St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1897-01-22
BOARD OF HEALTH.
The Mass rIeeting on Wednesday Night.

The Mass rleeting on Wednesday Night.
a mass meeting was held in Music Hall
on Wednesday evening to hear the opin-
ions of the state board Of health on the
typhoid fever epidemic which is now rag
ing here. Judge w. P. Smith presided
and said the meeting was called in the
interests OF everybody in this village.
1--WE have here a condition of affairs
which materially affects our health and
our prosperity. We are here tonight to
find the remedy and take whatever meas
ures possible to stop it"
Dr. Holton of Brattleboro was the
first speaker and he spoke in very in
teresting and instructive manner He
said no town in Vermont ought to have
an epidemic of any of the filth diseases.
Diphtheria, consumption, small pox and
most of the fevers were germ diseases
and the medical profession had found the
germs of each disease and knew great
deal about their habits of life. The ty-
phoid fever germs thrive in the intestinal
canal and its discharges, and the germs
get into the human body through the
water or milk that we drink.
DR.. Holton, who has been a practicing
physician since 1860, then cited numerous
epidemics that had come under his inves-
tigation. In almost every instance the
first case could be traced to drinking well
water that had been contaminated. AS
the discharges of the sick patient were
not taken care of the disease in each cpl
demic spread locally and in some
cases from town to town. There are
FIVE or six varieties of the typhoid germ
and the severity of the case depends upon
which germ we absorb into our system.
DR.. Hamilton of Richford, secretary oi
the board, followed DR.. Holton. He said
the Almighty never intended the rivers
for source OF water supply for drinking
or domestic purposes. The first use ot
the river is to drain the land. After the
river banks became built up with factories
and dwelling houses they were useiu
both for the drainage and sewerage o
the community. A filter will clear the
water but it will never purify it. II
is criminal to offer impure water to any
community. Whenever we have tounc
an epidemic of typhoid fever in the STATE
we have traced it to the use OF rive
water tor drinking purposes.
Dr. Hamilton then described the tri]
he made on the ice Wednesday afternoon
from the dam at Paddock village to st
Johnsbury Center. He described tn
filthy condition OF the outhouses whicl
surrounded the bank on both sides ant
said the drainage could not flow else
where than into the pond which supple
our water. DR.. Hamilton counted owe
100 houses in three miles whose sewerag
flowed into the river and in many in
StdHCcS tHS OulHOuSSS WSIS oHly iSV
ieet from the river bank DR.. Hamilton
was vigorously applauded when he salt
he was not going to condemn the rive
water, but only let it speak for itself.
Both the gentlemen were then interro
gated by Prof Comstock, w. P. Stafford
w. P. Kelly, Prof. S. H. Braekett, Judg
Smith, and others. Dr. Hamilton SAT-
they never found case of typhoid feve
that could be traced directly to ba,
plumbing. One theory against that wa
the intermittent nature of the outbrea
: of the disease. II it was bad plumbin,
the disease would come oftener and cor
tinue longer. DR.. Holton said DR.. Ham
ilton had not exaggerated the condition
of Passumpsc river at all and he wou
never drink it, as he believed it containe
typhoid germs. The river would neve
purify itself by running and ice could cor
tain the germs just as well as the water
DR.. Hamilton advised everybody VIII
used the water to boil it on all occasions
He himself was convinced that the caus
of our fever was the river water and h
said the board was unanimous on thi
point. After a few more questions an
answers the meeting adjourned.