The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-05-21

IF any person causes or permits, with
in the limits of the city, any unciean.
sinking, foul, defective or filthy drain,
ditch, tank or gutter, or any leaking
or broken Stops, garbags or manure
box or receptacle of similar character
to remain on his premises, the same
| shall be deemed a nuisance"
''All vegetable waste, litter, garbage,
| filth or refuse of any nature, kind or
! description, which shall be detrimental
to the public health, found in or upon
| any private alley, yard or area within
the limits of this city, except the same
be temporarily deposited for removal,
| shall be deemed a nuisance"
Whenever there shall be found in or
! about any lot of piece of ground within
the limits Of this city, any dirt gath
cred in cleaning yards, waste of mills
or factories or any rags, damaged mer-
chandise, wet, broken or leaking bar
rels, casks or boxes, or any materials
which are offensive to or tend to decay,
to become putrid, or render the at
mosphere impure or unwholesome, the
same shall be deemed a nuisance"
ANY stale, putrid or noisome fat,
grease or other offensive matter which
shall be kept, collected or used in any
manner detrimental to the public
health, and any wrapping papeA waste
paper, handbills, old clothes, boots,
shoes, hats, tin cans, broken dishes.
or any combustible material, or any
rubbish whatsoever, thrown into or
upon any street, alley, sidewalk, gut
ter, ditch, aqueduct or canal, or va
cant lot, shall be deemed a nui-
sance."
The Herald openly charges here and
now that these nuisances exist openly,
flagrantly, in sight of any who care to
Investigate, here in the city of Salt
Lake
Health Commissioners Duty.
Chapter 27, section 10, reads: "It
shall be the duty of the health commits
sioner to ascertain and cause all nuiS-
ances declared to be such in this chap
ter to be abated, and he shall have
authority, either by himself or by his
agents or deputies, in the day time, TO
enter any house, stable, store or any
building, in order TO make a thorough
examination of cellars, vaults, sinks
or drains; to enter upon all lots and
grounds and cause all stagnant waters
to be drained off and pools, sinks,
vaults, drains, holes or low grounds to
be cleansed, filled up or otherwise puri-
fled and cause all noisome substances
to be abated or removed
Lnect of Conditions.
And now as to the effect of these
conditions. All physicians agree as TO
what are Zymatic diseases. All phy-
sicians agree that scarlet fever, diph-
iberia and typhoid belong to this class.
All agree that these are preventative
diseases. All agree that they thrive
best and spread most rapidly where
the sanitary conditions are bad. All
agree that scarlet fever exists to a
considerable extent in this city at this
time; some claim it TO be endemic,
others claim it to be epidemic. Some
n "a i : than il has heen
in many years, others assert that it Is
worse than ever before known here.
All agree that it is dangerous, and
that the greatest care is necessary to
prevent its spread. No pains should
be spared TO secure the best sanitation
possible TO enforce the rules of health
and to maintain strict quarantine.
From the foregoing The Herald
reaches this conclusion: The sanitary
condition of the city is bad. Because
of this there is unusual sickness from
zymatic diseases. There is grave dam
ger of this condition growing worse as
hot weather comes on 1t is the i'm
perative duty of all to clean up and
see that the laws of health are enforced
TO the letter.
Health Commissioners Theory.
Health Commissioner Keogh, when
seen on this subject by The Herald re-
this city was caused by the heavy cold
winds that prevailed for several days.
Previous to that there were but three
scarlet fever flags out This, he said,
was the coolest May that ever was, as
shown by the weather bureau. Scarlet
fever has been decreasing the latter
part of the week, and as the weather
subsidies he thought the disease would
die out. The sanitary conditions, he
said, are good for this season of the
year; the garbage and rubbish are well
cleaned up. On account of the damp,
backward spring, the sanitary in
spector has been able to get over
great deal of ground before warm
weather set in. If hot weather had
come before the garbage was cleaned
up, it would have been necessary to put
on extra wagons; as it is, the present
force can handle it. The sanitary in
Spector, the doctor continued, visits
every fruit store, meat shop and dairy
regularly and reports every week.
In regard to contagious diseases, DR..
Keogh said they We're about uniform
for the last three or four years; more
scarlet fever this year; more diphtheria
or something else other years. He ex-
erciseS supervision over all sanitary
work. The quarantine regulations, he
declares, are enforced in scarlet fever
cases, and the scavenger gathers up
the garbage regularly; once day in
the business district, once a week in
the residence district. The council
gives all the assistance necessary, and
has promised a laboratory which will
put the health department on an equal
footing with other cities.