St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-03-12
Important Facts in Health
Commissioner hoyt'S An
nual Report.
The Garbage System and It's
Important Bearing on
Public Health.
Diphthepia and Scarlet Fever
Still Hold Their Stubborn
Sway.
Crying Necessity for Some
Kind Of a Public DiSin-
feeting Plant.

Health Commissioner Hoyt submitted
TO the mayor yesterday the annual re-
port % the health department for the
year 1892 In connection with the usual
array of figures and statistics, the COM
missioner says:
The year has not been entirely IN
eVentfu. Much has been accomplished
III certain directions that tends towards
the realization of the object we are con-
StantlY striving to attain-ln the preSer-
walton of the public health. the pre- ven
ton of preyentablc diseases, ana, as a
consequence, the lowering OF our death
rate.
Garbage.
After delay of nearly one year the
suggestions on this question in our an
nual report for 1891 were finally adopt
ed, and i'll October a contract was en-
tered into between this city and the st.
Paul Garbage company for the purpose
Of gathering, removing and dlSpoSlng
of all garbage and dead animals that
NAV accumulate within our corporate
limits. We fully realize the fact that
this garbage problem has in the past
been the most difficult to solve, per-
hapS, of any of the many YeXatlouS
questions that constantly confront mu-
inequalities; that at present any system
now known is imperfect, and. perhaps,
| always will be; yet, while hoping Tor
! better method at some future time. we
| do not hesitate to record the fact that,
| in our opinion, there is no city IN
! the United States today that is
| equipped with a better system in
| ali its details for the collection,
removal and disposal of its refuse
material than ours, and very few
are as good. The old, familiar noiSome.
| Od0rous, pestilence-pToducing garbage
| vehicle is relic of the past in this city.
/ Our garbage is now collected in hard
| wood casks, which. when filled, are her
metically closed, loaded upon cars and
| transported some twenty or thirty miles
outside the city limits. The casks are
| cleansed each time they are emptled,
| and. if they are kept as they should be,
will never become nuisance. In our
present system and contract the people
! are thoroughly protected in every way
by systematic record of the failure OF
! the contractor and fines therefor. as
| kept by this department, and the fact
! that the council reserves the right To
| cancel the contract at its pleasure
when the number of failures number
100.
Complaints.
While the public are so we'll cared for
in this direction, a great many forget
that they have any duty to perform in
the premises; and that it is very often
their own fault that they do not get
good service is self apparent. Our ad-
vice to every householder in this matter
is briefly as follows: First, provide a
receptacle of either hard wood Or gal
vaniled irOn-capacity not less than
! five nor more than twenty gallons-with
! a tight cover. Place that receptacle in
| a location that Is accessible to the
| scavenger. and put into it nothing but
! garbage, j. e., animal OrVegetaOle mat
| ter Then notify the garbage con-
/ tractor at the office, Fourth and Jack
son streets, that you desire the service,
and if you do not get it mail complaint,
| giving address, number OF failures to
! collect over your own signature to
| the health Office or call there in person.
| For each failure such as L have de-
scribed the contractor is fined p cents,
| and as a rule it takes very few com
plants to insure good service. Let the
! bubble do their duty in this matter, and
as a natural consequence the contractor
! is compelled to do his. or quit. In con-
Guiding our observations upon the garO-
| age subject we would invite your attea-
ton TO the following table, showing the
mortality from cholera infantum and
| typhoid fever in our city from 1887 to
| 1892 inclusive, during which time much
attention has been given by this depart
| ment to the garbage problem and en-
| forced sewer connectiOnS-fact that
are known to have more or less i'll
| HuoDaa nnOn flPsei diseases
No. Deaths From 81 SO 50 80 81 92
| Cholera infantum 10 165 130 10l 81 II
| Typhoid fever. ....l rs l42 93 % oil AZ
DisinCectIOn.
We regret to record the fact that,
| while there has been no alarming in
! crease, there has not been the steady
| decrease there should be in the mortal
lty from diphtherla and scarlet fever.
A careful and extensive study of why
they so stubbornly hold their own
against our efforts to diminish them, has
led US to believe that our present syS-
TEN of quarantine and disinfection is
faulty The matter of diSintectiOn has
been alluded to in previous reports, and
it is about time some action was taken.
| Public opinion is a peculiar element.
Sometimes it is nodded very quickly,
| and again it is very sluggish. This lat
| Ter phase Is OllSu dSSOCldbcu Will SAIL
tarv reforms. We shall make two Sug-
| geStons along this line and shall
! depend upon the table following to
assist us in having our sugges-
tions acted upon. First. that action be
taken at once to provide for this city a
public diSinfecting plant that will en-
able US to diSinfect with Super-heated
| steam the contents of all rooms or
| dwellings that have been occupied with
cases of contagious diseases. Second,
that the corporation attorney and COM
missioner of health be instructed to pre-
pare an ordinance to be passed al an
early date that shall provide for the
length of time quarantine shall be main
tanned where contagious diseases occur.
| and that said quarantine shall include
all persons that may De i'll said house at
the time OF the occurrence of said dis
ease.
No. Deaths From 1887 1888 1880 1890 1891 1892
Diphtheria ..-... 30 Ill l5I 121 l0l 149
Scarlet fever 49,. 81 10 IS % "A 20
Miscellaneous.
Milk inspection, public baths and an
ambulance, we will only mention in
this report, as our opinions regarding
them have been given often before. We
nope, however, that they are all 10 be
| Ill tAiSIcllCG vel SOOu III Jul CITY. Hc
work of the inspectors in tie depart
ment compares wonderfully we'll with
previous years, especially when we
take into consideration the decrease in
our force duringsthe past year. In the
matter OF finances we regret to state
that we are sadly deficient. Much
more is expected of this department
and much less is given US to operate
with in proportion than any other de-
partment in our city government. This
department was allowed this year So.
1888. With one exception there W;
no city in the United States of equal
population but appropriated for theil
respective health departments three
times that sum, and most of them &
good deal more. Yet, Just as much i:
demanded of US as is expected of health
departments in other cities. We re
spectfully request that you remedy thi:
Ivy the proper suggestion TO the legis-
lature.
The statistical work, explaining il
form tho diffprapt dufiac n.