The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-06-26
EXIT PEST HOUSE.
City Board of Health Orders It
Burned.
Grounds to Be Made Ready For
State Fair.
70 MAKE NEW RULES.
Effort Will Be Made to Improve
the Regulations.
Talk of a Contagious Disease
Hospital For City.

A meeting of the city board of health
was held Tuesday night at the office
of City Physician Judd, in the city
building.
The board has decided to abandon
the pest house, and send no more cases
of smallpox there The pest house is
in charge of Mr.. and Mrs. Henry Bay
less, and will probably remain in their
care for the rest Of the week. After
that some of the things in the house,
and the windows which have been in
the building, viii be stacked in one of
the rooms and fumigated, after which
the building will be set a.f1re ana
burned to the ground.
We do not think it will be advis-
able said DR.. Judd, ito send any more
smallpox patients to the hospital
Within a short time the ground will be
needed for the state fair, and we will
get the pest house off the grounds as
soon as possible. I do not know yet
what will be done about a new pest
house. There seems to be a good deal
of sentiment In favor of purchasing the
Stone castle, west of town. think the
city should have a permanent hospital
for contagious diseases, as we are like
~ to have more or less contagious dis
ease all the time. The only objection
I can see to the Stone mansion is that
1t is so large; understand that it has
about twenty-five rooms"
At the meeting last night the board
commenced the work of drafting a set
of rules and regulations for the infor-
nation of people who may in the future
be quarantined for smallpox or other
infectious diseases. The rules will be
printed, and a copy left at each house
which IS quarantined-
In the past said City Physician
Judd, the people who have been quar-
antined have not known just what
they should do and what they should
not In some instances know that
clothes have been taken from patients
and sent to the steam laundries to be
washed. These rules will inform the
people just what it is safe to do, and
what must not be done"
The board of health is also orking
on a code of rules for the government
of the sanitary policemen. The rules
will provide the duties of the police
man, and gave full information for his
instruction in what constitutes the du-
ties of his position. Some of the San1-
tary policemen have been delinquent in
their duties, while some have been too
jealous. On one occasion a sanitary
policeman called at a house without
authority from the city physician or
anyone else. and asked to be allowed
to inspect a little girl who was sick
with what was suspected ITO be small I
pox. He proceeded to diagnose the
case and establish a quarantine. with
out consulting the proper authorities.
The new rules will be ready in about
week.
In the future the board of health will
meet every Tuesday evening at the city
physicians office. At the meeting last
night it made a rule that all the sani-
tary policemen and the sanitary clerk
should meet with it every week. and
give a report of the work done during
the week. In this way the board thinks
that it will be able to keep track of the
men. and determine who is doing
faithful work Those who appear to
be Sinking will be in danger of losing
their jobs.