Albuquerque morning journal., 1910-12-25

tives of the rich or business sections
of the town.
For a city to have an efficient
health service, the work must be car
ried on in a systematic manner. No
good and much harm may come from
Ihaphazard methods.
In the general, the work of the de-
partment of health may be divided
into several branches. The depart
ment of inspections; department of
infectious diseases. department of
public education; department of vital
statistics; dispensary department and
laboratory department. Each of these
have q specific line of work to ac-
complish and each is dependent upon
the other, the whole machine work
ing for the public welfare. In large
cities each department has its head or
chief with number of assistants and
each department chief working under
Instructions from the chief sanitary
officer or health commissioner. In
smaller towns all the work may be
done by one medical man with one
or two men specially trained in
making inspections.
Department of Inspections.
This department includes the in
spections of wells, sewers, slaughter
houses, stables milk dairies, food
produce, restaurants and tenements.
All of this work is most essential to
city's health. Samples of water, sus-
picious in character, are to be coli
leeted and sent TO the laboratories for
examination, Shallow wells to be
reported and closed. Shallow wells
merely drain the surface of the land
for so many feet around them and
are i'm this age a disgrace to any city
allowing them. In the poorer districts,
where the price of water Is prohibi-
tive to the individual the city should
erect standpipes or if this be too cost
ly. deep. properly constructed wells
might be driven which would insure
pure water to those of the city need
ing 1t most
The inspection of sewage and gar
bage disposal, especially of those
houses having no sewer connections.
is of more Importance TO the city
than the inspection Of the biggest
business buildings. one privy in de-
lapidated condition, with the earth
falling away from the lower boards
OF the house SO as to expose the con-
tents of the pit 10 flies. may be the
means of causing a widespread epi-
demic OF typhoid fever In the city.
The proper disposition of garbage,
stable refuse, etc, will rid city OF
flies within a very short time.
The inspection of restaurants
should he very rigidly enforced. IF
is necessary in the prep
aration OF meals for the private FAM
ily. it is far more so for supplying the
public. In the one case two or three |
may suffer from its neglect while in |
the other, the mum Der will be depend |
ent upon the popularity OF the res
taurant
Equal in importance with sewage !
and water is the inspection of the |
iairies supplying the city with milk. |
Milk forms a very large part of the |
diet of all classes. n Is essentially /
food for infants and the sick and u
should be pure; yet the census and /
health reports show that between l
he yars 1900 and 1908 over $4,000
,hildren under five years OF age lost
heir lives from the use Of unclean
milk
Bacteria grow So rapidly IN milk
hat il is used in laboratories as a
media to grow them upon. when IL is
lesired to have them multiply them
ielves rapidly Cholera infantum.
Uphold fever. diphtheria. scarlet
ever and tuberculosis may all be
transmitted through the agency Of
milk.
At Elkton. MD. one farmer sup
He'd thirty-uine families with mills
lis son had typhoid fever and his y /