Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1908-07-03
STATE BOARD OF HEALTH.
Some Of the Main Points in Or. Holton's
Biennial Report to Gov. Proctor.

The biennial report of the state board
of health to Gov, F. D. Proctor has just
been issued by DR.. Henry d. Holton of
Brattleboro, secretary of the board 1t
takes up variety of subjects in an in
teresting way. Water is the first subject
discussed. The board says that the pol
luton of the streams and other bodies of
water is a serious menace to the health
of the state The custom has prevailed
for long time of discharging sewage
from houses, villages and cities into the
nearest streams. In the last previous re-
port it was stated that several towns and
cities were using polluted water. The
board ordered that within year those
places procure a supply of pure water,
and all but two complied with the warn
ing. ut has been a great surprise" the
report says, "that in this enlightened age
there should be in this good state of YER
mont two towns that prefer to allow their
people and persons temporarily visiting
them to suffer from the results of the use
of such contaminated water"
1t is urged that the pure food laws be
revised to make them more fully harmo-
nize with the Federal law, especially with
reference to slaughter houses and the
care and handling of meats.
The gift of a sanatorium for consump-
tives by the late Senator Redfield Proctor
is referred to as having caused Vermont
to be recognized as being in the front
rank of those seeking to stay the pro-
gress of tuberculosis. Gov. Proctor is
asked to send an official delegation from
Vermont to the international congress on
tuberculosis, which will meet for the first
time in this country at Washington in
September, in recognition of the philan-
thropic purpose of the gift In 1885, be-
fore the board of health was established
there were sos deaths from tuberculosis
In, NI,o ~.
was 1853.
The examination of the eyes, ears and
Threats of school children shows that of
the number examined 80 per cent were
defective in some of those organs
THE number of divorces" says the
board, lis increasing to such an extent
as to threaten the stability of the state.
In 1886 the number of divorces to the
number of marriages was one in 200
In 1897 it was one to 1875. In the past
year it was one to S.52 At this rate it
will be but a short time before the num-
Der of divorces will equal the number Of
marriages" Several remedies are sug-
gested, among them a reduction of the
number of legal causes for which a di-
vorce may be granted, more emphasis by
the church in teaching the sacred char
acter of marriage, and an effort to dis
courage hasty, ill-considered marriages.
The surprising statement is made that
the number of deaths from whooping
cough the past year was but one less than
the total number from typhoid fever
measles and scarlet fever combined, and
five more than from measles, scarlet
fever and diphtheria. Yet many physi-
clans and heads Of families fail to report
whooping cough to the health officers and
give little aid in the prevention of it's
spread DR.. Holton says that in per-
forming the duties of secretary he travel
ed 1880 miles by rail and 247 miles by
horsepower, and sent out over 5000 mail
and express packages