklin. Howell. Lin
cbln. Mercer. Ozark. Perry, Pnr'p-. Pulaski
Saline, scott. >tnidari. Texas and Warren.
Two werr issued for ca Ia of the fnllOwin"
Counties Bates, Charlton. Clay, Crawford,
Dayiess. Johnson. LIcIrIc. Lewis, Miller,
Monroe, Morgan. New Madrid, Pike. Rails.
Reynolds. Shelby. Vernon, WIynr. Webster
ind Wright.
Three each were issued for Benton. Coop
er, Grundy. Holt. Howard, Knox. Lafayette
Lawrence, Livingston. Mcdonald, Newton
oregon. Platte, Polk. Putin I'M. It. Clair. -
Francois. stone AMI WOrih-Ind four etch
II AdIir Carroll. Ca>S. Cedar. Clark, Gehtry.
Henry. jefferson AMI Nodaway counties
Five each were issued for Atchi-On. Barton.
;rern, Harrison and RInlolph counties
tni SIX each for Audr Tin. B"llin2"I. Boon e
Tctti-. RIy and sullivan. Sew IN
ere issued for Linn. II for Cape GirardeIu.
Y for Jasper. ~ for Bdchan III, 80 for Jack
son and .2 in the city uf It. Louis.
This il Il total Ot eighty six counties an
he city of st. Louis. leaving twenty-cigh
ruuntir- unrcpre>rnteI 10y registration, and
he additional fact appears that more than
sixty eight per cent of the total registration
'Or the wear was in the border counties a.
hc state. The principal cities being on tn"
margin uf the It Itr no doubt largely inila
.ncr this showing. but excluding this elc
ncnt of the problem. the fact still il TIM
either the law is better observed th'r. thu
in the central paris. or that the professions
and population movement il more a"tiv' a.
III" bnr,Icr- than in the interior. What effect
( any. conti.suity VITA other states hIvin-
avs regulating medic Al practice hIs ] an
l0t at pr. srnt prepared to say.
Owing. perhaps. t. the fact of the facility
with which registered physicians may un'lcr
The present Law secure pharmacy Licenses. "
decided increase of appI cations for rcsi'trI
lion i noticeable. and the proposed rtpca
If this feature Cf the law has lc'l some {,
wow that principal object in seeking med
IcaI license was to- secure ON that basis th'
'urthcr right to mIiut lin drug stores.
The question discussed at the last meeting
regarding an extension of thr require nett
concerning medical colleges to embrace
.hrcc terms Of lectures instead Of two from
and after the present session seems to he
burning one with many members Of the pro
,cssiOn in all parts Of ia" state, and await
gour drcisiOn if it should he your pleasure
% finally determine and dispose Of it at the
prRSput