The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-01-24
STATE BOARD OF HEALTH
SOME OF THE FEATURES OF THE
SECRETARY,S REPORT

|
| From advance sheets from the an
nual report of the state board of health
the following is taken:
| 1t is twenty years since the organiza-
| ton of the Connecticut state board of
| health. The act of Incorporation was
passed in 1878, and the official work of
the board began on the LIST of July of
! that year. The members of the board
had been appointed and held a prelm-
mary meeting previous to that date.
| Before that date there were not dozen
| state boards of health in the union.
Now there are three times that number.
1t may be interesting to take re-
Prospective view of the methods of san
| itary administration two decades ago,
and compare them with the present
| system, and briefly the progress Of
events.
The address of the first president at
the first meeting of the board began
in the following words: "Gentlemen:
There is such a remarkable ignorance
even among the more intelligent class
es Of the community in regard to the
general laws Of hygiene, that it becomes
the first duty of the state board of
health to take measures to enlighten
the public mind not only upon some
of the main principles, but upon not a
few of the details, of public hygiene
or state preventive medicine"
Every observant person of the pres
ent day will appreciate how much adj
vance has been made in public informa-
ton on sanitary matters since the late
eminent DR.. j. S. Butler gave utter
ance to the above statement twenty
years ago.
BOARD OF HEALTH.
What is called sanitary administra-
ton, or the application of the princi-
Piles of sanitary science to the benefit
of communities, is sought to be ac-
complished mainly through the agency
of boards of health and health officers.
Connecticut has always, even from
colonial times, recognized in a theoreti-
cal way the Importance of an authori-
tative supervision of the public health
But up to the time of the organization
of the state board there had been an
apathy of interest in the public mind
on the subject, and, in common with
other states, sad want of efficiency
in the practice of public hygiene. At
that time there was and had been for
generations a legally constituted board
of health in every town in the state. 1t
was constituted of justices of the peace
and the selectmen of the town. This
body of men, sometimes from ten to
twenty-five or thirty in number, were
chosen for wholly different official du-
ties, and not for any special qualiflca
tions as sanitarians. They were empow-
cred to appoint subcommittee or
health officers, to whom they could
delegate their powers as health Off
ciyals. In some of the cities of Connec-
ticut and in some of the larger towns,
occasional action was taken to abate
some specially offensive nuisance, Of
which complaint had been made; but
in majority of the places in the state
their function as health officers were
dormant often for years together The
one thing, however which could al
ways electrify any town board of health
into activity, was the occurrence of a
case of smallpox. The protection of tho
public from this contagion was in many
minds the chief, If not the only, pur-
pose for which a board of health was |
needed. The health boards so constitut-
ed were a cumbersome body, having no
occasion under the laws of the state to
for any other purpose than |
as boards of health. and the oc-
casions as then understood being |
so infrequent in that capacity, it was
the exception, rather than the rule as
guardians Of public safety.
Each town board was an Independent
body, having no official relations with
or responsibilities to any other boards.
One rule of action, however was COM
mon to them all--the universal guide of
their official conduct-that was, never
to do any thing until they were obliged
to; and then to do as little as possible.
Where so little was attempted, and I'M
der such public and official sentiments,
there was, of course, no concert of ac-
ton or unity of purpose. There was no
central authority of any sort to give
intelligent direction OF any general I'M
lertaking, or to organize a system Of
administration either for
owns or for the state In short, the care
Of the public health had been commit
ed to a body of men who had but slight
appreciation of the responsibilities Of
heir office and little knowledge of the
practical side of their duties as health
officers and, with few exceptions, no
interest in the subject. Except in a few
If the larger places the powers of the
BOARD were not relegateG to sub-com-
nittees or to health officers, as by law
and reports of their doings
we're seldom or never published. The
occurrence of any Of the contagious dis
asses, excepting smallpox, was not re-
ported to the health authorities, and no
supervision of them to prevent further
,ontagion was observed beyond what
vas voluntarily undertaken by the ply
icians and the immediate friends of
he patients. ;
This state of affairs was due to an
pathetic Indifference to the subject in
he public mind; to a want of infor-
alton about it, and to a very defec-
i've system of administration Such i,
icing the situation twenty years ago. :
he words of the president, at the first :
Meeting of the state board, were time 1
Y and truthful, when he said: '"That .
t becomes the first duty of the state ,
oard of health to take measures to !
nlighten the public mind, not only :
pon some of the main principles, but G
pom not a few of the details of public +
ygiene" Z