Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-05-05
DO you CALL THIS STARTLING 7
The Board Of Health Will Push Issue Of the
Tuberculin Test.

The Waterville board of health IN an,
nual meeting Monday afternoon. elected
a new member TO the board and also
elected officers for the new year; me
G. Bunker. q. f. Elden was chosen
chairman of the board and Or. "A. JOY
secretary Dr. l.. G. Bunker was the
newly elected member.
The question of sewers came up ana
was quite generally discussed. 1t was de-
termined to urge upon All mousse owners
the importance of making sewer CON
nectionS and also to urge upon the CITY
council the necessity of extending the
sewer system. Other minor matters were
discussed but the other business that
which called for determined acton OH
the part of the board and which con
tanned some startling phases, was that
of the report of last years secretary IN
which he declared that on the eighth day
of March last the 3-years-old Child OF
| Michael DUDE died of tuberculosis. The
attending physician could find no traces
| Of consumption in the parents oil the
| child and that the real cause OF It's death
| was from tuberculosis.
This was a STARTER for the members OF
| the board and they jumped at the issue
| Dr. Jolly. who is the milk inspector ana
veterinarian of the board was called up
on to inform the gentlemen what per
| cent of milkmen had had their milk eX-
| amined under the tuberculosis test.
! DR.. Jolly, responding. stated that there
| are in Watervilie fully 450 COWS the
milk of which Is sold in the city. he had
| since the adoption of the blank certii
| cate form by the board IN January. APP
piled the tuberculin test 10 the herds
of II different milkmen. the men doing the
| heaviest business. In all the veterinary
| had applied the test 20 but l3S COWS out OF
the 40 in the city Among this number
| l3S he had found four diseased cows,
| that he condemned. had killed and buried
This is conclusive evidence that there IS
| tuberculosis in the city and the board Will
! urge upon the citizens of Waterville the
I INN 1rf q 1a4
| chase of milk from only such milkmen
| as have had their cows tested. This m 1t .
| ter will be the hobby of the board of
| health until all the milkmen doing buSl-
ness in this city have had the milk of
| their cows tested and have received
| certificate of the herds good health.
| During the discussion the suggestion
| was offered that the city council he asked
| to adopt a city ordinance that would COM
| pei the milkmen to have their cows sub
mitted to the tuberculln test but that
was finally discarded. Under the present
rule the milkman, who has his cows
| tested by the authorized veterinarian, II
| the cows pass the test successfully Is
given certificate of the good health of
| his cows a record of which is kept in the
office of the inspector of milk. The milk
man is advised to carry this certificate
| in his pocket or somewhere about his
| team so that he may produce II should a
| customer desire to know wis Their or not
| the COWS had been duly tested and passed.
upon.
| The journal mas aSceftalned tiidt ihett
are 10 persons selling milk in this city.
This number of course includes those who
have but one COW that the milk is sold
| from Out of this number but II vendors
| have had the test applied to their stock.
| The members of the board of health
| realize fully the Importance of the matter
and they are determined to stamp out
! the disease if persistent effort can ac-
complish that end.
| The report of the cause of the death of
the little DUDE child was a bomhShell in
| their midst but the gentlemen grasped
| the subject at once. 1t is probable that
| there will be Il hustle among the milk
men to get their cows through inspection.
| Every resident should lend his and her
assistance in the direction of ensuring
pure milk in the city.