The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-09-22
Health Board Consid-
ers No Dismissals.
WILL INVESTIGATE SHRIMPs
STRANGE REPORT ON JAPANESE
BATHHOUSES.
Charges Against Inspector Dockery
Set for Hearing at Special
Meeting Next Wednes-
day Evening.

There was a touch Of farce-comedy, in
stead Of tragedy, at the meeting Of the
Board of Health last evening. No en-
ployes lost their heads under the official
ak, as had been expected, but an Italian
with shrimp petition and a report on
three Japs in a bath-tub upset the grav-
ity of the Mayor and the doctors, the
chemist and the bacteriologist.
The board was not ready to reduce It's
force of employees SO as to keep within
the 100000 appropriation allowed by the
The members wanted more
time to think over matters, and 1T was
therefore agreed to indefinitely postpone
the subject of dismissals. Next Wednes-
day evening the board will meet again
in special session and will hear charges
preferred against Food Inspector Dock
cry by Milkman Isaac Leipsic, who makes
accusations of incompetency, favoritism
and intoxication against the inspector.
At the same time the vexed question of a
reduction of the force will receive atten-
ton. The members of the board had in
tended to caucus privately over this mat
ter last Tuesday evening at the office of
DR.. FitZgibbon, but were prevented by
the Illness of that gentleman. DR.. VIII
hanson is authority for the statement
that absolutely nothing has been done
toward selecting the victims for dis
miSSal.
At. the meeting last night the Mayor
presided, all members of the board be-
ing present except DR.. Fitzgibbon, who is
still confined to his home by illness. The
new member DR.. Louis Bazet, presented
his credentials and took his seat.
DR.. Gallwey made report in which he
stated that several hundred sick soldiers
would soon arrive from Manila, and sug-
gested that the quarantine officials should
possible bringing ashore of any infectious
Asiatic disease. The board ordered a
communication sent to the quarantine
officials
long petition regarding the unsanitary
condition of affairs in Chinatown. and
making numerous references in uncom-
plimentary terms to Chinese women. He
wanted some sweeping reforms. His pc
tition not being in readable English the
Mayor called on zee for a speech. which
numerous evils of life in Chinatown At
its conclusion the Mayor moved that zee
CoonS communication be held for future
eGShnis ss and 1T was SO ordered The
under the impression that he had scored
a triumph.
Next came an italian with a complaint
against the newspapers for unjust dis
elimination against Butchertown shrimps.
He stated in his communication that the
daily papers had frightened the people by
stating that Butchertown's shrimps were
all deadly poison and the result was that
the masses would eat no shrimps except
came from places other than Butcher
town. The shrimp trade was being ruined
and Mr.. Scatalina wanted the Board of
Health to interfere and order an investi-
cation of shrimps in order to determine to
the satisfaction of the public that all
shrimps were not disreputable.
The Mayor moved that the City Chem
list. Professor Green, be instructed to at
once begin an analytical investigation of
the shrimpS in San Francisco waters and
the professor was especially instructed to
arn in ~ fnh hfcl chriyv
so as not to get the Butchertown species
mixed with the shrimps from outlying
districts.
Following the disposition of the shrimp
question, the board was confronted with
perplexing health problem as evolved by
japanese lighthouses in the CITY,, DR..
of these institutions inside the corporate
limits and that in one instance the neigh
bors were complaining of the refuse water
ally Investigated, and found three Japan
csc in one tub, with a third sitting on the
floor, all using the same water, SO as to
ling the Japanese to bathe one in a tub,
but he had ordered the lighthouses placed
in better sanitary shape.
In this connection, long letter was
read from a Japanese counselor, Masu
Miyakawa, stating that fraternal rela-
tons exist between Japan>and the United
States, and for that reason 1t would. be
courteous for the authorities to deal
gently with the lighthouses and not in
sist on sudden improvements.
Inspector Dockery presented report
showing that he had investigated S12
restaurants and hotel Kitchens and had
as a result ordered forty-two Of them to
abate nuisances.
Chemist Green stated that he had ex-
amined twenty-five samples of butter
brought to him by various inspectors
and had found none adulterated.
Both the Mayor and DIR. Williamson re-
ferred briefly to the fact that the cut in
the appropriation of money for the Health
Board would make necessary a cutting
down of expenses about 1852 per month
as compared with last year. and stated
that in all probability 1t meant a reduc-
ton of the force of employees.
The August report of the statistician
was presented in printed form, showing
that the number of deaths IN the city and
county for the month had been 5S4, while
the births had only numbered 401.