The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-09-29
SAY NO TO SCHOOL BOARD.
City Board of Health Won't Have
Watar AualYzed.

WdboI AAdA ECU.
City Physician Storrs seems to have a
new scheme on foot. He wants the
board of health to make a complete re-
vision of the health laws of the city.
Under guiSe of this work, Storrs will
undoubtedly fix things up so that he
will more than ever be the Poo-bah of
his department. and able to run things
absolutely to suit himself He wants
to get rid of some ordinances which
now interfere with his plans of secrecy.
He does not want to have to make any
report of the condition of contagious
diseases in the city.
There is no doubt that the health
laws can be improved upon, but 1t is
risky business to trust them to the ten
der mercies of a genius like Storrs
For the Erst time since Storrs has
been city physician he called the
board of health together Monday af-
ternoon- The meeting was behind
closed doors. After it was over, Storrs
refused to tell what business had been
transa cted
DR.. c. f. Menninger, president of the
board, made the following statement:
The principal thing considered was the
request of the board of education for an
analysis of the water used at the city
schools. AS we have no city chemist
and have no authority to pay out money
tor analyses We refused the request At
best chemical analysis or bacterio-
logical analysis is indeterminate, and
lit S01Col way Is ~ Doll all the WdIGIa
The question of the revision of GER
tain health laws was taken up. We
want for one thing, a check on the food
commissioner. His work of examina-
ton belongs properly under the board of
health, and he should report to US. Some
ordinances relating to the cleaning of
closets need to be revised. There are
also other ordinances which City Physi-
clan Storrs has not enforced, perhaps
because he considered they were dead
letters. 1 don't say what DR.. Storrs
should have done, but 1 think we should
clean up the ordinances and know what
we have. We will confer with the city
attorney and will get UP some new or
enhances. 1 don't know when the next
meeting of the board will be. The or
dinances make the city physician the
executive officer of the board, and prac-
tically all the authority is vested in
him. He can call meetings whenever
he likes. All I can do is to preside at
those meetings.
The school authorities are not in har-
mony with DR.. Storrs secretive meth
DDS, and some of them have said so. This
breach between the school authorities
and the health authorities may have
been responsible for the refusal of the
education suppress the typhoid cpl
demic.
There is a report that the board
of health is trying to make Food In
spector Farnsworth the scapegoat of all
the charges which have been made
against the neglect of sanitary condi-
tons. Mr.. Farnsworth may have been
negligent in his work. or he may have
pursued mistaken policy. but 1t is GER
tain that his department has been al
mirably conducted compared with that
of the city physician. 1t is said that
the board of health will recommend ALI
ordinance compelling the food inspector
to report to the council and make public
the names of people adulterating food
or embalming milk. This seems very
funny in view of the refusal of the city
physician to make public information
of even greater Importance to the well
fare of the city, and his utter neglect
of the provisions of the law which re-
quire him to make monthly reports Of