New-York tribune., 1916-07-30
BABYLON WANTS
HEALTH BOARD
Residents Ask State to Re-
move Clam-Digging
Officials.

At late hour last night c ere were
indications that Babylon, Long Island,
was about to be rescued from its
health department. An urgent plea
from prominent villagers was tele-
graphed to Albany two days ago in
which they urged that some state
official should release them from the
rule Of q health department whose
expert knowledge runs more 10 clam
digging than technical questions Of
sanitation.
Babylon, it may be explained, pos
sesses a health commission composed
of two clam Giggers, a plumbing sales
man and a sprightly physician of more
than eighty years. The villagers were
well satisfied with these popular Off
cias as long as they continued IN the
state of good health that ordinarily is
enjoyed by Babylonians.
Then came the infantile paralysis
scare and their present dilemma. Little
Mildred Mashuco was stricken with
something that had all the appearances
of the dreaded ailment, and three
physicians were summoned from New
York. The physicians made separate
examinations of tie child and an
nouced tnhat the patient was suffering
from infantile paralysis.
Half an hour later, as a matter OF
form. DR.. A. b. Leggett, the aged
Health Commissioner, was Informed OF
the situation and asked to quarantine
the house. But, to the CONSERVATION
of the village, that official refused 70
quarantine the house.
The clam diggers and the other vii
lage experts were consulted and, ac-
cording 70 statements by irate Baby
lonians. they were equally unwilling to
admit the possibility of the presence
of such an ailment in their peaceful
village. They refused to quarantine
the house.
The next victim was three-year-old
Charles Tye, who, after two examina-
tions, was pronounced as suffering from
infantile paralysis. Then new demands
were made on the health officials, and
a similar lack of results was reported.
1t was after the second case that
prominent citizens of the village, in
GLIDING many New Workers, took mat
ters into their own hands and mapped
out a programme. They hired nurse
and a physician, sent them to the
Mashuco home, tackled a quarantine
card on the house and refused 70 per
nit anybody to enter or leave the
house.
Then a mass meeting was scheduled
to be held in the town hall last Thurs
day evening. A score or more Of
mothers and fathers who had exacted
what they thought was a promise that
the local board of health would aban-
don the digging of clans and selling Of
plumbing supplies long enough to at
tend the meeting, approached the door
of the hall early in the evening.
The door was locked. The janitor
said that he had been told not TO
permit them 10 enter Their argu-
ments were so convincing, however,
that he finally relinquished his grasp
on the key and permitted them 20 hold
their meeting. The result was the tele-
graphic plea for aid from Albany.
DR.. A. c. Rice, who presided at the
meeting, received telegram from the
state Board of Health, calling upon him
10 act as health commissioner until
further notice. As yet, the clam-dlg-
ging health officials have refused TO be
separated from their duties, however.
and new orders are awaited from the
capital.