The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-01-12
FIGHT FOR HEALTH
STATE BOARD REVIEWS THE
WORK OF THE YEAR IN bat
THING DISEASE.
WAS QUITE SATISFACTORY.
A SOURCE OF TROUBLE FOR
SEVERAL REASONS.
OLD OFFICERS ARE REELECTED.
minneapolis Profiting at the Elk
pense of the Board in Bacter-
Biological Laboratory Work.

The quarterly and also the annual
meeting of the state board of health
was held yesterday at the office of the
board in the Pioneer Press building.
Present at the session were. Dr. w. J.
Mayo, of Rochester; DR.. H. Nissen, of
Albert Lea; DR.. c. T. McComb, of Du-
luth; DR.. c. L. Greene and DR.. Hutch
inson, Of st. Paul; DR.. Franklin Sta
pies, of Winona, and Drs. Bracken,
Wesbrook and Reynolds, of Mime
apolis. The election of officers for the
year resulted in the reelection of the
present officers:
President-Dr. Franklin Staples, Of Winona.
Vice President-Dr. Hutchinson, of st.
Paul.
secretary-Dr H M. Bracken, of Mime
apolis.
DR.. Wesbrook was reelected director of the
meteorological laboratory. and DR., Reynolds
director Of the veterinary department.
Under the head of new business the
board decided that in the future the
executive committee consisting of the
officers of the board and the directors
of the meteorological and veterinary
departments would be the only COM
mittee and all matters heretofore sent
to committees would be taken charge
of by the executive committee. DR.. 0.
Mcdonald was appointed an assistant
Of the meteorological department, and
on the suggestion of Secretary Brack-
en-, Charles Tilbury, meat inspector at
Minneapolis, was given authority by
the board to inspect meats as agent of
the state board without compensation.
Secretary Bracken submitted his an
nual report as also did Dr. Wesbrook,
director Of the meteorological depart
ment. The report Of DR.. Reynolds, di-
rector Of the veterinary department,
was submitted, but not given out.
The following is an abstract of the re-
port Of Secretary Bracken:
The work connected with infectious dis
eases OF animals has been satisfactory from
the executive point of view, except so far as
relates to the control of hog cholera. Here
the board has much to contend with. Ignor-
ance OF the law on the part of health Off
GERS indifference Of acting health officers as
to enforcement ignorance and Indifference to
the dangers from the disease on part Of own
ers and shippers, false teachings of hog doc
tors and medicine men are among other
things. 1t is quite evident that in order to
control this disease there must be prompt
action taken at the first appearance, together
with thorough quarantine, and the use of
every possible means to prevent tho spread
of the infection.
The psychological laboratory has been
worked to its utmost capacity. So far the
laboratory has been fully engaged in micro
scopical diagnosis, to the disadvantage of the
other lines. great part of the routine work
has been for Minneapolis, and this without
any financial assistance from the city. This
Is not right Minneapolis should bear the ex-
pense Of her own laboratory work On the
question of the isolation of tuberculous in
mates in state institutions and the increase of
disease, received he
state prison, institutes for detectives, school
for blind, school for feeble-minded state
training school, soldiers home, state reform
atory. The state prison reports that isola-
ton was introduced there four years ago.
AS a result there has been a decrease in the
number of cases. and there are now six cases
in prison. In the institute for detectives
there were no deaths from the disease In
the school for the blind there was one death
from the disease In the school for feeble
minded there were 1913 deaths In sixteen
years, of which 40 were from the disease In
the state training school there is no case of
the disease In the soldiers home during the
last four years there were twenty-one deaths
from the disease. In the state reformatory
100 inmates. In the three insane hospitals the
disease shows a gradual Increase from 1888,
and at the Fergus Falls hospital 1t seems
impossible to isolate patients.
In regard to municipal meat inspection and
abattoirs to be placed under municipal con-
troll nothing has been definitely settled upon
as u pOllCy 10 U6 Ill COHueC-
ton with the inspection of dairy cattle, as
conducted by the city board of health of
MINNEAPOLIS, 1t seems advisable that an au-
thorized inspector from our board, and I
you'd recommend the designation of Charles
Tilbury. meat inspector of Minneapolis. be
given authority to act meat inspector for
the state board.
The funds that are controlled are not ad-
equate to carry on the work we have under
taken.
The report of DR.. Wesbrook director OF
the archaeological department, gives the
following figures: Examinations for infec-
tious or quarantinable diseases in 1886 num-
bc-ed 109S in 1897, 5342; an increase of over
1000 cases in the past year, as compared with
1885, Under the head of rabies. Dr. Yves
brook states there has been twenty-one cases
investigated and three carried forward from
last year. AS far IS the work has been suf-
ficiently completed positive diagnoses have
been given In seventeen, which shows the
cc11paratfvly frequent occurrence Of a dis
ease until recently unnoticed in this state