Perth Amboy evening news., 1910-03-02
MANY PRESENT VIEWS
AT PUBLIC MEETING
ON PLACARD SUBJECT
Doctors and Citizens Confer With
Board Of Health Committee to Ask
Council for Isolation Hospital.
ARGUMENTS PRO AND CON

campaign he conducted against 1t
years ago. About ten years ago DR..
Ramsay addressed an improvement
league of this city on health. The
placarding subject was then brought
up. DR.. Ramsay told of westerners
attending that meeting, who said in
Denver and other western places pla-
carding became compulsory by law.
The physician then ventured to
show how absence of sunshine and
air, usually the case in confinement
by means of quarantine, was the
| means of aggravating the illness. He
,, asserted the Board of Health was ig-
norant of many cases of mortality
; that resulted from mistreatment OF
contagion. He asserted that medical
men are not to blame. DR.. Ramsay
showed that children of the poorer
classes of people, who constantly
roam about in the fresh air and sun
shine, are healthier than those of the
more aristocratic families, who are
constantly confined indoors. The
physician thereupon proceeded to
, give lengthy paper on opposition to
placarding, which he had read In
New York about six years ago. The
title was "The Relation of Physicians
to Public Health" In it he endea-
vored to show how the patient should
work hand in hand with the physi-
clan. 1t also referred to placarding
as "a curse upon humanity"
DIR. Hults said he was pleased with
what DR.. Ramsay had to say and as
serted the points were well taken. He
advocated the abolition of placard-
ing because of the unnecessary noise
: and scare that goes with 1t. He as
serted placarding does not assist to
enforce quarantine or isolation. 1t
is just way of notifying people, he
stated, and seemed a detriment
rather than an advantage.
Rev. William H. Bawden, pastor of
the First Baptist chu ch, was the
(, first to speak in favor of placarding.
He said he was glad of being afford
ed the opportunity by the Board of
| Health to express his views and those
of the Baptist Brotherhood of this
city. At first the pastor withheld the
, name of the organization. but later
! questioning by DIR. Ramsay, caused
, him to give 1t. He said 1t had
about thirty-five members and Is
composed of editors, lawyers, etc.
Mr.. Bawden said 1--WE should be
guided by what physicians tell us.
, The physicians do not act as unit
in this matter. and therefore comes
the present discussion"
| He said that, as citizen, he was
present to voice his own and pro-
| test of the Baptist Brotherhood
against the abatement of placarding.
A 1,4@ h hnd
been recently passed by the organ
| ization.
Mr.. Bawden stated that the placard
system is about the only methed the
people have of preventing trespass
where contagion exists. He illustra-
ted how the system benefited travel
ers, statesmen, merchants, etc, who go
from house to house. Concluding the
pastor urged more strict quarantine,
and said he failed to note in Dr. Ram
say g paper where any other method was
suggested for taking care of contagious
diseases. ''The public ought to know
about contagion and the plaeard warns,
there is a place not to CO." he said.
The pastor acknowledged that piacards
perhaps created a morbid curiosity, as
had previously been stated by DIR. Ram
say, but they warn the people, he said.
In reply DIR. Ramsay said it was his
contention that the physician was per-
fectly, capable of isolating of his pa
tient, without placard on the front
door. Isolation under instructions from
the attending physician, he contended,
protects the people of the house and
consequently the public. He asserted
that plscards induce people to venture
| into the infected house out of curios-
| ity, rather than to have a tendency to
keep out.
| Mr.. Bawden again took the floor and
| then proceeded to state what good he
had found in placards. Referring to
clause from his paper, DIR. Ramsay
asked the pastor If he would still be in
favor of placarding knowing that it
| increased mortality. The clergyman
expressed his doubts that the increase
of mortality could be traced directly
to placarding. However, if that could
be proved, Mr.. Bawden said, he would
certainly take different view of the
matter.
DIR. Wilson again took the focr. "Pla-
carding does not make much difference
at all, /" he began. 81 would just as
soon placard as not. - The physician
then gave it as his opinion that the
value of placarding depended upon the
efficiency of the Board of Health, the at
tending physician and the interest ta-
ken in the patient. He said mortality
would be decreased ten per cent if pla-
cards were eliminated from front doors
In business portions of the city where
contagion exists. He said in mild
cases doctors are not called, because of
the fear of the placard. Children he
added, are allowed to attend school,
where the malady spreads.
He touched lightly upon the present
small epidemic of scarlet fever preva-
lent throughout the country.
He said it was his belief that almost
every child in the city has had conta-
gion at some time or other, without the
physician being notified. He told of
cases in which the parents did ont
(Continued on page 81