The news-democrat. (Providence, R.I.) 1906-1909, 1907-11-22
Continued from Page OneD
JOINT SESSION.

The American Civic association and IN
National Municipal league began "A join
session at 1910 this morning. About q
persons attended The first address wa
by Mr. George r. Kesslcr OF Kansas city
who spoke on Forces Molding the CIT!
OF the Future" Mr.. Kesser's address wa
scheduled for yesterday, but he was AN
BILE 10 deliver II then, as he was suffering
from a bad cold.
In introducing Mr.. Kessler Mr. Mcfar
land said. While Mr. Kessler is to speal
OF Forces Moldng the city of the Flu
turo he has practically himself nodded ?
city OF the present Kansas city" Mr.
Kesslor has had the chief part I'm thu
beautifying OF Kansas City. which is now
one OF the model cities of the Unitsa
states. In his address he outlined tho
chief aims Ia municipal beautihcation and
devoted most Of his time 10 describing the
beautlfying Of his home city His adj
dress was received with applause.
The general subject Of municipal health
and sanitation was then taken up by the
Joint session, Or Alexander A. Abbott.
chief of the bureau OF health OF Philadel-
phia. presided
Or, Abbott spoke briefly of the great
| Importance Of the subject 10 be considered
and then introduced Or. a. w Cohn of
! Rochester. n. Y.
Dr Cohn told OF the campaign for sani-
tation in his home city Rochester, where
! he Is at the head OF the health depart
ment lie described the publication OF the
water supply. the abatement of the smoke
nuisance. and the proper regulation OF
milk supply and the resulting rise OF the
! average of health i'm Rochester
! He also treated briefly OF tuberculosis
and the methods employed in Rochester
At. nj. e1,s =
that were being obtained through them
| DR.. Chaplin was next introduced and
! spoke on the same subjects. He spoke in
part as follows:
DIR. CIIAPIN's PAPER.
Or. Charles V. Chaplin of this city spoke
in part as follows:
'In Providence the board OF aldermen is
ex-officio OF the board OF health. There is
committee OF three which confers with
the superintendent OF health. This form
OF sanitary organization is adopted inmost
English towns and has worked well here.
The registration OF vital statistics is Il
prime necessity and should be I'm the
hands of the health official. our mortality
records cover 50 years and are unsur-
passed.
when / was elected health officer in
1884 municipal sanitation was synonymous
with municipal cleanliness. The text
books told us that TO secure pure soil.
pure water and pure air was the whole OF
hygiene. But the filth theory is dead. and
dirt is very rarely the direct cause OF
sickness Yet Il Is certainly true that mu-
nicipal cleanliness tends to promote per-
sonal cleanliness and personal cleanliness
prevents disease But the health officers
time should not be required to abate null
His energies should be devoted to
those things which he alone can do. lie
had better be showing a working girl how
TO escape infection from a tuberculosis |
brother or explaining TO physician the /
danger from typhoid carriers.
"Our water is obtained from a river
which flows for several miles through "A
continuous village. As a result IL has been
polluted at times so as To cause serious
outbreaks of disease. Water supplies |
should be protected by the state board OF |
health, which should exercise a strong |
hand in such matters. Recently such pow
or has been given TO the Rhode Island |
state board of health, but the Providence |
supply was not included I'm the act. | am |
informed, because IT was believed that the |
interests pollutlng the river were power
ful enough to defeat the measure.
MILK SHOULD BE CLEAN.
consideration OF food control suggest |
that milk should be pure and clean II We
wish to reduce infant mortality. ] be-
ieve that milk Inspection should be one |
Of the functions of the health depart
ment As regards other classes OF food.
the relation between that which is adul-
terated. dirty. diseased and decayed. and |
the public health has been vastly over |
rated. Tie regulation OF the food sup |
ply is far more a matter of economies |
and aesthetics than 1t is OF health. so
II seems TO me- But we really know very |
little about the effect upon health of the |
foods that usually fall under condemna-
ton What we want more than anything |
else is more knowledge. For food in
spcCtion we need, first federal Inspection,
which is now becoming well organized.
Second. we need state inspection. espe- |
cially OF groceries and drugs, and per-
haps milk.
THE most important field for sanitary |
effort is the direct control of the infec- |
tious diseases. I'm Providence maritime |
quarantine is administered by the local |
sanitary officer. | should bc glad to see |
our local quarantine transferred 10 the |
United States Public Health and Marine
Hospital service. Interstate quarantine |
also can be much moro Justly and effect |
lively maintained by the central govern |
mcnt than by the states
by far tho most important work that |
local health officials can do Is the super |
vision OF cases OF contagious diseases as !
they occur. We have one inspector who |
give SAIL his time To the work. and an |
other who gives a part OF - time look |
ing after tuberculosis alone. A great deal |
OF public health work in Providence is |
done through private agencies. All of |
this might properly be done by tho mu-
FRESH AIR SCHOOL.
1t Is hoped that within a few weeks |
the city Will establish a fresh air school !
for those children who exhibit A tendency |
TO tuberculosis or arc much exposed - !
Infection. The moro we can accomplish /
by instruction and pcrsuation and the less |
we appeal TO tho law the better. Nacci. |
nation and the distribution OF anti-toxin |
arc important matters. The fatality I'm \
diphtheria appears 90 vary Indirectly as !
TO the freedom with which antI-toxin Is |
distributed and the facility afforded for
Its injection. Providence Is behind many
cities In this. Every city On this size
should have a bacteriological laboratory
OF its own. School inspection Is a useful
procedure.
Hospitals for contagious diseases are
of great Importance and value II IS bv
- means necessary that al