Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1898-01-20
FOR PUBLIC HEALTH
STATE BOARD HOLDING ITS AN
NUAL SESSION.
A DECREASE IN SICKNESS
Reports from Various Portions of State
Indicate That Badgers Are Growing
Healthier Some Important Matters
to Be Considered by the Board
Pingree's Invitation Accepted.
Madison, January Is

Madison, January 49,
The State Board of Health and Vital
Statistics Monday began it's 21st an
nual meeting in the Park hotel. Pres
ident Scion Marks of Milwaukee, who
is presiding, has been member of
the board since it was established and
is the only member enjoying that
honor. The other members are: Sec
rotary .. o. B. Wingate of Milwau-
kee, Drs. F. H. Bodenius of Madison,
G. w. Harrison Of Ashland, J. H.
Mcneil of Fond du Lac and Q. o.
Sutherland of GAINESVILLE. One of
the most important matters perhaps
| that is to come up at this meeting of
the board is the new pharmacy law
which went into effect January l and
which requires that all patent medi-
cines and similar articles shall, if
they contain any poison or other con-
| stituents injurious to health bear a
| label plainly stating that fact. The
state chemist is now Analysing SAM
| pies of a dozen patent medicines and
will soon report ON them to the state
board. Some members of the board
are of the opinion that their organi-
zation will confer with the state phar-
macy board before any decision is
taken in this matter. The manufact-
urers of medicines are anxious to
know just what action the board con-
| templates and how far it will go.
Another important subject still to
come up is that of bovine tuberculosis.
Last summer there was appointed a
! commission consisting of State Veter-
marian Clute, Prof. H. L. Russell
Of the university, and Drs- Wingate
and Sutherland of the state board, to
Investigate the matter and report.
Prof. Russell will discuss the matter
before the board. 1t is understood
that the Investigations will be con-
tinued with a view of securing suf-
ficient data showing that many dairy
herds in the state are afflicted with tu-
berculOsis and that many persons con-
tract tuberculosis from drinking the
milk of these diseased animals. This
data is to be the ground on which the
next legislature is to be asked to pass
a measure requiring all dairy men to
hold certificates showing that their
COWS are free from tuberculosis.
The board adopted a resolution re-
curing that all old rags used in the
state must be thoroughly disinfected.
! This action is due to the fact that
small poX has been traced to rags used
at the large paper mill in De Pere
| The law requires that all foreign rags
brought into the state shall be disin-
fected, but the board lis of the opinion
that this is not always done.
The board adopted the following res
olutiOns
Resolved, That the legislation now
pending before the congress of the
United States as exhibited in bill No
1865 and known as the anti-vivisec-
ton measure is in the opinion of this
beard pernicious measure and should
not become d lazy and we therefore
most earnestly urge the representa-
tives and senators of Wisconsin to
prevent the passage of it; that the
cations, but, is in favor of experiments
On animals when done in a proper
manner and alter anaesthesia have
been administered
Resolved, that this board strongly
endorses the measure prepared by the
special committee of the American
Medical association and approved by
the American Public Health associa-
ton at its last meeting in Philadelphia
to create national department of
public health and urges the representa-
tives and senators of Wisconsin to
vote for the same and to use every
honorable means in their power N
secure it's passage.
Secretary Wingate submitted a re-
mort of the work done by the board in
'97. 1t showed that ON the whole
there was a marked decrease in sick
less throughout the state. Of the To-
zeal health boards reporting 267 showed
no marked change in the amount OF
lsickness over the previous year and
1854 showed a decrease. The only
| places which reported increases were:
York, Dane county; Faystte, Lafay-
cite county; RockIand, Manitowoc
county; Turtle Lake, Barron county;
Oconto Falls, Oeonto county; and
Lake Town.
The secretary's report showed that
there are now 1887 local boards Of
health in the state, the largest num-
Der ever in existence. Of these boards
653 submitted annual reports to the
state board. These reports lnd1-
cate that the new law that went into
effect July /, '97, requiring births and
burials to be registered, is not wholly
satisfactory and the board is Of the
opinion that that portion Of it relating
to births ought perhaps TO be modified
somewhat The reports showed that
the section of the law governing the
registration of births was observed in
376 and partially in a number of other
places and that the section governing
the registration of deaths was OBJ
served in 444 places.
! Of the 653 places reporting it was
shown that there were 1857 cases of
diphtheria with $40 deaths from this
cause in 81, against 1902 cases with
$50 deaths in '96; 434 cases of scarlet
fever with 10 deaths in '97, against
SIG cases with q deaths in '96; $50
cases Of typhoid with SIS deaths in 81,
against 364 cases with 20 deaths in
| : oh I,