The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1893-10-26
LOCAL STORIES IN BRIEF
The Health 0fnesr, his Duties, Di1lcul
Ties and Desires.

uoS anu DoSlfeS.
4 WORD CONCERNING RECENT CASES.
aaaa OFFICE Buslnsss In she Divorce
Court : sever Marriage Ce.Payt.
ncPshfps Dissolved - The Parties
and Their Complaints.
HEALTH OFFICER AND HIS DvrRs.
notice that Health Officer Mccormick has
been the subject Of good deal Of criti-
cism." said a well-known citizen yester-
day In crowd who were discussing the
recent action taken against the spread OF
the diphtheria scourge, land l believe
much Of It is unjust, but II comes, no
doubt, from those who know little or
nothing Of his business. In the FIRST
place DR.. Mccormick had simply heard
that there was diphtheria in the Cowy-
chez valley and he Immediately told the
mayor what information he had and then
jumped in his buggy and left for the
scene OF the reported scourge. Previous
to going, however, he heard that boy at
the Bartholet hotel was believed to be
taking IL. On Investigation, DR.. Nc
Cormick found reason TO believe that the
boy was taking the disease and inform ed
the mayor OF that fact, requesting that
the child be Immediately removed from
the town or that the hotel be quarantined.
He made similar statement to the
father Of the child. On that day the
health officer went to the Cowychee aud
convinced himself that diptheria prevailed
there; thereupon he sent word to DR.. B..
M. Savage to take action for him looking
TO quarantining the hotel, but the child
had been taken away when DIR. Savage
got the word.
at is known, Of course, that the health
officer has no Jurisdiction out OF the city
limits; yet l believe he was officially
active in the work OF aiding the council
to determine intelligently what should be
done. This is the opinion of those who
have informed themselves about the mat
ter. There is, or should be, a county
board Of health and where contagious are
rep ,rted to axist in the country precincts
1t is their duty to investigate the matter.
The city ought not to be asked to pay for
special service of physicians sent into the
country for that purpose. The law, it is
said, was inadvertently left out Of Hills
code, but it may be found in the laws of
1881"
The reporter referred this matter to DR..
Mccormick, health officer, who verified
the foregoing statements, and added:
"If I 10 any way failed to meet the re-
quirements regulating the duties of
health officer confess that have been
unable to find a physician in the city who
understands that law. Ihave made an
earnest effort to have board Of health
properly organized and put in working
condition. but SO far have not attained
the object Of my effort. For instance, the
local board OF health should report to the
state board OF health the existence OF con-
tagious diseases when they are discovered
here, but l SO far am the only member OF
that board who has made such report.
personally investigated the condition OF
the alleys and 9 number Of ill-kept back
yards and barnyards in the city and
recommended officially that the council
take action Immediately toward putting
them in proper condition and compelling
them to be kept SO. Action was taken,
but no penalty was imposed for refusal to
comply with the ordinance regulating
such matters.
: 'The secretary of the state board wrote
two or three letters to the local board of
health for information, but, the board
never having been organized, he got no
answer until personal letter from that
functionary was handed to me as health
officer and l. answered it.
"Anotber thing: I have pursued my
duties under difficulties that could easily
have been averted. For instance, have
no blanks on which to make out certifi-
Gates OF death, notices OF the existence oil
contagious diseases, nor have stationery
Of any kind as health officer. put in a
requisition for it and my application was
favorably received by action OF the coun-
Gil, but my order was never filed.
Relative to the sewers and sewer con.
nections, /, after estigation, reported
that the council should compel sewer con-
nections within thirty days from the da.e
fxed when the council decreed it should
be done in sixty days. The council, i'm.
mediately upon receipt of my report, de-
clared proper sewer connections should be
made within fifteen days; but the official
order was never enforced.
"Some people labor under peculiar
hallucination as to the official latitude
given health officer in city Of this
class. l may discover the existence OF
contagious diseases in the city and make
my report in accordance with law, but
can't compel the authorities to ado pt it
or take any action relative to enforcement
Of existing ordinances. Nor have any
jurisdiction in country precincts. The
laws of the state leave that with the
county board Of health. II 1t is not
properly organized certainly cannot be
blamed with the dereliction.
"As to the personal features OF this
controversy will have nothing to say at
th;g time.u