The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-04-12
PUBLIC HEALTH TALK
Annual Conference of Folks Who
Urge Sanitation.
The Governor Makes an Address and
HoOsier Savants Read Papers on
Pertinent Topics.

Half a hundred health officers are here
attending the fourth annual conference.
which opened yesterday afternoon at the
agricultural rooms in the Statehouse. The
number will be augmented at to-day's pro-
ceedings as a number of the doctors did
not get in until late last night. DR.. s. s.
Boots. of Greenfield. president of the State
Board Of Health. is the presiding officer
Of the conference. and the members of
that body, DR.. d. c. Ramsey, of Mount
Vernon. DR.. John n. Taylor. of Crawfords-
vile, DR.. L. L. Whitesides Of Franklin,
and Dr.. c. n. Metcalf. of this city, secre-
tary of the board, are in attendance. The
other health officers present yesterday
S. II. Pearse Mt. Vernon: j. +. Hibbard,
Richmond; W. A Mccoy, Madison; w. n.
Home Anderson: T. p. Griffith, Lagrange
W. H. Shultz Lebanon; ]. 3. Lyle,
Marion: II. NJ. Logic, Connersville; J. F.
Thompson, New Castle; j. A. Swartzel,
Vincennes: DR.. Grant Richmond; r. F.
Leech, Charlottesville; l.. c. Johnson, Foun-
tain City; F. NJ. Henderson, Covington;
S. K. Polling Portland; II. f. Costello De-
catur; G. w. Mccoy, Chrisney; F. L.
Stone, Pendleton; T. II. Davis, Richmond:
Clark Cook, Fowler; w. b. Chambers,
Charlottesville; C. w. Ladd. Cannelton; w.
Crown Point; r. B. Ramsey, Greenfield;
NJ r. Wright Knox; T. S. Jones. Shelby
Vile: S. b Chamberlain, Lawrenceburg; NJ
vile; S. G. Dove, Westdeld; II. 4. Cowing
and S. NJ Ried Muncie w. Tilson, La
fayette; J. H. Keith, Evansville; E. 5. Ell
der, J. Q. Stillson, Mrs. George Merritt
s4aS M MGcqns aTsnn and otbsrs
indianapolis.
WATER SUPPLY PROBLEM.
The discussion of school sanitation occu-
pied good portion Of the afternoon ses-
sion, being pretty generally participated in
| by those In attendance. Prof Wellington
| B. Johnson. of Franklin College. read a
paper on How Shall We Protect Our Wa
| ter Supply" DR.. Johnson thought the pure
| water supply problem one of the most COM
| pick which civilization had to solve. He
| referred to the magnificent aqueducts of
| ancient cities, the systems of London. Dub
| lin and other European cities established
many years ago, and the vast sums spent
in the cities Of the Orient for pure water
| supplies as seeming to afford a belief that
| the problem had been solved. Yet all travel
erS declare the water over there must be
! boiled before 1t Is fit to drink. Chicago.
! until a few years ago, emptied her sewage
| into the Illinois river and pumped her wa
| ter out of the lake within a short distance
| of the rivers mouth. The Doctor defined
| ness OF vegetable and animal matter in
drinking water. There are, he said, at
| least three principal sources of the contain
| duStral waste emptying into streams the
| percolation of the contents of cesspools, etc.
| into wells and springs and the contanct of
| water with decaying bodies in the GEM
| eteries He discussed these three sources
at much length, bringing out many valuable
| and interesting points He thought confer
| ences such as the present one had much to
do with educating the people concerning
this and other subjects. 1t is less than
| thirty years since any State was without
| a health board. Now most all the States
| and Territories have them. The proceed
ings Of the conference. such as the present
| one, should be printed and circulated broad
cast over the State without delay. and the
! lessly handled in the common schools.
| where g, special chapter in physiology and
| Few talks from the teacher would arouse
| interest and investigation would follow,
| he said.
| DUTIES OF HEALTH OFFICERS.
| The paper was discussed for while, as
! that of Prof. D. n. Berg. of Green
| field, who addressed the members Of the
| conference on THE Laws and Rules Relat-
| ing to the Duties of Health Officers" These
| laws, the Professor said are in this State
| not very numerous voluminous, and are
| therefore not very difficult of comprehen-
| sion or enforcement. We are living"
| said he, "in an age, however, where the
| popular idea Is that legislation is a panacea
for all our ills; that all that is necessary
under certain conditions, is to legislate;
| 1. e., that our lawmaking power must
| pass certain laws and all will be well, and
| the cry is not we must educate, we must
| educate but we must legisate. We must
| complish any good results, must have be-
| hind II, and in favor Of 1t. popular opin-
boards of health Hence an important ants and I'd
| highly necessary work to be done is to
educate the people. and create demand
| laws and rules When such a state of
things has been established the enforcement
of law becomes easy 1t is hardly neces-
| edge on the part of boards of health as to
| their duties; and when 1 say boards of
health 1 hereby mean the whole board, in
| Guiding all its members" The Professor
| quoted from. the statute regarding these
| duties and then continued:
| "A tree shall be known by it's fruits
| These boards must be judged by their
| works; and so judging. the conclusion is
| do nothing but elect a secretary. When
| this Is done they seem to think that their
work ceases, and whatever is done there
| after must be done by the secretary. Now
| TINS an entire miSconstruction or misunder-
standing of the law The Professor under
| order the removal of the cause of disease
when known. TO take action to arrest the
spread of contagious diseases, etc, and
instruct or direct the secretary to execute
| or carry into effect such rules or ordinances
as they may have adopted to secure the
| bOdTuS OF county commits
| slCners, members of city councils and
| members of town boards of trustees are
ex officio boards of health; and upon them
devolve these important duties and not
| upon the secretary alone. They should hold
| regular meetings, keep a record of their
| proceedings; and In this capacity transact
| all the business pertaining to the health
| OF the people. The intention of the statute
| is TO make one complete chain for the pro-
lection OF the health of the people, the State
| county and city and town boards
| As can readily be imagined, this address
stirred the doctors up and they talked ii
| over for time
THE GOVERNOR TALKS
At the evening session Governor Mat
thews opened proceedings with the follow
| ing address Of welcome:
! teeth. have been cured on reaching the
| doorstep of the dentists office So GENTLE
| men, zee could be tempted to almost i'm
! agine that the health of this community
had suddenly improved upon the knoyi-
edge or your converting here to-day. I trust
at least that from this meeting there may
result those benefits that will largely as
| Slst IN securing that greatest blessing to
man as an individual and as TO commu-
! ntties-health and more perfect sanitation
/ / know OF subject more important or
! sideration of men than that which has
/ called you together. Health means the
| greater enjoyment of life, and the more
| perfect the sanitary measures adopted by
communities and States means the higher
/ and better citizenship, purer and happier
| homes. AS our State grows in wealth and
population, as her resources developed