Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-01
HEALTH OFFICERS
ANNUAL REPORT
Necessity of Supplying Pure
Milk Emphasized.
NEED OF SUPPLY STATIONS
Statistics on Prevalence Of Con.
tagious Diseases.
ORIGIN OF TYPHOID FEVER
Office Requires Psychological Lab
oratory-Dairy Inspections
Noted.

Noted.
DR.. William c. Woodward, health officer
OF the District. in his annual report to the
tommiss toner's yesterday for the year end
ca June 50 last. emphasized the necessity
of obtaining pure milk to insure more
healthy conditions In the District. He
declared that more attention should be
given to the care OF this commodity In the
| households in which 1t is delivered. and he
laid particular stress upon the necessity
for the establishing throughout the city
Of milk stations. where pure milk can be
obtained at the cost of production for the
use of the infants of the poor
DR.. Woodward said he Is satisfied that
few househo.ders give the proper atten-
ton to caring for milk after 1t has been
delivered to them. He contends that the
| milk that does harm Is milk as 1t IS actu-
ally consumed. and not milk as 1t is left
at the front door by the dairyman.
In reporting upon the prevalence Of
contagious diseases in the District during
the past year the health officer has at
| tempted to trace the origin to the high
prevalence of typhoid fever. which dis
ease this community has had strong in
terest in for several years. He said there
were 1.126 cases repor; ed, 1G6 of which
were among the white population and $50
case rate of 344 per 10000 among the
whites. and 3i7 among the co!ored. This
rate for the whites shows decline there
having been $50 the preceding year. and
an increase in the colored rate. which was
on.y 313 the previous year.
Origin of Typhoid.
In tracing the origin of typhoid, DR..
Woodward said:
In only 1,O92 of the reported cases was
it possible to obtain information concern
ing the origin of the disease. Two hun
dred and two of these cases were attrib-
uted BY the health department to sources
outside of the District of Columbia. OF
those cases which had their origin within
to direct contact and 6.G3 per cent to milk
infection. In S7.G4 per cent the health de-
partment was unable to assign the case
to any known point or species of infection.
The cases attributable to milk infection
were due to two outbreaks, one of which
was responsible for II cases and one for q
cases. OF the patients who apparently
contracted typhoid fever in the District
of Columbia from sources other than d.
rect contact and milk. S4.6 per cent used
Potomac river water exclusively prior to
the onset of the disease; S.6 per cent
used Potomac and other waters: A. per
cent used well water; IL per cent used
spring water. and 1-3 per cent used bottled
waters. Tha department Is. however, with
out information to show what percentage
Of the entire community during the period
when these cases were contracted used
each the several sources OF the water sup
ply above mentioned"
Prevalence Of Diphtheria. g
During the past year 40 cases Of diph-
liberia were reported. giving a case rate
OF 12S per 100000. During the preceding
year 400 cases were reported. OF the
cases noted among the white population
1.3 per cent terminated fatally, while
among the colored people s7.6 per cent re-
suited fatally. DR.. woodward attributes
this condition to the fact that the coiored
people have not the proper facilities for
treating the disease. 49,;
The number of cases Of scarlet fever re-
ported was 231. 1SS OF which were OF white
persons and q colored. During the same
period only 81 cases of smallpox were
reported. So of which were among the
whites and % among tho colored. Only
three cases resulted In death. OF the per-
sons under treatment for this disease only
y had been vacc1nated He pointed with
much pride to the record Of this disease
during the first half of the current calen-
dar year. which showed only cases hay-
ing been reported, as compared with u
during the corresponding period of 1906
DR.. woodward strongly recommended
the appointment of a competent physician
to devote his time, during the school
year. exclusively to the supervision of
the medical inspection service Of the pub
lie schools. The services of such an Of
fetal the health officer believes necessary
to better the health condition among the
children attending the schools. and to
remove any danger Of children spreading
contagious diseases.
Needs Psychological Laboratory.
He called attention to the serious
need" of meteorological laboratory for
The health department. He said: by
means Of such a laboratory the health
department would be able to supervise the
milk supply Of the community much more
satisfactorily and economically than is
now the case. Moreover, a laboratory of
this kind, If organized upon proper
basis, would be of great value to the ply
sicians to the poor and to other ply
sicians in connection with the treatment
carly recognition of such diseases ass ty-
phoid fever. malarial fevers and tuber-
culosis, and would tend thus to lnik ehe
spread of such disease"
In reporting upon the transactions OF
the chemical laboratory of his depart
ment last year DR.. Woodward said 500
samples were analysed. The principal
articles analysed were milk. Ash sam
pleSs CREAM 470 Samples, ana water, 4ZS.
He thinks the District chemist should
have an assistant to relieve him Of con-
siderable routine work.
He suggested to the Commissioners to
require the payment Of a reasonable fee
by persons applying for permits to main
tain dairy farms and bring milk into the
city to sell. No fee II exacfed now. and
DR.. Woodward said much trouble Is ex-
perienced in his Office because a large
number Of the permits taken out. are fire.
quently Cancelled, or recalled shortly after
being issued. This fee. he contends, would
pay for the cost Of inspecting the appli-
cants' premises, before issuing the permit.
II such were the case. he said, there
would be less likelihood Of persons taking
out permits without some definite inten-
ton of continuing in the dairy business.
inspection Of DairieA
In speaking of the inspection OF dairy
farms and datries d.. Woodward said:
During the fiscal year t9O6-07. of the
farms producing milk for the District Of
Columbia $50 were inspected. The total