Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1908-01-07
MAYOR HANDS BOARD OF
HEALTH and N. Us A HOT one
Says the Board Has Utterly Failed in Its Duties Regard
ing Health Conditions and Then Pays His
Compliments to Local Physicians

mayor took occasion to say that such
a precaution was found unnecessary
and highly complimented the conduct
of the discharged soldiers, saying the
present force at the post was the best
that had ever come to the post.
Like bolt from clear sky fell the
following communication to the coun-
Gil from the mayor, which he read in
person. The fact that the mayor is
one of the practicin gphysicians of
the city makes the document all the
more remarkable. The communication
follows:
To The Members of
To the Member of the City Council of
the City of Bismarck, N. D.
Gentlemen: It is the duty of the
mayor, from time to time, to give the
council information relative to the af-
fairs of the city and to make recon-
mendations for it's consideration.
When the present council entered
upon it's duties, on April %, 1907, 1
called attention to the high death
rate in the city of Bismarck and urged
upon the city board of health the ne
cessity of investigating the causes
leading to this abnormal mortality
and taking step to improve the SAM
tary conditions so that the public
health might be protected. At that
time the health fund was overdrawn
to the extent of about $500 and as the
council did not see fit to adopt the
recommendation of the mayor to
transfer money to that fund, the board
OF health was entirely without funds
for about i've months to carry out the
duties requirtd of it. When the an
nual appropriation was made, in Sep
tember, 1907, for the year following.
all the old Indebtedness of the board
of health was paid UP and an appro-
priation of 81 400 made for the present
fiscal year. This, as far as I know,
is the largest appropriation ever made
IN this city for that fund, and is,
believe, larger in proportion than is
made in any city in the state. It is,
in my opinion, sufficient for the board
of health to make much better show
ing than it has done up to the pres
ent time. If any steps have been TAX
en- to investigate the mortality rate
and, If excessive, to reduce it, / have
not been informed and to the best
of my knowledge the mortality in
1907 will be in about the same ratio
as in 1906, when it equalled 16 per
1000 of the population. In st. Paul,
Mimi, where statistics are correctly
kept, the mortality rate for 1905, the
latest date available, was 10 per 1000,
and in Minneapolis for the same year
the rate was 9.4 per 1000. In these
cities, as in most communities where
attention Is paid to sanitary matters,
the annual death rate is gradually de.
creasing, whereas, in Bismarck, the
rate has almost doubled in the past
ten years.
or course, many of the deaths are
those OF patients at the hospital, who
come here for treatment, but even
with an institution of that kind the
death rate should not be increased
out of all proportion to the birth rate.
There Is only one hospital for general
cases and in addition there are two
maternity hospitals and several pri-
vate houses where maternity cases
are taken, and yet the birth rate, in
stead of being higher, is lower than
the average.
In my opinion the high mortality is
in a great measure due to the lack of
harmony amongst the local physicians
and the adoption of unprofessional
and dishonorable practices, in an un-
dignified struggle as to who will have
49, AAASSI poIiOuLS Cuu w tuG ulOSC
work. This leads to patients with in
durable diseases being keut here, for
mercenary reasons, when it would be
much better to let them return to
their homes and meet the inevitable,
where they could at least have the
company and sympathy Of their rela-
tives and friends. :
Whilst physicians rightly have GER
tain privileges conferred on them by
law and custom, such privileges are
intended for the general good and vel
fare OF the people, not for private
gain or profit. The board Of health
has power to investigate such matters
and in case Of dishonorabie practices,
that are detrimental to the public well
fare, being found. complaint to the
proper authorities would probably re-
suit in the offending physicians Ii
cense to practice being revoked.
Physicians are not alone to blame
Tor these conditions. however, as too
many oof our citizens only look at the
pecuniary side Of the question and