The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-06-10

A. the monthly meeting OF the board OF
health yesterday afternoon Health Of
ncer Eames called attention 10 the graf
Tying results which have attended Nhe ef-
forts Of the department 20 see that citi-
Gems OF Seattle are supplied with pure
mix AS YOU are aware" he said ''ths
active inspection Of milk was inaagurated
about September, 1856 Before this time
inspections were made by the use Of
q iacsonetsr. which was a crude and in
accurate uetlef- On September an i'm
proved testing apparatus was supplied the
department. and since that time every ef-
tort has been made To induce the vendors
o. milk 10 supply pure article. The re-
suits obtained Indicate that TO very
great extent the milk supply OF the city
Is pure and unadalyerated
The records OF the department show
that before the rev testing apparatus was
used the supply was not good and III many
instances was very impure and weak.
have complete report of every month
since August. 1886. showing the number Of
gallons Of milk inspected and the guam
THY condemned. the nar1ter of sneciggents
tested for butter fat, showing the result
OF these; also the number OF analyses
made. Summarized. these show thar o. al
average of l15 specimens tested a month
since last September for butter fat. ninety
four specimens fell below the required
standard In September. seventy sfgnt in
October: ninety-three in November sew
enty-eisht In December; five in January,
1877: five in February: eight in March. six
in April and ten i'm May.
These figures should demonstrate the
absolute necessity of a continuation OF
these inspections. and also the extent 10
Which the citizens of this city have oeen
benefited with one of the most import
ant food products. The death rate OF the
city having decreased as the milk supply
improved may be a mere coincidence, but
such is the case. Severa! arrests were
made and convictions secured in some
cases for selling impure milk. which see ms
to have had salutary effect on the milk
dealers.
About Reporting Births.
There were thirty-three births report
ed. as compared with forty-four in May,
1896, forty in 1895. and forty-seven in 1S9s.
The probabilities are that no less than fifty
births occurred during the month, but
certainly many more than were reported,
which serves to show the iaxity with
which physicians and midwives obserse
the ordinance supposed to regulate this
practice. The attention OF the county au-
ditor was called to this matter some time
ago, but the results are not yet apparent.
The Vital Statistics
reported within the city limits. not IN
Guiding three still births. BY comparison
with the four preceding years We find that
there We're fewer deaths in this month
than in any other of these years. there be-
ing thirty eight deaths In May. 1885,
thirty-six In 1895: thirty-five in 1894 end
thirty-eight in 1893. Ycu will also observe
from former reports that the mortality
rate has been lower in every month this
year than in the same months of proceed
inS years of which this department has
record.
mo disease OF a serious character has
been prevailing during the month There
were sixty-two cases of measles reported,
well scattered over the city, and seven
cases OF scarlet fever, four Of these cases
being in one family. The quarantine resyu-
Iations have been faithfully observed in
these cases and the houses have been fun
igated as well as could be done with our
limited means. The guarantees have all
been raised and we believe that no more
cases viii originate as a result or ex-
posture to these families
Plumbing Inspector Swyney sent in an
application for a fifteen days vacation
commencing June H. RE quoted the char
ter as saying that the head OF any de-
partmcnt may grant fifteen days vacation
with raY to any person or empioye in the
civil! service Of the city.
Or Newlands remarked that the request
was somewhat unusual. and President
Holmes replied that Mr.. Swyney was evil
IDENTIFY well read on the provisions OF the
charter After further discussion the APP
nitcatiou was tabled