The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1914-06-04
FEW TYPHOID DEATHS
IN VERMONT IN 1913
DR.. Caverly Says Indictment of State as
Breeder of That Disease Cannot
Be Used to Keep Away Sum-
mer Visitors.

/ st. Adams, June An opening the
| third of the four sectional schools for
health officers yesterday afternoon, Dr.
! G. S. Caverly of the state board of health
stated that no Indictment can be brought
against Vermont as breeding place of
| typhoid fever as the deaths from that
disease last year numbered only 80.
"This is typhoid rate for the state
of only eight, record which has rarely
if ever been equalled by any registration
state in this country The chief indict-
ment against us in the past has been
| the danger which summer visitors in
Cured of getting typhoid fever. YER
mont can make sufficient answer to any
such charge now by pointing to the Off
cial figures of 1913.
at is the aim of the state board to
encourage permanency in the office of
health officer" said DR.. Caverly. THE
removal of the office from local political
entanglements is imperative to independ-
ence OF action. One hundred and fifty
two OF the present health officers in Yer
mont have held their office for at least
five years; SO of these for 10 years or
more The state board occasionally re-
moves health officers. 1t does not in
tend however, to do so except for urgent
reasons
DR.. Caverly spoke Of the Importance
of the health officers keeping pace with
the times, this being especially true OF
the layman who serves in that office,
and he urged that each one have a re-
cent standard work on preventive medi
cine and also take R standard periodical
devoted to this subject. He also referred
to the effort to put the health officer on
a "full time" basis, saying that it is
coming more and more to be a profess
sion.
Under the subject Control of Public
Buildings" DIR. William Lindsay of Mont
pelier spoke on "Schoolhouses, and Pro-
fessor j. W. Votey, sanitary engineer OF
the state board OF health. Burlington,
spoke on, "Other Public Buildings, Thea
tres. Picture Shows, Depots and Public
Halls" Professor Votey read for the
first time set of rules which has been
passed by the state board of health for
the control of moving picture houses, re-
garding the construction and ventilation.
These papers were discussed by DIR.
#. f. Steele, jr., health officer of Water
bury and Charles w. Steele, health officer
at Highgate.
Food Supplies and Public Health" was
considered by Dr. Henry A. Ladd Of Bur-
lington, inspector for the state board,
and this was discussed by DIR. Arthur
Morton, health officer for the city of
st. AIbans, and DR.. |. S. Coburne, health
officer at Milton.
A discussion of local problems was led
by DIR. ]. H. Woodruff and DIR. w. H.
Mitchell, health officers, respectively, at
Barre and Shelbune.
Eleven town clerks from widely sep
arated sections attended the special ses-
2:3O O'Clock. This is the first year such
meetings have been held. NJ. c. Grandy,
city clerk of Burlington, gave paper
on "t1se Of Blank Forms and Importance
of Vital Statistics" and a general dis
cussion followed.
The special session for children held at
the city hall at o'clock proved an at
tractive feature. the hall being nearly
filed. Moving pictures We're given show
ing the treatment of tuberculosis; the
production of clean milk, and a BOIL
your-water" film. The application was
given in story form by DR.. H. A. Ladd.
Last evenings session opened at
o'clock with a resume of the work of
the state board of health, illustrated, by
Dr. B. Fl. Stone of Burlington, state
pathologist. Charts illustrating deaths
from different diseases were shown.
DR.. Gardner T. Swarts of Providence,
r. T., secretary of the Providence state
board of health, gave a public addN1s
on 'What Effect Does Cleanliness Have
Upon the Public Health?" DIR. Swarts
is the principal speaker at the school
and the only one from outside the state.