El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1901-03-27

ureS Against Infection. that Should
Be Provided for by Law.
What steps does Ell Paso take to
prevent the spread of contagious and
infectious Diseases"
This question was asked by a physi-
clan of the United States marine SER
vice in Ell Paso a few days ago. A
Prominent local physician answered
the entire satisfaction of the visitor.
but admitted t. the interrogation thati n
some the law was defective.
There are many deaths in FL Paso.
like many other health resorts. from
contagious and infectious diseases and
could a record be kept it would prob
ably show that hundreds of deaths
have occurred here. and hundreds more
lives endangered for want of a proper
law and the strict enforcement OF 1t.
Heretofore the doctors have had no le-
gal support and the question of sani-
tary science and the enforcement of the
unwritten law has been entirely in the
hands of the local embalmers and I'M
dertakers.
In many cases embalmers in FL Paso
lave protected the living and saved
many people from contracting infec-
tious diseases but on the other hand
embalmers have. through negligence
or lack of knowledge. allowed many
perfectly well people to contract dis
eases.
Embalming is not merely a mechani-
cal art but n profession and upon the
embalmer depends the safety of the
we'll in places where people have died
from such diseases as diphtheria, meas
les. typhoid fever and tuberculosis.
A Herald reporter strolled into the
undertaking parlors of Chas. r. len
derson on Ell Pas street this morning
and from him learned many things
about embalming that the public
| should know. Mr.. Henderson a been
in the business for five years and has
passed the examination before the Illi-
nois. Colorado and Utah boards and is
considered one of the most efficient
men in his profession.
He says that in cities like Ell PaSO
where the city health board has no law
to protect and support them in the
matter of disinfecting houses. this duty
devolves upon the undertaken. When
he has a case of consumption or a dis
| ease that is pronounced infectious or
| contagious. he always treats the body
in a way to prevent any live germs
existing and after the body is removed
from the is careful to disinfect
every part of the room before allowing
any one else to use it. He treats the
clothing and furniture in the same
way and no possible danger can come
from using the room after the patient
is removed.
This" said Mr.. Henderson. saves
many lives in our profession. An IN
dertaker should NOW how and be care
full not to leave a thing in a room that
has not been disinfected."
This is a matter hat has been sadly
neglected in Ell Paso and many people
have suffered death as a result. There
is no denying that an undertaken
should know as much about the post
norton condition of a body as the doc
tor who attended the case. as his eX-
%perience is all in that line. An under
taker should not only know o to
perform the mechanical work of en-
balming the body but should know how
to protect himself as well as the pub
lie from the possibilities of contagion.
Like a physician attending a case of
smallpox an undertaken should be care
full to disinfect SO as to prevent danger
of spreading the disease among others
and should carefully prepare the body
so as not to permit the communication
of germs. This is n of the rules of
the Santa Fe and other railroads,
where the law provides that no corpse
shall De carried on a train that has
not been disinfected to prevent the
spread Of the disease.
An embalmer's establishment can be-
come a dangerous place when all kinds
of diseased germs are allowed to exist
there. and this is always the case
where the undertaken takes communi-
cable diseases into his establishment
and does not disinfect the premises.
Many careless undertaken have caught
diseases themselves in this way and
given it to others.
Texas has no state law to license en-
balmers but almost all others have and
provide a board of examiners to pass
Oh the qualifications of undertakers:
when an undertaken violates the law
his license is revoked and he is fined
OF imprisoned.
Mr.. Henderson employees only gradu-
ate embalmers. whose certificates GER
tify that they are capable of caring for
themselves INT Others They must be
we'll versed in anatomy. sanitary
science. and embalming to come up to
the requirements of the laws of other
states and he carefully enforces those
rules in FL Paso. j. J.. Raster. his
present embalmer. is a graduate of the
Chicago college of embalming which
is the most strict in the country and
is licensed bv the state Of Illinois
which license is recognized by every
state in the country
Mr.. Henderson has been in the en-
balmine business for five years. having
travelled for a wholesale caSket factory
some time before he engaged actively
in the business. While travelling he
practiced the profession in teaching his
customers the business and has had as
many hard cases TO treat rs any man in
the country. Before coming to FL PaSo