The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-07-11
NEW STATE HEALTH LAI

| The new state health law passed by the
| last Legislature is spoken of in this man
ner:
Among the many faults and imperfec-
lions of the existent health law the mode
of appointment of county, city and town
health officers their compensation and
| adequate. The law permits the appointing
of any male for one year. The year tenure
seriously interferes with effective work.
About the time an appointee becomes IA
mliar with and lneasurably effective in his
office, his time expires and he then either
grows lax or gives his energies to securing
reappointment. The omission of the law
to state the requirements of the health Of
ficer is sad deficiency. Physicians have
ally without regard to their knowledge OF
and skill in hygiene and sanitary science.
Either politics determines the appointment
or a number of the local doctors bid for
the place, thus lowering the office Such
system will never commend itself in any
way. The making of commissions, town
boards, mayors and common councils into
health boards is a great mistake The law
says they are eX officio, and so they are,
but as they make the health officers they
are in reality the health board.
Each county, town and city should have
women) who know the science of disease
prevention. The preservation of the public
health is not simply matter of common
sense. The work involves a knowledge of
sanitary engineering, drainage, sewage
disposal, water supply, plumbing ven
tilation building, Sanitary archifectl1re
sanitary chemistry and bacterioIogy. 1t
also involves special knowledge in medicine
but a sanitary engineer, who is the only
specialist informed in every detail neces-
sary to Danish typhoid fever from a COM
munity, is not necessarily informed in
medicine. 1t is plain therefore, that the
care of the public health does not belong
to medicine alone"
POLLUTION OF STREAMS.
Indiana is storing up wrath against the
day to come in turning her rivers and
creeks into open sewers. The health officer
of one of our flourishing cities which boasts
of large strawboard mill, asks, What.
pray, are the streams for if not to receive
our waste?' Evidently sanitary science had
had little attention paid it by this ques-
toner Polluted streams cannot contribute
to the public health. To drain into a stream
increases enormously the volume of noxious
matter TO be dealt with. Poisonous gases
which would not otherwise exist are pro-
duced ard generally distributed. Fish are
poisoned and their bodies are added to the
already unWholesome waters. UnquestiOn-
ably our rivers creeks and rils should be
kept clean, and in doing this the people
will practice the gospel of sanitation
which is cleanliness. No. streams were NOT
intended by nature to drain away the filth
of cities and factories;' th,v are to carry
refreshment to the land. to give beauty to
the country, to water the soil TO be a
source of healthfulness. TO bear in their
depths nsh Tor food and brlng delight to
Several articles clipped from various pa
perS ana several articles written by men,
bers OF the Health Board in regard to the
habit OF eXpectorating IN public are
printed. The Health Board regards this
habit as a crying evil.
HOG CHOLERA AND TYPHOID
Hog cholera and typhoid fever elatistics
as follows are given:
Five hundred thousand hogs die of hog
cholera annually in Indiana Loss in
volved at least $5,000000 Hog cholera can't
be cured with any measure of success; it
can, however, be prevented by cleanliness
Typhoid fever attacks over 20 000 persons
IN Indiana every year; 900 died from the
disease in 1896 Loss, over Sc, coo COO Ty-
phoid fever can be prevented by cleauli-
ness. Why not effect both these savings?
The loss of the hogs is almost entirely
pecuniary. The loss of the human beings
is also pecuniary. and is attended with
oceans OF anxiety, sorrow, suffering,