Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1897-11-25
HAWKEYE NEWSLETTER
State Board of Health Makes It's
Biennial Report.
In the New Code--lnsti-
tutions Inspectcd-TO Change In
observation-disclosures Appoint-
mcnts-Other Notes of
Interest.
Especial Correspondence

lSpeclal CORRESPONDENCE
Des Moines, Ia, Nov. %. - The
ninth biennial report of the state
board of health, made by DR.. j. f. Ken
nedy, the secretary, is one of the most
complete, interesting and comprehen-
sive documents ever issued by the state.
The report treats on the following sub
jects:
Functions of the board, milk, -four. fruits,
tuberculosis, typhoid fever, hog cholera and
typhoid fever, small pox, diphtheria,
measles, whooping cough, how diseases
spread, responsibility of physicians, cause
and prevention of cancer, CHAMBERS In
child food poisoning, hygiene and health
In public schools, the doctor and the schools
the cesspool abomination, sanitation, the
Iowa health bulletin, formaldehyde; vet
Urinary science, relation to public health;
bovine tuberculosis. hog cholera--cause and
prevention, trichinoss, cigarettes, water,
protect the rivers, railroads, corpses. min
ers oil, care of insane by counties, vital
statistics, prevention of blindness, legisla-
tive suggestions.
Attention is also called to the various in
fictitious diseases, the causes producing
them and the best methods OF prevention
to the means by which these diseases are
spread to the similarity of certain diseases
of animals to diseases affecting the human
| respecting the spread OF diseases; to hy-
giene in the public schools. and the relation
of the physician to such schools: to veter-
mary science and its relation to the public
health; to the care of the insane, and the
dangers Of substituting county care for
state care in such cases; to food poisoning :
to river pollution; to diseases OF animals.
etc.
Pharmacy Report.
The state board of commissioners Of
pharmacy has submitted its ninth an
nual report to Gov. Drake. The com
missions is composed of j. II. Pickett, of
Oskaloosa; Fletcher Howard, of Des
Moines, and w. l.. Leland, Hawarden.
In presenting their report these COM
missioners comment on the defalcation
of the former treasurer and secretary,
Suel j. Spaulding. The report says that
there are 800 drug stores in Iowa, that
at no time have there been so few com
plants of the violation of the pharmacy
law; that there have been assessed in
fines for violation of the law $3.50, Of
which $1,000 has been paid into the diff
ferent county school funds, and that
while the board has raised the stand
ard Of the pharmaceutical examinations
the percentage of successful applicants
has not decreased.
The Code Not Perfect.
The more experience that is had under
the new code the clearer it becomes that
the coming session of the legislature
will have to make corrections and
amendments to it. Not that the new
code contains any radical blunders, but
many minor errors, chiefly of omission,
have been perpetrated. Most of them
result from the anxiety of the assem-
bly, to assure economy in state eXpendi-
lures and to stop leaks wherever they
could be found. Take for instance the
question whether notaries public are
empowered by the new code to ac-
knowledge mortgages on personal prop
erty. There is no question of their right
to do so under the old statutes, but the
new law is so specific in it's nature as
to cause serious doubts in the matter
They undoubtedly have the right to ac-
knowledge mortgages on real property,
but in listing the kinds and character
of instruments which they may ac-
knowledge there is no mention made of
personal property.
Another discovery is that the new
law makes it impossible to pay the an
nual bonus to county and district fair
associations. In 1859 law was passed
that 5000 should be donated annually
by the state to each fair association
which should make proper proofs that
the fair had been held. Under this sec
ton it has been customary for the Sec
rotary of the State Agricultural society
toreceive the warrants from the auditor
and mail them to the several district
fairs. But this fall the attorney-gen-
eral raised the question whether such
payment could be made within the laws.
There are 113 of these fairs, which this
year would draw $22 600 from the state.
Auditor of State Mccarthy thought that
the law was not being interpreted prop
erly and he wrote to the attorney-gen-
eral for an opinion on the subject. In
his reply Mr.. Remley expresses the
opinion that the counties are not en-
titled to the 5000 unless similar sum
has been received by them as annual
dues from members. AS few IL any of
them received such a sum the $4,000
spent for this purpose each year by the
state will be saved.
Inspection of Institutions.
The last general assembly appointed
a committee of three Of its members to
go through, inspect and investigate all
of the state institutions, namely,
Messrs. Merriam, Healy and Porter.
Speaking of the work that has been ac-
complished, Mr. Merriam said:
1--WE have gone through five institutions.
Thirteen remain to be inspected. The five
we have examined are among the largest.
They are Independence, Fort Madison,
Iowa City, the soldiers home and Anamosa.
We spent not less than ten days at each
Institution, as we did not want to make
tour of inspection and then have some
scandal spring up somewhere afterward.
There has not been an institution where
there have not complaints come to us. We
hear what they have to say and make our
t..oN alma nrNA