Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-11-23
MONEY FOR HEALTH,
Secretary Lee Tells the Gov.
ernor the State Board
Should Not Be
DEPENDENT UPON CHARITY
Asking for a Fund to Pay for the
Analyses of Water and Floods.
LIVES LOST BY A LEGAL QUIBBLE.
lules Suggested for the Successful Com
batting Of Cholera.
rnnnnCv 1.rn rn 80
DEPENDENT UPON CHARITY
LIVES LOST BY A LEGAL QUIBBLE.
lules Suggested for the Successful Com.
batting of Cholera.
LEPROSY SAID TO BE ON THE INCREASE

The Western Executive Committee OF the
State Board of Charities met in the Hotel
Duquesne yesterday afternoon and consid-
eaed applications for State aid from the
various charitable institutions in Western
Pennsylvania.
James B. Scott, Chairman of the commit
tee, said that the list of those asking for aid
was practically the same as have spplled
for the past 30 or 40 years He declined to
give any information or figures whatever
and said nothing will be made public until
the report goes into the Legislature
The Secretary OF the State Board OF
Health, Benjamin Lee, NJ. D., has finished
his annual report, which will be presented
to the Governor. DR.. Lee, in commenting
upon the adopting of the laboratory OF
hygiene, which was established in February
by the University of Pennsylvania, for the
use of the State Board, said:
Now, to carry out in any adequate degree
the purposes of the law with regard to in
vestigating the causes Of disease and the
effects of foods, beverages and medicines on
the health of the people, two things, among
others, are absolutely essential: First, that
the board should have means and oppor-
tunities for making or procuring chemical
analyses; and, secondly. that it should have
means and opportunities for prosecuting
what are now known as meteorological ex-
aminations-the study of the germs OF dis
ease. And It goes without saying that where
the interests of the health and lives OF
5000 600 people are concerned these means
ana opportunities should be on a generous
scale and should conform to the most recent
Developments of scientific hygienio re-
search, both in this country and in Europe.
1t does not al all meet the intention and re-
quirements of the statute that the Secretary
of the board should spend a few cents on
test-tubes and chemicals. OF press his old
Dolland miscroscope, handed down from 9
previous generation, into the service OF the
State.
AWealth Dependent Upon Charity.
Nor is it fitting that this great Common
wealth. with its millions of revenue, should
be depending, as it has done, on the charity
of private chemists. who have. in q spirit Of
generous patriotism, placed their services
at the disposal of the board in order to en-
able ii, in some slight degree, to meet the
claims that are constantly and properly
made upon IL for the analyses of suspected
waters and foods. 1t is hoped, therefore,
that the trustees will see their way clear to
allowing the board to refer applications OF
this kind to the laboratory for investiga.
tion, The board, for its part. should make
every effort to obtain from the Legislature
reasonable appropriations for such purposes.
distinct from its general appropriation.
which will enable it to meet, at least, the
cost of all work done for the State.
Further, Section 8, of the act creating the
board, fnstructs 1t, "from time to time, to
engage suita ole persons to render sanitary
service. or to make or supervise practical
and scientific investigations and examins-
tions requiring expert skill. and to prepare
plans and reports relative thereto" Observe
the phrases: suitable persons" expert
skill" Heretofore the board has been COM
pelled to call to its aid for these objects
simply medical men, intelligent, educated,
sound practitioners, but without that
special training and equipment which would
render them Suitable persons" in any
strict, technical construction OF the expires
sion, or would furnish them with expert
skill"
Need for Trained, Practical Sanitarians.
Here, again, the laboratory will prove the
right hand of the board. giving just that in
struction which O sanitary inspector needs
to fit him for his special work. And, on its
side, it should ne the purpose of the board
TO rursue more persistently, even than it
has in the past, its purpose Of obtaining
thorough sanitary organization OF the State
under legislative sanction and compulsion,
the result of which will be to create con-
stantly increasing demand for lust such
trained, practical sanitarfRns as this school
will graduate. In this view of the case 10
might be part of wisdom for the trustees TO
place a certain number Of Scholarships at
tie disposal of the board.
Finally, it is desirable that publicity
should be given to the important work
which will be carried on in this institute.
which your Secretary risks nothing in say.
ing, after a careful inspection. and after COM
parison with other similar laboratories, will
be in advance of any in this country and the
peer OF any abroad-it is highly desirable
that this work should be frequently brought
to the notice of the Legislature, the medical
profession and the public; ana 1 therefore
suggest that its director be requested to pre-
sent a stated report quarterly, or at such
other interval as may be deemed eIpedient,
to the State Board o. Health Of all investi-
cations here prosecuted directly in the IN
terest of the public health, which report
shall form o portion OF the annual report Of
the board to be transmitted to the Gov.
ernor.
Many Cases of Contagious Disease.
The report shows that during the year
there has been rather an unusual prev
alence of preventable diseases Smallpox
has appeared at several points, but ha. been
carefully isolated, either by the State Board
or bv local boards, and thus prevented from
becoming epidemic. Scarlet fever has been
unusually prevalent, but of a mild type.
Diphtheria, however, has been widely
spread and extremely fatal, especially in
PHILADELPHIA and Erie counties. It Is safe
TO saw, the report says, comparing the NOR
tality returns of our cities with those of
previous years, that this disease has been
at least five times more prevalent than ever
before. During the past few weeks in the
citv of Philadelphia it has reached at least
ten times its average death rate. 1t is evil
dent that the only way to deal with this
yiruIent contagium is to adopt the same
rigid restrictions with regard to isolation.
disiutection ard destruction of tormltes that
we have long insisted on for repression of
smallpox.
In speaking of diphtheris at Erie and the
failure of the Board of Education to close
the schools ON the first request from the State
Board OF Health, DR.. Lee says:
rbe Depsrtmen OF Public Education be,nc
1. eitstfnct branch OF the State Government,
having plenty powers Of its own, IL will
READILY he seen that the State Board of
Health should endeayor, wherever 1t is DOS.
sible to exert its influence for the control OF
enidemics rather by sitting as an advisory
its own authority, which 1t undoubtedly
possesses.
The Result of o Legal Quibble.
Inasmuch, however. as the exercise Of such
authority in order to be OF service TO the
community TO save life should be prompt,
and as the authority OF the Secretary to
issue such an order in the interval between
meetings OF the board was in this instance
called in question, and lives were thus sacri-
feed to n legal Qtiibble, the board instructed
the Secretary TO draw up regulation which