Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1899-05-04
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The Associated Health Authorities of
Gloucester county held their Spring meet
4 ing in the Court House at Woodbury., on
Monday afternoon, May LIST.
The meeting was called to order by
President Halsey, of Williamstown. The
roll call showed representatives from several
| townships.
The report from the various townships
was then called for Mr.. Seth Warrington.
| from East Greenwich reported one case OF
scarlet fever only. DR.. S. f. Ashcraft, OF
Harrison, had 10 cases OF typhoid or scarlet
| fever The Board of Health OF that town
ship was trying to impress the need OF
vaccination on the Board of Education of
their township. DR. Halsey, of Monroe
reported number of cases of pneumonia,
but none serious DIR. Hunter, of West
Deptford, reported several cases of pneu-
monia and measles, and one case of typhoid
| in Deptford. DR.. 7. e. Parker, of Wood
bury, reported no serious epidemic in
Woodbury., and that the Beard OF Health
had ordered vaccination here.
At the request of the President, the
Secretary read the amendment to the new
bylaws which allows any citizen interested
in the sanitary affairs of community to
become a member of the County Board.
| On motion of the Secretary, resolu-
tons of respect were passed in honor
of a deceased member of the Board, James
j. Cowgirl, of PaulsbOro, who was mem
Der of the executive committee.
The President then introduced Dr. NJ
P. Rayenel, of the University of Pennsyl-
vania. The DR.. dwell at large upon the
subjects of typhoid and tuberculosis. At
no time has there been so much of atten-
ton of health authorities on the question OF
| typhoid. The prevalence of typhoid fever
! cases in community is distinct index to
its sanitary condition.
| Ia Philadelphia where the water supply
was about the worst of any city in the
world the death rate from that disease was
even greater than that of Italy. He said
that the fact that an attendant or physician
very rarely was attacked with the disease,
proved that there was little danger of it
being taken from one person to another by
mere contact.
Drinking water was one of the greatest
cause. The germs are also being found in
milk, the cans not being properly washed.
The idea that running water would
purify itself in two hundred yards was
dangerous. Running water does purify
great deal depended on the velocity with
which it runs. Chloride of lime and carbolic
acid are good disinfectants, but the former
soon loses its strength.
Typhoid germs will live on bed about
seventy days wood about thirty-one days,
and will often remain in the ground for
one year. Freezing will not kill the germs
as some have been known to have been
frozen for one hundred days without being
destroyed. Fire is the best disenfeetant we
have. The germs cannot be killed by
placing a small amount OF disinfectant in
the room, by simply filling the room with
an odor, anything that would stand 2l0
degrees of heat, and could be boiled i've
minutes would not be killed so easily.
The other subject dwelt upon by DR..
Revenal was tuberculosis. The disease
has been with us long time, and many
Thousand people die with it every year. It
is with us all the time and the deaths are
not noticed as much as if they were the
result of an epidemic. The cow, although
the greatest source of the disease, is not
the only one. There is a decrease of this
germ in the milk supply Of inspected herds,
as by actual test OF many hundred pounds
of butter he had found that from the butter
of inspected nerds he had found only 81
per cent to contain tuberculosis, while the
butter from cattle that had not been
inspected reached u per cent. Tuber-
culosis germs, unlike typhoid germs, would
not multiply.
Is the farmer gaining anything by hiding
tuberculosis? The DIR. said he did not see
that they were, as the public demanded
good tested milk from inspected COWS, and
that he looked for the time when the
Boards of Health will allow nothing but
certified milk The farmers don't get oyer
three cents a quart for their milk, while
me OF the certified milk dealers get as
high as ten and twelve cents per quart.
At the close of DR.. Revenel's address, the
President asked for questions on the sub
ject. In response to the question, What
per cent. of the bacteria can be taken out
by a filterer Pr the Dr. said that there
should be none allowed that did not take
o0t al least ninety per cent. of the germs.
He had known some to take out all, but
about ninety seven was all that could
be expected.
DR. Halsey, of Wiliiamstown, read a
paper on vaccination. Among other things
be said: ut is unfortunate that neither
the Government nor the people have known
how to take advantage of the immense good
which vaccine is capable of producing.
Smallpox ought to have disappeared long
ago from all civilized nations and every
body ought to carry on their arm as shield
those everlasting stigmas, which vaccina-
ton leaves, as a SEAL printed by the solicit
tude and paternaI care of an enlightened
Government, whose lot is to watch and care
farf he ortd nf he
calls for the public authorities to put an
energetic resistance to the torrent of evils,
which originate through the ignorance,
apathy, or the prejudice of men. If we ac-
cept mathematics, there is no truth that
has not been denied and combatted through
error or passion such is the sad patrimony
Of mortals, and the preventative nature of
vaccine, 80 evident, so well demonstrated
by the observation and experience of a
whole century, has also been and is denied
by eminent men.
Its practice has been and is still repul-
sed in the last years of this century OF
| light, even by the people most advanced in
civilization. A great many examples can
be cited showing the disasterous effects OF
the incidence or preoccupation Of the
masses, and the weakness or negligence OF
the authorities by taking no notice OF the
painful teachings of experience. The
remedy is in the hands of men, and little is
required to obtain it; all that is wanting is
| compulsory vaccination.
"a municipal corporation, while en-
forcing valid ordinance requiring resi-
dents of the city to submit to vaccination
is exercising a governmental power, and
| the Court has held that the municipality is
not liable to a citizen who may sustain
damage on account of impure vaccine mat
ter administered to him by one of the Off
GERS or agents Of such corporation.
"To allow any citizen a right of action on
account OF injuries, real OF supposed, that
he may have suffered in the interest of the
public good, the Court says, would be to
paralyze the arm of municipal government
and either render it incapable of action for
the public veal or would render such
action SO dangerous that possible evil con-
sequences to it, resulting from the multipli.
city of suits, might be as great as the
the small pox itself. Finally, let us raise
our voice that the cry for the health and
happiness of man will not be lost in space
but that they will find an echo in the
Government of our nation, so that we shall
very soon see the supreme ideal of sanitary
institutions realized in the creation of 9
| Ministry of Public Health. Let us hope
that the last flashes of this century of light
will not be extinguished without having
| oraefad that manument which our an.