The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-06-12
New York Health officer Talks.

Il can't help but chuckle a little at
the fact that ], who. for the last year
and five months, have sat in my office
listening to complaints, many Of them
from women. am now going to talk,
and you'll have to sit still and listen"
said Commissioner Lederie gayIy to
the West End Woman's Republican
association the other day.
DR.. Lederie took the women into his
confidence. In fact, he gave them
heart-to- heart talk on the work Of the
health department.
Il am grateful to the women of the
city for their help" he said. Perhaps
what shall say will open up new lines
along which you can help the depart
ment to make New York a cleaner and
sweeter city this summer. There is no
department to which the people come
into closer relation than the health
department. We get complaints
OF them. Here are some: Why don't
you remove the dead cat in front Of
my house| My neighbor beats her
rugs out Of the window every Friday
We can't get water on the top floor
Our fiat is so hot we can't stand it,
Send up the board Of health. We smell
gas Why don't you make Vreeland
warm the cars 2 why don't you make
Vreeland ventilate the cars?' why
don't you make Vreeland keep the ven
tlators open" (These three all in one
day.. There is man below with a
very red face. He looks like a small
pox.'
Sometimes the telephone is used,
and then nothing will satisfy the peo-
pie at the othe end but to have the
commissioner answer in person. One
or these. telephone communications was
to the effect that We have a japanese
spaniel, and there is a bulldog Of the
late President MoKinley's brother-in-
I0T hot aI,- -
hcer-' Once on reaching home found
the maid In a very perturbed state. A
woman had been there with three chill
dren. She wanted to show me how
clean the children's heads were!
1T takes about 1000 persons to carry
on our work. and it costs about $1,000
600 year. Last year we made over
over 100000 pounds Of food. This
summer we hope to have between fifty
and sixty medical experts at work on
the milk supply and to retain the
school nurses, who, since the day they
began, have been success.
The milk problem in New York is
very much increased by the fact that
only per cent of the milk consumed
In the city is raised within it's turis-
dfction. Some of it comes from 400
miles away. 1t has been necessary to
send inspectors into the country to
teach the farmers about bacteriorology.
Some OF our extra money shall be used
to extend this work.
Although Commissioner Woodbury.
Is strong ally of the health depart
ment. there are one or two things I
greatly object to in the case of the
streets. l do think the garbage carts
should be covered. (Applause.) I'm
covered, they are disgrace to a civil
lzed city. The city is in many respects
our worst foe. While we are trying
to Danish malaria, the city's parks
breed the malaria carrying mosquito.
We tight the smoke nuisance, to find
That some Of the municipal works use
sort coal. We fight the markets, eight
or ten of which are public nuisances,
only to find that they have been IL
censed by the city
we have done what we could do to
suppress the splitting nuisance Some
times the courts have upheld us when
we arrested men for splitting. One
court held that a man was entitled to
Two Splits before he was arrested This
mas given rise to our now famous spit
ting cards. Now, don't want you to
think am handing around any cards.
put l have brought along with me
mere the commissioner smiled depre-
catlngly) package of splitting cards
for you to distribute on the cars
wish you would do something to
make the provision dealers stop ex-
posing their fruit and vegetables in
the street" said Mrs. Ralph Traut-
mann.
Cant you stop the practice, which
IS universal here, of keeping fowls with
the entrails in them, till the latter be-
come putrid and the bones rot?" sug-
gested another.
Il chloroformed a sick cat" said
Mrs. Medium. When I told the jan
itor to take 1t out to the street so
that the board of health could cart it
away he declined to touch it, What
was / to do?"
You could send for a messenger bow
and have him take the cat out" said
DR.. Lederie. laughing. 1.-THE board of
health has no jurisdiction over iani-
tors. But there is a man who has a
contract with the board of health to
remove all dead animals. 1t is the duty
OF the patrolman on whose beat the
animal is found to go to the nearest
telephone and call up the offal dock.
We fined twelve policemen for not re-
porting one dead cat-and we're ready
to have twelve more fined!"