Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1898-12-09
COMMUNICATED

Ma. EDIFoR Will you please De KIN
enough to allow me sufficient space IN you,
paper to reply TO the report Of the last Crane
Jury which appeared IN the last issnr
10 which il critcises me for not dis-
charging the duties Of Secretary OF tne
local boar Of health OF this county as reqnir
ed BY Law. The report which thas body N
its wisdom saw st to make appears 70 me ~
be very peculiar; il first charges the Secretar,
with failure 10 perform the duties reg uireo o.
him by law and follows up BY asking 70"
Court TO instruct the next Grand Jury as 70
what the duties Of the local board OF health
and the Secretary are so that the parry %
parties responsible for the enforcement o. tul'
law knowing their duties shall have no ek
cuse for negleeting them, etc Now eanuot
understand WIN this Grand Jury aid not ask
the Court to instruct il as 70 this Law and
proceed to present the party or parties toona
guilty Of The violation instead Of asking We
Court to defer such instructions 70 toe next
Grand jury which will not meet before next
May. The Secretary would have been vert
much pleased 10 have bad the Court elearty
define bis duties as sach and would have en-
deayored to have discharged them according
". The law as passed by the recent begis-
lature imposes many new duties on the health
officer which If carried out strictly would be
an immense expense to the county. viii
state at this point that | have eudeavored
eonscientiously to faithfully discharge the
duties devolved upon ne as Secretary 70 the
local board Of health as ! understand them.
The law requires that all cases OF contagious
and infectious diseases shall be reported TO
the local board of health Of the county when
it shall take whatever action il may deem
necessary for the prevention of the spreading
s. .ot. Nj - tn ms
following the law strictly the local board OF
health is first to be notified and then il Is 20
direct the Secretary what action to take aud
when 10 take such action but as our Count.
Commissioners are also our local board OF
health and as that body does not meet for the
transaction Of business at their office mere
than nee in every two or three weeks, II has
been my practice whenever notified BY the at
tending physician or upon receiving informa-
ton fr9m responsible sources OF the existence OF
y contagious disease ofs dangerous character,
TO visit the premises where such disease is said
to exist and take such action as seemed best
TO prevent the spread Of the disease There
are some few instances where have not done
this as in such cases where the physician 10
charge has reported a very mild case or reports
''now convalescent' and adds that all Pieeau-
tons have been taken to prevent the spread Of
the disease 1t very frequently happens that
30 notification whatever is given either the
local board OF health or its Secretary Of the
existence Of such disease ] have heard with
in the past wees of several cases where per-
sons said to have had dip,heri4 entirely re-
covered and have never had any notification
from either The attending physician or thu
householder Notwithstanding, the law i'm
poses heavy penalty on the physician and
householder for not reporting diseases Of Il
contagious and injections nature, 1t is not
done in many instances and the health officer
and local board of health are blamed for not
performing their duties Certainly this
should not be the case This same Grand
Jury might have informed Itself il physicians
or householders complied with the law in
promptly reporting all cases iftheJ bad de-
sired to by simply summoning the health
officer to appear before them Their attention
seemed to have been directed entirely toward
Furnishing the health officer. Ihave always had
in view to save the county andlits already over
burdened taxpayers all the expense possible
in these cases by not causing any expense but
what seemed necessary Where rigid omar
antine is enforced il entails good deal Of ex-
pense which must be borne by the eonnty-f
would have to be provided and some one EN-
ployed to attend in most cases and more fire.
quent visits Of the health officer to see that
bis instructions were complied with All Of
which would have to be paid by the county,
and 10 view of the fact that nearly, if not all
the cases that have been reported, are reported
as being in mild. form, have not deemed
it necessary in every instance to resort to |
strict quarantine If the local health officer |
has to visit the premises Of every one where a
case of contagious disease 10 said to exist from |
whooping cough, mumps and measles up, and |
again for the purpose of disnfeeting sfte-
death or recovery as the law reads; it would |
cost the county in the neighborbood Of |
thousand dollars annually for the pay Of the
health officer alone, for ! anu certain no re-
puiable physician would do the work for less |
as il would necesstate his abandoning his
private practice entirely, besides the cost of
quarantine. etc.
CATALDUs H. PosEY, MD.