St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-02-12
FOR The PUBLIC HEALTH.
COUNCIL. HEALTH DEPARTMENT AND
STREET RhILWSY INTERESTED.
A CRUSADE AGAINST SPLITTING.

A CRUSADE AGAINST SPLITTING.
1t viii Not Only RENDER Travelling
on Street Cars More Endura :
bic, but Will Aid the Health
Department in Its Ende6vors
to Prevent Contagious Dis
eases.
AT the next meeting of the city coun-
eli the street railway will present pc
tition asking for the adoption OF an or
dinance prohibiting the indiScrlminate
! splitting in street cars. 1t is likely that
for once the company and the council
will be able to act tremendously, for
the nuisance referred 10 has taken upon
itself the complexion OF a common veal.
The health department will be deeply
interested in the outcome of this petit
tioD, for it is i'll line with what DR..
Kelley, the commissioner, and Chairman
GRAY. of the committee on health and
hospitals, have been laboring for.
The disease, tuberculosis, or con-
sumption, as it is commonly called, is
the ban of the department. Owing 10
the frequent and violent changes IN the
climate this disease has firm foothold
III Minnesota, and Commissioner Kelley
is endeavoring to perfect some plan
whereby its march may be halted. He
has placed tuberculosis among the list
OF preventable diseases, though he
agrees with other physicians that it is
contagious. One of the methods of
preventing the transmission of the dis
ease is the prohibition of promiscuous
splitting on streets, public places and
street cars. 1t is agreed that the germs
are very readily transmitted IN this
manner, and 10 prevent this is the aim
Of the health department. DR.. Kelley
is of the opinion that if consumptiye
patients were compelled to carry with
them small metallic receptables in
which to dispose of spittle while walk
ing on public thoroughfares and riding
on streets cars, a certain percentage of
the danger of transmitting germs could
be averted.
The health department will therefore
be in the foremost ranks i'll this fight
against "spltters," and the fair sex of
the city will be deeply interested in the
outcome. in speaking on the matter OF
the ordinance referred to, General Man.
ager w. j. Held. of the street railway
company. said:
dozens of committees, usually COM
posed OF ladies. have called upon me
lately with the request that something
be done to prevent the wholesale split
ting epidemic in the cars. They have
been most urgent i'll their requests for
relief from the nuisance, but l have
been puzzled 10 know how 10 avoid 1t.
There is no law or ordinance at present
under which the matter can be handled.
The only relief which could come would
be through the city council. We are
considering seriously the matter of
asking for an ordinance, giving
to the conductors of cars the
power to eject persistent SpitterS from
the car. At present the conductors
have not even the right to reprimand
the offenders. If such an ordinance or
resolution were passed it would greatly
please the company, as well as the pub
lie in general. We would Immediately
try to enforce it i'll the most practical
way. Notices would be placed in prom
inent positions Ill the cars, and, if
necessary, portion of the ordinance
would also be placarded. The splitter
of tobacco juice, when detected in his
otfense by the conductor, would first be
warned not to repeat it. If this failed
to do any good the conductor would
invite him TO leave the car"
In connection with the local agitation
against splitting on street ears. it will be
aprOpos to state that in London and
other European capitals consumptive
patients are quarantined after a man
ner, and besides they are compelled by
law to carry the receptables referred to.
The health department is also de-
sirous of securing the cooperation of
the state department of milk inspection
in roofing out the disease tuberculosis
among milch COWS. Milk that contains
the deadly bacill is the greatest of all
dangers to public health, and more con-
sumption arises from drinking impure
milk than from any other cause. A
system of rigid inspection of all the
diaries and milk supplied to city Gus
toners would greatly reduce the aver
age of consumption: provided. of
course, the deductions of the inspection
were acted upon according to the best
sanitary notions. Kill all cows and
sieZe all meat and milk infested by
tuberculosis germs, stop the splitting Of
conSumptives in public, and quarantine
the more advanced cases of the disease,
and the health department will have
but easy work in coping with the
disease which now is looked upon with
so much dread.