The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1895-11-06
Report of the Board Of Health.

Report OI Tie DOuFu VI ueullus
The following interesting report was
read by DR.. J. o. Wilhite, Secretary of the
Board of Health, at meeting of the City
Council last Friday evening. The Council
resolved to carry out INSTRUMENTATION
contained therein as far as practicable.
The Board of Health consists Of DR.. W.
81. Nardin. President, DR.. o. White,
Secretary, Drs 8. M. Orr, J. G. Harris and
Mr.. j. M. Payne. They were elected un.
der the provisions of an Act Of the Legisla-
ture of last December, which is applicable
to all towns and cities, and which defines
the duties of the various Boards.
Anderson elected good Board, which
has manifested lively interest in its
duties, and the city will profit by it.
The report contained tabulated state
ment of births and deaths for four months
ending October 81, together with color, sex,
cause and age, which We have reduced to
more concise form.
The report is as follows:
ANDERSON, 8. c., Oct. 81, 1895.
To the Mayor and Aldermen of the city
of anderson:
GENTLEMEN: The Legislature of South
Carolina during the session Of 1894 enacted
a law creating Boards Of Health for incor.
porated cities and towns and defining their
powers aud duties. 1t Is now my duty to
su bmit to you q report, and in 30 doing
permit me to preface the same by few re
marks on the subject of public health,
sanitation and it's Importance.
In these days of political struggle and
divers interest In this country We hear
much of the various means for the advance
meat and the protection Of the agricultur.
al, the manufacturing, the mercantile
interest and many others Of less impor-
tance and ex tent. Including the 40 called
vested rights But what question Of a
mere business interest can compare either
in i'm mportance or extent with the general
and individual interest which every man
has in the preservation CT health and life?
No matter what the labor, manual or in.
tellectual, at which be is engaged, nor how
productive. each and every mode OF obtain.
ing individual supplies and contributing
to the social welfare of the community Is
and must ever be subordinate both indi-
yiduslly and generally to the possession of
health, the cash value of v hch is we'll
recognized. Experience has shown the
utter falacy that some cities have regarded
sanitary laws. We can only point out
how diseases are spread srd by what
means they can be prevented, and 1t then
remains for the people, the representatives
OF which you are, to have such measures
enforced. We have rules and regulations
framed from scientific observations. Boards
of Health acting under wise laws can &c.
complish great good, and much sickness
and elsewhere, by such organization.
However, there is great difficulty in per.
sistently maintaining any regulations for
the public health, and. like other laws,
cannot 20 greatly beyond the public senti
ment. A writer on public health has said,
and If not true at present will be in the
future, ''that the general intelligence Of any
community may be safely inferred by the
attention which they pay to the removal
of filth, one great link in the chain of dis.
ease which we can CONTROL. away beyond
the possibility of doing harm" The State
Board of Health, although having been in
existence for about fifteen years, has been
of incalculablo benefit to the State large.
It has kept from our shores and inland
towns, yellow fever. cholera, smallpox,
etc., and by the existence of the local
Boards it is intended to be the further
means for protection and for the better
preservation of the public health. The
great falling off Of death rates, the decided
decrease In epidemics are attributed to
better sanitary regulations. The preven
ton of an epidemic, especially Of the char
acter of the above diseases, can be best
appreciated by the community that has
been Visited by one. could cite you
many examples, but of the many let Us
notice Brunswick, Georgia, whose author.
tiles dlsregarded the advice OF the health
officer at the commencement OF the out
break of yellow fever few years ago.
Again take another instance, q city in
Tennessee a few years ago. 1t seemed to
bp doomed city. Its population had de-
creased alarmingly, real estate bad de.
creased in value, because the city was
scourged with disease. The panic stricken
people, looking upon the place as doomed,
had surrendered its municipal charter.
So bad was the condition Of affairs that
the National Board Of Health appropriated
to the Tennessee Board of Health fifty
thousand dollars to endesvor to place
them in healthy and sanitary condition.
This State has wisely and rlghtfully as.
sumed the authority to enact sanitary laws
t
proyince of government is not transcended
nor is the liberty Of it's citizens violated
when all are required to obey laws which
couduce to the promotion Of public health.
The city or State where not observed, I'm
migration ceases, capitol is alarmed and
improvements are unknown. On the
other hand the city which adopts and en-
forces with firmness and inlpartiality the
strictest sanitary laws and regulations not
ONLY enhances its material interest but
adds charm to the attractions of home,
and inspires its children and people with
a more devoted patriotism. Accepting the
estimate made by statiscians OF the imam
cial value of life Of each able bodied,
industrious man at sixteen hundred dol.
lars, and the average cash value OF each
man, woman and adolescent above twelve
wears of age at one thousand dollars, we
then have some conception OF the financial
value of each citizen and the loss To the
wealth of the community in unproductive
labor from sickness and by death from
preyentable diseases. It needs, therefore,
no labored argument to prove that 1t is
the duty to protect the public health by
legal statutes based upon the knowledge
which sanitarians have gained by their
sacrificing and human industries. Much
comment has been made by many as re.
CARDS the health OF our city, and to its
detriment in some respects, but there have
been exaggerated reports and not sustained
by diligent inquiry. The Board, since their
organization, have been very active In
their work, Notwithstanding there seems
to be some degree laxity but they have
considered it more wise until after the
people hers became more informed az re-.
cards what IS required by the Ordinance
not to apply the penalty except In cases
| where there was willful violation and 8
| nuisance and could not be abated other
Wiae.
In addition to the recommendations pre-
viously presented, we recommend that an
additional number Of carts be purchased
for the removal of filth and garbage from
public streets and thoroughfares, as the
present force is inadequate, and that they
be placed under the supervision of the
Board of Health.
There has been reported to the Board
during our existence only four cases OF
dyphtheris, with one death. In each case
we have ordered strict quarantine and
| isolation, which has prevented the spread
of same. There is no case at present In
the city.
There are and have been quite number
of cases of measles scattered over different
parts of the city. At its first outbreak
the Board attempted isolation, etc., but
the utter disregard by some and the failure
of others to report each case, and especially