The record-union., 1892-02-02
BOARD OF HEALTH
1t Goes After Some of the Doctors for
Their Reports.
Weakness ''Heart Failure,' ETC..
About as Explanatory of the Cause
of Death as s'Loss of Breath.''

| The City Board Of Health met last even
ing at Secretary C. B. Nichols office.
There were present Drs. Nichols, Tyrrell
and Gardner.
| Sanitary Inspector Starr submitted a
report showing the number of cesspools
| cleaned and condemned and the number
OF vaults put in during the month of Jan
uary.
| Plumbing Inspector L. w. Mahoney
made his report, showing the number OF
| plumbing plants constructed during the
past month
DIR. Nichols submitted his report as
Health Officer, showing that SO patients
were attended at the Dispensary, 10 at the
Receiving Hospital and II at the County
Jail. The number of prescriptions given
were pa.
The number Of births reported for jan
uary was 81, and the number of deaths 65.
Of these 81 patients were afflicted with
contagious diseases. There were II cases
OF scarlet fever, S Of diphtheria, of
measles and l of smallpox. The num-
Der OF deaths was unusually large.
The following resolution was adopted:
ReSolred That the Board of Health recon-
mend TO the State Capitol Commissioners and
| request lndI WEen the cement sidewalk is
constructed around the Capitol Park some
color be incorporated with Jne cement which
VIII render 1t less injurious TO the eyes than
the llght color commonly used; and we fur
ther suggest that the color adopted be slate
| blue or Indian red.
1t was stated that some ofthe doctors in
the city were not reporting births. DR..
! Nichols said that one or two doctors were
accusing him of demanding birth reports
from personal motives, and he desired to
say that these We're absolute falsehoods.
| lie was enaeavoring to do his duty as
Health Officer regardless of what doctors
| liked or disliked.
DR.. Tyrrell said he proposed to support
the Health Officer in the enforcement of
the laws and the rules of the Board of
! Health, and he believed that Sacramento
| had an exceptionally excellent Health
Oflcer-one who was not afraid to do his
duty.
| 1t was remarked in the meeting that
there had been newspaper report to the
effect that there was trouble among the
members of the Board of Health. DIR.
| Nichols wanted to know what the trouble
was, and Drs. Tyrrell and Gardner were
also anxious to learn where the trouble
lay. No one seemed to know and the in
ference was that the report was some-
what of ''fake.'
DR.. Tyrrell thought the law requiring
| physicians 10 report births ought to be
rigidly enforced. When he was Secre-
tary of the State Board of Health he re-
ceIyed many letters from persons in for
eign countries inquiring for birth statis-
tics, and in several instances people
were detrauded out of their property be-
cause births could not be traced.
DIR. Gardner was also in favor of COM
pelling all physicians to report births.
DIR. Nichols stated that there seemed to
be disposition on the part of some ply
! sicians TO evade reporting the primary
cause of the death of a patient. One or
| two reported the cause of some cases of
| death as weakness" exhaustion" or
''heart failure" This was very indefi-
mite.
DR.. Gardner thought it very funny
! idea for physician to say person died
from weakness. He thought the physi-
clans should be compelled to report the
primary cause. The secondary cause
merely showed how the patient died.
DR.. Tyrrell thought the suggestion of
DR.. Gardner was good, and it was decided
to require physicians to report only the
primary causes of death. They could not
then consistently report" weakness"
Business of minor Importance took up
the remainder of the session.