Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1896-02-06
HEALTH BOARD MEETING.
MEMBERS INTEND TO INSIST THAT
THE LAWS BE OBEYED.
Health Officer Wards Report for Janu-
ary Shows That IA Total of Twenty-Five
Cases of Diphtheria Had Been Report
cd During Last Month.

cd During Last Month.
The regular monthly meeting of the
Board of Health was held at the Office
of DR.. +. Schilcher, on Friday even
ing OF fast week, every member of
the board and the health officer being
present. After the minutes of previous
meeting were approved Health Officer
Ward made his monthly report, as fol-
lows: That twenty-five cases of diph-
liberia had been reported to him since
the last meeting of the board, and that
two of them had died and were inferred
with all necessary precautions under his
| supervision; that acute cases of the
disease existed at this time in the fami-
lies of Oliver Reinsmith, Chestnut street;
Condy Mclaughlin, Adams street; Fran
els Brennan, Centre street, and James
+. Ledger and James Richards, Coke
addition; that scarlet fever had been re-
ported existing in the family of Ador
Leippert, Johnson street; that all homes
containing contagious and infectious
diseases had been duly placarded &C
cording to law, and that he had offered
a reward for the arrest and conviction
of any person tearing down such notices
or visiting infected houses without au-
| thority from him or the attending ply
| sician.
| ID. j. Mccarthy, on behalf of the
school board, explained that on account
of the appearance of diphtheria in the
| nil, - Nf.T,
teacher, is a member, he, in company
with the secretary of the school board,
waited upon the president and secretary
of the Board of Health, and in accord
ance with their instructions the school
had been closed and the teacher was in
structed to keep away from the infected
house until the attending physician had
declared all danger of further infection
| passed.
The secretary then read communi-
cation from the secretary of the State
Board of Health, calling the attention
of the local board to important laws
passed by the late legislature, as follows:
Act No. 1874, entitled ian act to provide
for the more etfectual protection of the
public health in the several municipali-
ties of the commonwealth" which en-
ables local boards to act by direct au-
thority OF the state in all matters per-
tanning to the control OF contagious and
| infectious diseases and making obliga-
tory upon physicians the prompt reports
of such diseases, of health certificates
from attending physicians for the re-
admission Of children to school after
having suffered from or being exposed
to the diseases, and of certificates of
vaccination for the admission of chill
dren to school; act No. 1873, entitled IAN
act authorizing Boards of Health in
cities and boroughs of this common
wealth to regulate house drainage, the
registration of journeymen and master
| plumbers, and the construction of cess
pools;" act No. 263, which provides for
the prevention of blindness through the
neglect of those having care of infants.
After general discussion of the above
points, the following motions were made
and carried In regard to act No. 124,
that the requiring OF reports from ply
sicians and health certificates for the
schools concerning contagious and in
| fectious diseases should be more rigidly
enforced, and that, although the res
| possibility of the vaccination regulation
devolves primarily upon the school
board, the president should appoint
member of the Board of Health to look
up the state laws regarding compulsory
vaccination and report at the next
meeting; and that the undertakers of
the town should meet the Board of
Health at an early date and see if some
better understanding could be arrived
at, so that the law regarding the regis
tration of undertakers and the speedy
and strictly private funerals of persons
dying from communicable diseases
should be more rigidly enforced without
unduly influencing one mans business
more than another.
Regarding the act bearing on plumb
ers, it was decided that the secretary
write to every plumber working in the
town and call his attention to the act,
and notifying him to register in a book
to be provided for that purpose by the
Board of Health, and that he shall in
form the secretary of any contract for
any sanitary plumbing relating to house
or cesspool drainage which he may un-
dertake inside the borough limits, so
that the health officer can supervise the
work and see that it is done according
to the proper regulations.
Action ON the law relating to blind
ness from inflammation of infants eyes
, was deferred until the next meeting.