South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-01-19
Secretary of Health Board, in
Annual Report to Mayor
Keller, Urges a Municipal
Slaughter House.
CONTROLLERS REPORT
SHOWS GOOD CONDITION
Manning'S Figures Reveal
Treasury as Healthy = San
itary Officers May be ReIiev-
ed of "Weed Patrol" Duty.

Advocating continued education of
the public in health matters and
recommending that the city take steps
for the establishment OF munlclpal
slaughter house and system oil
stringent meat inspection, DR.. Charles
Bosenbury, secretary of the South
Rond hoard of public health presented
a detailed annual report TO Mayor
Keller.
At the same time, the mayor was
presented with a completed report
from the city controller, which show
ed that the city on Jan. 1 was in bet
ter financial condition than at any
other time Of its history.
DR.. BOsenbury's recommendations
were as follows:
we would respectfully make the
following recommendation which
were made by the previous board OF
health. that the weed ordinance be
revised and be made exclusively po-
lice duty under the direction OF the
street commissioner. The cutting of
weeds is only remotely associated with
health promotion and the time and
energy spent by sanitary inspectors III
inspecting the weed patch, notifying
the owner and then reinspectlng, had
better be spent along lines more di-
public health work. We believe that
the council should relieve the depart
ment OF this duty.
Proposes Slaughter House
1--WE further recommend that steps
be taken to have a municipal slaugn-
ter house and competent meat super
vision The people Of South Bend are
daily consuming meat which has not
been inspected and we cannot know
4 NJ until have meat
inspection just how much diseased
meat Is offered for sale. Judging
from the experience Of other commun-
tiles a relatively large amount of dis
eased meat has been and is being sold
and we feel that the time has come
when some provision be made for the
protection OF this community.
The present health department
wishes to go on. record as recommend
inp the establishment Of medical in
spection in the schools OF the city
public, private and parochiaL As
guardians Of the public health we
know of no single proposal which VIII
add more TO the health of the COM
munity. In April at the health con-
ference the st. Joseph County Dental
society offered to make dental inspec-
tion OF school children without charge
To the school city. During the past
lew weeks the cQlltAs HAS AhAAAAANN ~
promise and all school children have
had their teeth examined"
Urges Education.
In another portion of DR. Bosen-
bury's report 10 the mayor lie says:
Disease prevention or health pro-
motion. as IL may be called, is q social
and economic problem. The medical
profession and other organizations are
primarily Interested in caring for
-e#H .TF.r !,
long been recognized that prevention
rather than cure of disease is the ideal
20 be sought. Discoveries bv science
Of ways and means to prevent disease
have been made and are being made,
but in order that this information may
bc useful TO the public II is necessary
for health departments 10 carry on
educational work. During the past
year the department held its first
health conference. We obtained the
services of local experts and were also
able to secure experts from other
cities. The subjects considered We're
medical inspection Of school children,
infant welfare. conservation of vision.
care of the teeth and public health
work in general. Moving picture films
and stereoptiCOn slides were employed
TO illustrate these talks.
Gives Press Thanks.
'sN other TT cans Sucn as talks he
fore schools and similar organizations
the department made the attempt To
bring before the public information in
reference 10 its work In connection
with the publicity work we have had
able and generous assistance on the
part OF the local press and our thanks
are hereby rendered them for their
hearty cooperation.
"Inasmuch as physicians and others
could not use the state hEgenic lab
ratorv in indianapolis 10 advantage IL
was apparent that labratory facilities
in South Bend would make possible
early diagnosisin cases OF diphtheria
and typhoid and prompt analysis OF
fOodstuffs and milk without pOssibil-
ity OF deterioration on account of the
time necessary for the transportation
of samples.
Get Laboratory Facilities.
we were permitted by the council
10 make contract with the South Bend
medil al laboratory and we feel that
the money used for this work has been
we'll spent
I'VE desire 20 call attention to the
enforcement OF all state board of
health requirements with reference 10
quarantines. Heretofore no Quaran-
tine was esta bIished for measles.
chickenpoN. whooping cough and
mumps. We have no way OF know
ing whether or not this year we had
more OF these diseases than formerly
but we do have "a record of cases re-
ported in this Office during 1919
The statistics Of the department