The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-12-02

The board of health last night mar
rowly escaped having no quorum but
at $40 o'clock Mr.. Zeiglor responded
to a telephone summons and with the
presence of Drs. Bentley and Paine the
meeting progressed The latter was
made president pro TEN in the absence
of President Kelly.
A characteristic report by DR.. w. T..
Allen, health officer, contained much
interesting matter and was as follows:
During tn month of November los COM
plants, written and verbal, were received
and attended to. We are constantly lc-
minded of the fact that the alleys (COurtSD
all over the city are in bad condition, but
those most in evidence are in the ccn-
tral wards and directly under the obscr-
walton Of our own business men ana
strangers visiting the city. So long as
these alleys are filled up with stables
which by right and Of necessity must be
there, so long these conditions will exist
unless the alleys are properly paved.
Smooth asphalt streets, kept clean by the
white wings, and alleys recking with filth
are hardly in accord with the eternal fit
ness of things.
There wele G. cases Of diphthcra re-
ported with 6 deaths, very small per-
centagc especially If we consider the
number not reported. There were & cases
of scarlet fever with death, cases of
typhoid fever and three deaths. OF the
g. cases of diphtheria reported, I were in
the central city, 10 in the North End, 20
on the West Side, and 2j on the South
Side; scarlet fever South Side, : cases;
West Side, cases; central city, none.
DEATHS FROM CONSUMPTION.
During the past year there were IS
deaths from phthisis pulmunalis (con-
sumptiom and % from tubercuar lis
eases, as every one should know, COM
municable from cXpcctoration. Yet the
dear public will sneer at the board of
health and spit on regardless.
In looking over the record of death GER
tihcates, find very frequently the cause
Of death given as "heart failure or
heart disease" which is vague and mis-
leading and | would suggest that the
board Of health request physicians to
specify, when they report heart failure,
the cause; if from disease. what disease;
if the result of any surgical operation, let
that be stated, ana the particular form
of disease Of the heart should be mon
toned. This would make our statistics
of some value.
The report was approved and the
secretary directed TO request physi-
clans to conform to the suggestions
contained in the last paragraph Of Dr.
Aliens report.
Secretary Murray's mortality report
for the month of November contained
the following: Deaths, 1i5; marriages
Sc; births. 81 Mortality in November,
1896. 137; 1898, 139; 1894, ia. In August
of this year the deaths numbered $50,
in September, l27; in October, 14S. OF
the November deaths were from con-
sumption. from apopleXy, 10 from
heart disease, from pneumonia,
from diphtheria II from Group and 10
from violence.
FOOD INSPECTORS REPORT.
Food Inspector Cullen made 500 mar
ket and store inspections and 1873 milk
inspections during November. He de-
stroyed 375 pounds of beef, - pounds
| of pork. As pounds of mutton, 50
pounds of veal, A. pounds Of chick ms,
ilS pounds of fish, barrels of apples
and 4 barrels of sweet potatoes. Ac-
cording to his report the milk supply
/ had been Of good quality, only four
| confiscations having been made.
1t was reported by the Crematory
superintendent that 2,Oj7 barrels of
garbage were destroyed at the Crema-
tory last month.
After the meeting adjourned the
members We're shown a patented disin-
feCting apparatus of a new type. The
mechanism of the machine and its ad-
vantages were explained by an agent.