Waterbury Democrat., 1902-04-03
STATE BOARD OF HEALTH.


 lnent within the paSt few years on the subject of public hygiene. and aeklow~ ledgeS its appreciation of the great aid rendered 10 sanitary administration by the cooperation of the public with the health officers The report says he ! people appreciate as they have never done before the benefits which result rom public hygiene when judiei0USly and wisely directed by competent off cerS> The consideration and wiStl02a. and careful adherence to legal reaulv<.- msntS. with which the proceedings of the town health officers have Lsen characterized during the last few years, have commanded the respect of the public and secured that aid and concurrent action without which e,osl sanitary administration Is impossible X and without which it has in former. years been so imperfect and unsatis- l factory
 | The board attributes this change in popular sentiment very largely ta q higher standard of excellence in the personnel of the health officers. due 70 taxing the office out of the influence of party politics. and prolonging the ten ure or oIhee from one to four wears. ana 10 the recognition of their services oy reasonable compensation. The 70 port very justly and emphaticaIly. ex- prSsses It's appreciation of tha' bower. !ui lnsrrumentality of the public press Ill popularizing and diffusing sanitary science and making it the common property or an intelligent public. The report speaks in positive terms of ,ne sreat advantage to sanitary admins. .ralion derived from the meetings of lne town health officers. in general Sonlerehce upon practical subjects re- , iatLls to their official duties. The knowledge and confidence aeouirad hy eiiese hutuaI interchanges of personal experiences have given an imDulse e0d right direction to public san;toti,,, more effectively than anytbing also could. In the words of tho renorf.
 The responsibilities which a+ .inas may devolve upon a health ofiicor .. guardian of the public. health. arc so serious as to test his judgment. his in- legflty and his courage to the utmoS+ | It IS on such occasions that tbe lxnovvl. cage he has gained by frequent asSo. clatlon and conference with his fellow health officers will direct his iildomen+ ana give him confidence to act with promptness and decision, and to act wisely. aS'
 The influences above mentianod nave conspicuously improved inc n4,. sohnel or the incumbents of the offica and by increasing and broadening tbe:r hhoWledge of practical sanitation b1vn lcorrespond1ngly improved their work me serious earnestness with which the health officers regard their dut1cs the prudence and Judgment which ;Lev eXhlblt in the discharge of them. have contributed greatly to promoting fine cooperation of the public" The number of deaths from all ca1,sns reported to the state board during 19o1 was l4,44o, while in the year before they numbered 1629O. showing 545 Iess deaths than in the previous yaor but there is reason to believe fbat there has not been correspondine diff. terence III the general health. Dnrin0 the year there has been an exceptionoi. " Wlde prevalence in an epidemic lorH, III many parts of the state or those diseases which in former wears nave been the causes of q high 1nor. tality. Not within the memory of anv HNlng practitioners have smal1no,- measles and scarlet fever been so gan. crafty prevalent and productive Of so rev Iatal results. In more than forrv towns Tn the state there is evidence that epldemics of these diseases have peen prevented by the timely sllnolvis. lon or primary cases by the health o6fi cers. ien oil-
 1ne report makes some timely re- marks upon smallpox and vaccination IL says: "Connecticut is to he biob1v congratulated that with a Donulatio, or over 9OS,OO0 there have been on1v Iorty-elght cases of smallpox; at 2 limo too, when 1t Is prevailing so extensive, " Ill other states with which we bava l sucn constant intercourse. No stronnar eNluehce can be offered. no more forci
 oie argument can be made. no more convincing proof can exist than ,s iouhu Ill the fact that in Connections ss elseWhefe, smallpox occurs only in unVacclnated subjects. or in thosa I,,o,, whom vaccination has been neolac+ad Tor many years. Other methods of co curing Immunity from smallpox oro temporary, untrustworthy. yeyatio1s l expensive and greatly inferior in avery way 10 the security assured by yaccina- tlon. The state board stronslv roco;,,
 mends the vaccination of school cbiI dren as provided by statute. If ad- vlses that it be required in larqo foc- torres where many operatives are oafh- cred daily within closed walls. and adds: u
 Tt would seem to be only an ordi- nary. most reasonable and economic procedure. if the selectmen of each town in the state would do. before inc invasion of smallpox with it's extraya- gantly expensive consequences. #exaer- " what they find it necessary to do i'm mediately after such invasion. namely Vacclnate. Purely on economic con- siderations alone, this would seem to be wise and iudicious. It is choaner 10 yaccinate than it is to quarantine. It is q hundred times cheaper to vac cinate than to have epidemies and t5en have to vaccinate. At the present time no unvaccinated person is safe. He may meet the disease infection in any public vehicle. or any place of publi,. assembly, or his friends may bring t to his house-it may even come to him by mail.''