Evening journal., 1907-03-15

Health office 4,2a7 complaints. It az
fords me great pleasure TO inform you.
however that In response to long con-
tinued public clamor the city Council
in April Of last year passed an ordi-
nance In which the Board was again
given authority over the garbage COLI
cctions.
"The new ordinance prohibits the
transportation Of garbage to any place
other than the Disposal Plant and also
gives the Board the power 20 fine the
contractors for neglect OF duty For the
past seven years the Board OF Health
has been contending for this authority
and since it has been granted tho
citizens are promised a better garbage
service this coming year than they
have had for a long time. Contracts
under the new ordinance went into
effect on October 1st, and for the three
months ending December 81. 62S COM
plants were lodged against the con-
tractors as compared with 4.2s7 conn
plants received during the first nine
months OF the year.
Public Comfort Stations.
OM tue Atln NA AftANntif ANNNf A4T
dressed a communication 20 the Public
Building Committee Of city Council
relative to the establishment Of pub
lie comfort station. recommending that
the same be situated i'm the north front
basement Of the city Hall
Wilmington is the metropolis Of the
State. the central place for the holding
of conventions the terminus Of many
excursions the shopping place OF tho
residents OF the fast growing suburban
settlements. all OF which bring many
hundreds OF visitors 20 the city and
renders the necessity for such provi-
sions of greater Importance every year.
Public comfort stations are demanded
both by necessity and common decency.
and II is hoped that some action viii
be taken In the near future towards
the erection and maintenance Of the
same.
Contagious Diseases.
Continuing Mr. Wigglesworth reports
l13 cases Of smallpox. 81 cases OF scar
let fever and 2S2 cases OF dlphtheria
during the year.
Concerning tuberculosis Mr.. Wig
ellsworth says;
During the year 1906. l5o deaths
were caused by consumption. whuc the
total Of pneumonia deaths was 10 In
excess of this number, consumption
usually heads the list Of causes of
death in point Of number For the ten
years ending December 81. 1906, a total
OF 1851 death occurred in Whining
ton and 1891 deaths from tuberculosis
were reported for the same period
This means that more than 10 per cent
of the deaths during the past ten years
was from consumption.
while a great deal OF labor and
money has been expended in combat
I ting diphtheria and scarlet fever / am
of the poinion that some attention
should be naid to the dread and fatal
disease that causes more than one
tenth Of our deaths.
I Il would recommend that City
Council be asked to pass an ordinance
declaring tuberculosis to be an infec-
tious and communicable disease dam
lgerous TO the public health. The ordi-
nance should require every physician
I in the city to report to the Board OF
He's tn, in writing. the name, age, sex
color. occupation and address Of everl
! person I'm the city having pulmonary
or any other communicable form o.
i tuberculosis, who has been attended
iby such physician. within one weel
I after the disease has been recognized
! The. ordinance should also require tn
owner. agent, lessee, or tenant of an,
house or apartments 10 immediatel
notify the Board of Health Of the va
cation Of any such house or apart
ments by a person suffering with pul
imonary or any other communicate
form Of tuberculosis. so that the hous
or apartments can be thoroughly dis
infected before they can again be oc
cupied. In case Of death the Boar.
of Health is notified through the deatl
certificate and the premises can b'
fumigated.
OF course this would entail extra eN-
/ pense and the appointment OF an add
tional health officer but the goo'
which would result TO the general pub
llic in the way Of saving health an'
life would be a sufficient recompens'
for the effort The classiug Of tuber
lculosis as a rcportable disease Is beini
adopted by the majority Of the mum
lcipalities of this country. OF the citiel
having 10000 inhabitants and over, o
which there are 81 in the Unite'
states. 20 per cent have laws makinl
reports Of cases Of tuberculosis com
pulsory, and only IN the 20 smalle
cities. having populations OF from
$4,000 to 10000. does the proportion
fan TO 40 per cent. In 1900 the 2
largest cities in the United states ha'
a population OF 1871 ,406 OF thes
cities 16. containing 10,953,oS1' or g
l1-2 per cent. of this population, hav
laws requiring reports of all cases o
tuberculosis. while only A. having bu
.l1.Ots.s25 or s 1-2 per cent Of the pop
lulation do not have such laws.
Vital Statistics.
"As registrar of vital statistics you
\ secretary has charge Of the records o
births, deaths and marriages, issue
burial permits, supervises disintermen
Of the dead, keeps records OF contag
lious diseases. their quarantine and dis
infection and issues permits for tn
return to school or work Of those witt