The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-06-16
TRIED TO EXPLAIN
County Health Board Off
Gals Don't Know What
a Holiday Is.
TIERNEY IS ALWAYS BUSY
So the Commissioners Believe
But Then There's That Half
Holiday Assertion.

That expensive luxury, known as the
County Board of Health, consists of three
physicians and a large array of clerks and
three inspectors. Two of the members of
the board. Drs. Varick and Mcneil. are APP
pointed to their positions. The third mem
Der, DR.. Converse, becomes such by virtue of
his office as County Physician. Drs. Varlck
and Mcneil receive $500 a year each for
their services to this board, but DR.. Con
vers gives his labor for nothing. The Chief
Inspector is pad 81, 800 a year and the two
others 81, 900 each. The other salaries and
expenses of the board are in proportion to
those mentioned. Tn principal duty of the
officials, after drawing their salaries, is to
prevent the spread of contagious disease and
one of the most dreaded of these scourges is
smallpox.
Last Saturday a case Of smallpox was dis
covered at No.. 274 Eleventh street, this city,
and the premises were not %fumigated until
the following Monday, when Inspector
Daniel Tierney condescended to lend his
valuable aid to the prevention of the spread
of the disease.
For thirty-six hours the thickly populated
tenement house district in which smallpox
was discovered remained without any pro-
lection. When Inspector Tierney was asked
why the place had not been fumigated as
soon as the case was reported, he replied
that Inspectors did not work on Saturday
afternoons.
WHAT M'NEIL SAYS.
When I called on DR.. Mcneil and asked
him if it were true that the health authori-
ties were off duty from Saturday until Mon
day, he replied
Saturday until nine O'Clock Monday morn
ing, and of course no complaint can be re-
ceived there during those hours, but COM
plant may be made to any one of the Board
of Commissioners When this is done, ac-
ton is taken. at once. Frequently | have
acted for an Inspector when one could not
be found"
Doctor, what would be the result if all
the members of the board should happen to
be where they could not be reached if wanted
immediately"
THAT would be an almost unheard of
| complication, and one not liable to happen.
We always leave word at home where we
may be found. This smallpox case referred
to in THE JERSEY Cry NEWS, is the first of
the kind that has ever taken place in this
| county, and an emergency never before con-
| sidered. 1t is more than probable that the
| matter will be discussed at the meeting of
the board next Monday"
sDo you believe the Health Office should
| be kept open every dayg'
II do not care to say, for the board may
take action next Monday on the case. | do
| rot know what the custom of other Health
Boards is. / do not know that it is neces-
sary to keep the office of the Board of
Health open ON Sundays and holidays. l
am not prepared to say that it should be a
| central point SO complain to on Sunday"
OF LITTLE CONSEQUENCE.
County Physician Converse said today in
| reference to the natter
"This case in itself fortunately was of but
| little consequence. Heretofore when the
! office of the board has been closed, cases of
smallpox nave been reported to me. I am
not a Health Inspector, but | have attended
| such cases promptly, This case in question |
| did not hear of until others had been told
i about it.
'sThe great trouble lies in the lines limit
ing the Jurisdiction of the County and City
Boards of Health not being properly de-
| fined. Until some time ago the County
Board would be promptly notified if con
nation is sent to the City Board of Health,
and after it gets through with a case
of smallpox, the board turns it over
to us. The reason for this is that
a number of cases of alleged smallpox were
sent to the county pesthouse. and when we
Investigated them, we found they We're not
smallpox cases at all. Then the County
Board decided that thereafter no smallpox
patient could be removed to the hospital
without the consent of a member Of the
board.
.sCertainly, I believe the Board should be
a central point, and prepared to receive COM
plants on any day whether Sunday or a
holiday. In respect to the particular case
that has caused this controversy, Chief In
spector S~altonstall informed me that he had
been noUifed on Saturday of the case of
smallpox, and he visited the place. He and
a member of the Board of Health vacinated
all the persons who could be found who had
been exposed to the disease"
"Dr. Converse could not say, however,
why S~altonstall or Tumey had nor fumi-
gated the house.
WHAT DIR. vARICK SAYS.
According to facts Cleaned from DR.. w.
w. Varick. President of the Board of
Health, the report Of the case OF smallpox at