Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1899-11-02
Territorial Health officials Make
Recommendations to Prevent
Fever and Smallpox.
RAILROAD TRANSPORTATION
Municipal Health Officers Must Be Ap-
pointed and Prompt Reports Made of
Infectious Diseases = Vaccination
and Disinfeoting Advised.

ritory. OF the twenty seven persons no
titled to appear before the board to be
examined, as they practice medicine
without holding certificates, only four
appeared, one of these being woman.
Action on their applications was de-
terred, while the other twenty-three
will be prosecuted at once for illegally
practicing medicine.
The board also discussed the state of
health in the territory. 1t will take ac-
tive measures to quarantine all small
pox cases and to prevent the spread OF
any contagious disease.
The committee has statistics on hand
showing that there We're fewer small
pox cases in New Mexico during the
last twelve months than there were in
Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania or Colo
rado during the same period. The board
urges all boards of education through
out the territory to compel all attend
ing pupils in the schools to be vaccinat-
ed and not to allow any child to attend
school unless vaccinated. The board,
through it's secretary, DR.. T. p. Martin,
mas been favored with a large amount
Of anti-vaccination literature sent by
some anti-vaccination crank, but will
nevertheless insist upon all boards of
education following the example of the
East Las Vegas board, which has made
vaccination compulsory. The members
in attendance were DR.. T. P. Martin of
laos, DR.. w. r. Upton of Las Vegas
and DR.. J. H. Sloan of this city. Owing
to the fact that no appropriation was
made by the last legislature for the
BOARD, few meetings as possible are
.neld. No date nor place was set for the
next meeting, which will not be called
unless an accumulation Of business de-
nands it.
The secretary of the board, DR.. II. 2.
Martin, addressed the following letter
10 Governor Otero:
In view of the fact that false re-
port Is in circulation in regard to New
Mexico being hotbed for smallpox, the
board of health, at it's meeting, has
taken steps not only to refute the SLAM
der on our territory, but to take such
means as may be necessary to prevent
The spread of smallpox and the bringing
Of the disease into the territory from
the outside. AS the members of the
medical board are working without re-
muneration, 1 have been requested to
ask your excellency to procure, If possi-
ple, for each member of the board,
transportation over the various roads
throughout the territory, with Pullman
passes and eating-house rates, so as to
cut down our expenses, which neces-
sarily, under existing conditions, would
Heretofore, members of the board have
done vast amount of work in keeping
down and stamping out epidemics,
meeting their own expenses in entering
into fight against smallpox and the
slanderous reports on the prevalence OF
the same in New Mexico. In order to
do this successfully, 1T will require very
much more of additional expense than
we are able to give to it, and we do not
feel able to do this, especially when the
railroads interest in the territory suffer
the most from such exaggerated reports
in regard to the smallpox. We think 1t
only right and just that the railroads
should extend this courtesy, not only
now, but in the future, to prevent re-
occurrence of the present conditions"
The president Of the board, DR.. J. H.
Sloan, submitted the following report to
Governor Otero:
1--WE desire to report the following
recommendations for the prevention of
typhoid fever and smallpox, which have
been passed by the New Mexico board
of health to-day:
Typhoid fever is believed to be
caused by specific poison contagion.
This poison, whether specific or not,
may be conveyed to other persons by
drinking water contaminated by dis
charges from the bowels Of a person af-
fected with this disease. Physicians
now believe that contaminated water Is
| the most frequent cause Of typhoid fe-
yer; it has also been traced to contain
| mated milk which has had infected wa
l
in vessels which have been washed with
| impure water, or in room adjoining
one in which there has been case of
| typhoid fever. In some few cases 1t
| seems that the disease has been pro-
| iuced by emanations from putrid clos
cts, ETC., which the patient has breath
ed. 1t prevails mostly in times of drouth
| in the fall of the year, or especially aft
er period Of high temperature, and
when the water in the wells and springs
Is low. and the contamination much
concentrated. This fever being con-
tracted through contaminated water
the principal thing Is to protect the wa
ter supply. The most scrupulous care
should be taken to keep the present
source Of drinking water pure, and tc
| procure the supply from clean sources
The general water supply Of cities ano
villages is a matter Of great public con-
lcern, and water should, If possible, be
Iprocured from places where there car
be no probability whatever of immedi'
ate or remote contamination. Waste
matters should not be turned into
streHms, springs, wells, or In any plact
where such waste matters will reach tn
water used for drinking purposes. Es
pecially deleterious is human excreta
which should never be allowed to con
taminate human food or drink.
II "A retreat should be constructed II
the garden without. with the usual desl
J pit IN the ground, which by the free ~