Daily Kennebec journal., 1902-07-01
BOARD OF HEALTH.
bUAKU Ut HEALTH.
Second Quarterly Meeting at
State House, Yesterday.
Smallpox Situation in Maine Dis
cussed il a General Way.
Only Few Gases Now Known to Exis;
in the State.

The second quarterly meeting for this
year of the State Board of Health was
held in the State House, yesterday. The
president, DIR. Chas. D.. Smith of Port
land. Secretary A. G. Young of Au-
susta, and DR.. NJ. c. Wedgewood, Lew
iston. ard DR.. Galen NJ. Woodcock.
Bangor, were present.
The secretary made a statement to
the board relative to the management
of the cases of smallpox which have
occurred since the last meeting, and it
is gratifying to the board that, in view
OF the threatening situation early in
the spring, the State has been fortu-
nate in having SO few cases. The SEN
timent of the board is that, on account
of the continued widespread prevalence
of the disease in so many states, the
danger of new impOrtations still exists,
and there is therefore the need of the
utmost vigilance on the part of local
boards of health to detect the first cases
which may occur.
The board appointed Dr. Estes Mich
OILS of Jackman, as an Inspector for
the State Board of Health to take the
first prompt preliminary step under in
90 oStiCSS "iiSiA ellC SiNCi ny Tie
board in case of the appearance Of
smallpox or other dangerous infectious
disease in his vicinity, and when there
appears to be need of such action.
AS method of disinfection by means
of solidified formaldehyde has by the
agents of a certain company, been
brought to the attention of many local
boards of health, the State Board of
Health deems it necessary to caution
local boards against undue haste in
adopting new methods of disinfection
which have not been shown by COM
petent and disinterested persons to be
trustworthy. While it has not yet been
shown that this method is inefficient
it has. on the other hand, not been
shown to the satisfaction of the State
Board that it is trustworthy. The in
vestjgations which have as yet been
made for the purpose of determining
the value of solidified formaldehyde as
disinfectant are as yet too few to be
accepted as conclusive.
AS the word 'varioloid" is understood
by so large part of the general pub
lice as indicating a disease which is
not smallpox, and which is not so
highly infectious, the State Board of
Health urgently advises physicians, To-
cal boards of health, and the public
generally to discontinue the use of the
word "varioloid,' and to use the term
modified smallpox" when there is oc
casion to refer to smallpox which has
been modified through the influence of
vaccination, or otherwise.
At one of our summer resorts lately,
the attending physician of a case of
measles, imported from neighboring
state, when reporting the case to the
local board of health was told by the
secretary that the local board had no
authority to take action to prevent the
spread OF the disease. In this case, the
letter of instruction of the secretary
of the State Board to the local board
of health was to the effect that local
boards of health have ample authority
to placard or to quarantine cases of
measles. and that when "a case is i'm
ported into a town, and the local board
OF health has knowledge of the first
case. it is best to quarantine the patient
or arrange for his isolation so that