Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-10-30


Of the infected dwelling upon the premises
or recurring them to definite and suf-
fGi1nt precautions. it is worthless except as
! II applies to ,hc patient He recommends
( that it be so amended as to conform to
modern LEGISLATION such as exists in other
/ localities.
! DR. Woodward promises that q beginning
viii BE- made during the year 1S09-19OO to-
/ ward the establishment of the general dis
/ injecting service which has been often
/ asked for it IS true he says. that the
| amount appropriated is not sufficient to ac-
/ COmpiish what ii was hoped to accomplish,
I ana that the prOvisO that no part of it
| may he used for additional employees will
I interfere with its use in the manner de-
| sired. In some cases at least. he thinks.
! the health department will be able to see
/ that The infected premises are so treated
! "s II prevent them from being continued
| sources OF danger to the community, which
| it has not been able to do heretofore.
! DIT. Woodward refers at length to the
| outbreak of smallpox here last season, dur
| iu-- :, hioh ninety-eight cases occurred, all
| ri; s:E being colored people, with one
| death- He states that 22,oo0 persons were
| vacei1ated through government agencies
! which number does not, of course, include
! those made by private physicians.
| Diseases Among Animals.
| The number of cases of contagious dis
eases among animals, reported to the
| health department, states DR.. Woodward,
| is never large, and probably it never repre-
4
! which occur. because in many instances the
sickness and death of such creatures is not
under the observation of those familiar
with the nature of the maadieS from which
| they suffer. ON the other hand many of the
conditions which the latty believe to repre-
sent contagious diseases among animals
are he thinks, by no means diagnostic, and
suspicious aroused when there is no
good reason why they should be.
The number Of cases Of hydrophobia re-
ported to the health office during the past
| va fvga Inc 1fIi f,L.r no
mains Of the animal supposed to have suf-
fered from the disease was taken to the
bureau of animal industry, where. through
the courtesy of DIR. u. E Salmon, the
chief Of that bureau. such tests were made
as were necessary to determine the real
tUre of the disease. In eight cases the dag
nCSiS was confirmed, and in five cases the
result was negative.
There We're only three cases of CHAMBERS
reported during the year. Two carloads of
southern cattle infested with the Texas
fever tick. boophlus bowls. found their way
to the stock yards at Benning. They were,
however not allowed to leave the prem
ises except for slaughter. and were killed at
the abattoir adjoining. that no harm re-
suited from their Importation
An outbreak of this disease occurred at
Silver Hill. Md. near the District of Column
supply of this city is derived 1t resulted
in the loss of the entire herd of dairy cows
through the entrance of one southern COW
into it.
COSTS We're killed under supervision at va
riOus slaughter houses. Three mich cows
suffering from the same disease were found
| on dairy farms and were condemned"
TubercnIosis Decreasing.
So far as can be determined by physical
examination, tuberculosis among dairy
herds. the health officer thinks. seems to be
decreasing in the District of Columbia and
| such adjacent territory as has been COW
| cred by the inspection of the health depart
meut, probably due to this Inspection and
| to the general enlightenment of dairy farm
| erS on this subject. The tuberculin test
! would however. probably show large per
/ centage of dairy cows to be suffering from
| tuberculosis. Such examinations as have
! been made in this vicinity, at the request
| of dairymen. have given results varying
| from the complete absence Of the disease
| from the herd in one instance. to its pres
| ence in 30 per cent of the cattle in another
| a lew cases of hog cholera and swine
| plague diseases occurred in the District in
| the fail Of 1SgS but the outbreak was not
at all general.
There We're issued during the year 81 per
/ m1tE to obstruct travel to secure
| quiet for persons seriously i'll. This is an
| increase Of II, or 80 per cent. since last
| year. The number remains. however, lower
| than during any other year since 1S92-'q3
| The judgment of the health department re-
| mains as heretOfOre-that the practice of
issuing permits for the obstruction of travel
| on account OF illness should be discontinued
| until such time, If ever, as ii may be au-
| thorized and regulated by positive legisla-
| ton.
| Chemical Laboratory.
! The work done in the chemical labora-
/ tory during the past year has been quite as
varied in character and even greater in
! amount than heretofore. The total number
of specimens examined was 7o7. OF these
| 213 We're water, 212 milk 53 cream. 10
| foods. 50 drugs and II miscellaneous arti-
| Giles submitted by the police department.
| More attention was paid to the Cxami-
| nation OF milk than to any other article
| Of food. Two hundred and seventy-three
! analyses were made. In 10 instances the
! analyses had reference to samples sub
/ mtJted by citizens, in 10 to samples col
| lected at the Baltimore and Ohio depot
| and in ~ to samples collected at random
| throughout the city. The average percent
| age Of fat contained in the samples col
/ lected at the Baltimore and Ohio depot
was 4o2, and in those collected in the city
40
archaeological examinations of milk
/ have been made by the inspector of dairy
I farms in 1iG instances. In these samples
The number of organisms varied from 2;l.2
to i;ipr,t1u per cubic centineter. Most of
the specimens were taken from the wagons
Of milk dealers who produced on their own
farms the milk which they sold. and the
/ results correspondent closely with what
might have been anticipated from knOwl-
edge Of the more or less cieaniy condition
| Of the premises, and the more or less igno-
| rant and careless methods Of handling the
| milk.
| "A statement of the number and char
acter of the nuisances which have been
| abatcd at the instance Of the health de
| partment shows that the total number was
ll.JlJ. q decrease Of 2.TI4 since last year
Under the provisions of an act To pro-
| vide for the drainage Of lots. approved May
| -. ls@j. sewer connections. including the
substitution Of water closets for box
| priyies, have been enforced in III cases"
Inspection Service.
The inspection service of the health de-
| partment is not, says DR.. Woodward. con-
! s+itutcd 50 as to permit an efficient inspec-
ton Of live stock intended for slaughter.
| only forty-nine inspections Of abattoirs and
| slaughter houses were made. These re-
suited, however. in the condemnation CT
! fifteen C&rca<seS Of hogs and seven of cat
t.e. Examinations Of pork killed in this
District demonstrated the prese nee in some
cases Of uichinae, the Causative agent Of
trichinosis in man. From these examna-
tons. the health officer says, 1t would APP
pear that this disease exists among the
hogs here about frequently as it exists
| among those killed in other places for eX-
port,
! During the past year forty-four applica-
l