Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-06-05

preventable deaths in one year is nothing
short of profound tragedy and cannot
much longer be regarded with indiffer-
ence. Many of the infants die from i'm
proper feeding and lack of suitable care,
and the means of saving them are
straightforward and simple of application.
Prompt reporting of births should he re-
Quired, midwives should be examined and
regulated and nurses should be employed
to educate mothers in infant hygiene be-
fore and after the birth, Infant welfare
stations should be established and a SAM
>tary milk supply secured The value of
this line Of work has been recognized
within two years by the county public
welfare committee and a beginning In the
direction OF a solution Of the local prob
lem has been made. During the last
year the committee persuaded the health
department to defray the expenses of one
nurse. whose activities. however, were
directed by the committee.
IL Is strange indeed that the Newark
department, so close TO New York city,
where so many valuable measures In this
field have been instituted, should still ell
tirely undervalue the Importance of COM
batting the health hazards that thus strike
at the very beginnings Of life and claim
as n fifth of the eity's entire mortality
children under l year of age.
Another important branch of work
sighted by the department is the inves-
tigation of housing conditions. Although
the department employs a large force of
sanitary inspectors, it has made no house
Toulouse inspections during the last two
years, nor has there been any intelligent
study of housing conditions. Moreover.
1t would appear that the Inspection of
lodging-houses required by the city or
dinance Of 1910 has not been carried into
effect. While there are fourteen such
as required by law The health depart
ment claims to await the initiative of the
licensing board in this matter.
The fact that it is only within a year,
and fAAWa LII IL
paign, that the department has taken
steps of any Importance toward the SUI
pervision or improvement of the milk
supply. we are convinced that the omis-
sions of the department have been indeed
grave. In fact, considering the city's
liberal financial treatment of the depart
nent, they are inexcusable. And aside
from their inherent seriousness as omis
slons, they have a special significance as
indicating how far out of step with cur
rent progress is the policy and spirit of
the department. 1t is clear that the de-
partment has been marking time and
giving little heed to the recent advances
in public health science. And 1t is fur
ther apparent that the cause of this state
of affairs Is the lack of competent and
responsible directing head
Assuming an efficient health depart
ment. there seems to be good reasons for
establishing In Newark the usual pro-
cedure of entrusting to the department the
registration Of vital statistics. If regis
department the present running back and
forth to borrow records would be elimi-
mated, the actual work and the legal
responsibility. for its proper performance
would be united. and registration would
be with the department which is vitality
interested in its results and their ac-
euracy. The city clerks Office is not
vitality concerned with the facts as to
the causes of death, whereas the health
department Is, and would feel more
keenly its legal responsibilities in the
matter II entrusted with the actual work
at first hand. There is certainly room
here for easy improvement in this branch
of service.
The division of plumbing inspection
consists of one chief and five subordinate
inspectors. Judging by. the amount of
plumbing installed in the city. the size
of the staff. the records of the division
and the opinions of practising plumbers,
one may conclude that the force is ade-
quate TO the work at hand and that the
city is covered in a thorough manner
Within a year the staff of the food,
milk and drug division has been in
creased from one of two inspectors to
one. of four inspectors and a stenog-
rapher. This enlargement of the division
was made to allow the initiation of a
milk campaign, which came as re-
The division is now in a position to
make a start on the important work of
milk inspection and the department is
seeking to pass milk ordinance to give
movement In Newark is, however, clearly
in its infancy, and the existing staff will
need to be increased aud the supervision
Of the work placed under competent
The inspection of all cattle and othe-
animals that come into the city for
slaughter is delegated to another man.
who is also veterinarian and custodian of
the anti-toxin horses. OF the six slaugh-
ter-houses in the city, two have Federal
supervision, while four come under the
inspection of the local man. As he can
devote but approximately one-half of his
time to this work, his supervision of the
four slaughter-houses at best can only be
partial. Probably one-tenth of the meat
consumed in the city receives no other in
spection. This. branch of work, as well
as that of market inspection, might well
receive somewhat more emphasis from
the health department 1t Is also clear
that the work of food inspection. market
inspection and meat inspection is now in
of the work are in the hands of a num-
Der of isolated individuals. and their eff
forts are not reviewed or directed by any
one competent chief.
Dfspensary Criticised.
The dispensary, with its several clinics,
is housed in the second story of the Cen
tire Market building. No sign marks the
entrance, which is small and up a narrow
winding stair. Altogether the place is
qqfe being ed and dngy and
be said, however that the dispensary will
soon be housed In the new health depart
ment building. Eleven clinics are held
at various times; as followsImedie,al
urinary, diseases of women, diseases of
the skin, dentist throat and nose. tuber-
culosis, nerve diseases and o-thopedic de-
fects The treatment is free In every
case, and, with the exception of the dem
list. who is paid $500 a year, the doc
tors all donate their services.
In judging the value of the dispensary
we will assume that the qualifications of
the medical men and the grade of med
zeal service furnished are satisfactory,
and discussion will be limited to the man
agement of the dispensary as such. On
this basis the most serious defects are
evident. The service furnished is of the
crudest sort and some of the greatest
opportunities of a dispensary are neg
lected. There are no evening clinics for
the poor who must work during the day,
and there are no Saturday hours of the
dentist and of the clinic for children's
diseases such as would accommodate
school children. The dentist, further
more, does not fill teeth, merely. extract
ing them, which is hardly an adequately
helpful service for poor children. There
is, Furthermore. no extension nursing in
the homes of the poor-a service which
may be advantageously coordinated with
the investigation of applicants; and there
is no attempt to take advantage of the
opportunities for cooperation between the
dispensary and other branches of the
health departments work.
These defects and others to be men
toned arise from the fact that the dis
pensary has no executive head. The
supervision of the establishment is left
entirely to the apothecary who. besides
attending to his own proper duties. acts
as a kind of head janitor. There is no
registration of applicants and no inves-
tigation of their circumstances. The
only records kept are the medical rec
ords of the individual doctors. There
is little, If any, cooperation with other
charitable agencies. As n result of these
things 1t is stated on good authority
that the dispensary is grossly abused
and that a tenth of the persons treated
reside in East Newark and Harrison.