Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-01-08

STATE BOARD on HEALTii'> REPORT.
The biennial report Of the Secretary
OF the State Board OF Health. DR.. y. D.
BNSFR, of Martinsburg, contains many
interesting features outside Of the sta
tistical character Of the paper In re-
sard TO the general health OF the State
the report SAYS:
The amount of sickness. rs shown by the
reports of local health officers. rather indi-
Gates au Increased amount throughout the
state over recent years. Quite a number
OF outbreaks 90 dlphtherie. scarlet fever.
measles and typhoid fever have been re-
ported. Typhoid fever has prevailed TO a
degree unknown for years in the State.
Most OF the larger towns have more or less
severe visitaiious OF the disease. An out.
break was reported ia the peniteutiar,
during the past Few months. which prom
iSed 20 give considerable trouble, has hap
ply been gotten rid Of with very small
mortality. there having been but four or
I'VE deaths IN twenty-five or thirty cases.
The measures taken by the Board TO
prevent disease have been very success
ful, and by the persistent efforts of that
body every county in the State has at
last fully equipped local board Of
health. authorized under the law to act
promptly in the case Of any emergency,
without losing precious time by red
tape decentralization.
In regard % vaccination the Secretary
sounds Q note Of warming, which ought
10 be- needed by the people. He says
We are glad TO be able to report another
year without single case Of small. box in
the State. But with our great neglect OF
vaccination we can hardly expect this i'm
munitv TO continue Nothing but the
actual presence Ot the disease ia com
munity. with an the alarm il produces.
Will make the people seek the protection Of
vaccination.
Typhoid fever aud diphtheria seem to
be she preventable prevalent diseases in
the state, and no section has suffered
more from these than Wheeling. in pro-
portion TO population. \ proper OBJ
seryance Of sanitary rules would cut
down the mortality from these dread
diseases, which result from ignorance,
but more frequently from careleSSneSs
The primary causes Of these diseases is
from polluted water. On this subject
DR.. L. c. Myers. the local health officer
for Ohio county, reports 70 Secretary
paf.or ~ f,lfo,,s.
la the city OF Wheeling there has been
about the usual amount of sickness. j
think 10 IS evident 20. every one who has
studied the subject that the mortality is too
large for the diseases OF preVentable
character This is no doubt largely due 70
bad water and bad food. The city OF
Wheeling Is spending "a large amount OF
money 10 increase her water supply. but as
vet nothing has been done 10 improve the
quality OF the water. ] trust the time is
not Ear distant when our city Council will
be made 90 feel that 10 is absolutely a crime
% supply this city with water taken from
the mouths Of sewer pipes. There is abSO-
lutely mo- excuse for using water contami-
mated for a mile above the source OF sup
ply by Nth aud sewerage OF ten thousand
people,
\ quotation from the paper OF Mich
igan physician, i'm relation TO this mat
ter. i given in the report. IL says:
Boiling the drinking water Against
those diseases which cause the most deaths
there is practical remedy in the hands OF
every mau. I told yOu how that dread dis
ease. typhoid fever, which kills thousand
citizens of Michigan each year, most Of
those in the prime OF life, is spread by the
germs in the water we drink. Now what
will destroy these germs. Freezing the
water will not 10 10. But boiling the water
wili do ir. Robert Elsncrc preached &
-uOd religion when he preached tue neces-
sitv OF boiling all drinking water. Moth
ing SO easy, nothing So potent Futering
the water viii not destroy these germs. IL
only takes them prisoners. aud when the
prison is Overcrowded. the litter ITSELF De
eorn,., a distributor of -crus. Boiling the
water one half hour will destroy them. IN
view of this fact some one has declared
every death FROM typhoid fever 70 be sui
eide. or homicide, and 10 there Is any one
thing would emphasize, and have temem-
bered ii is % boil the drinking water. Bon
IL when typhoid fever is present, OOil IL az
the time of year when typhoid L. expected :
boil it if YOU have any suspicious ABOUT
your well; boil IL any way.
These suggestions, of course. are not
new 90 REoISrEE readers, but 10 viii
work no harm to again impress on them
their Importance, the observance oil
which may save lives. The report as
whole is very complete, and contains
many hints to the Legislature whereby
the usefulness Of the Board may bee Ell
larred aud its field broadeuoi.