Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1916-07-13
INTERPRETS HEALTH LAWS
Officers School Dissolves after
Four Days Session.
DR.. ii. w. Slocum starts To-day Or
s"nisipG LocnI Committees and
Associations in Each Commune
ity-Tours Esser Co. First.

The "A C" and more or less the
* C' Of certain special questions
or tho States public health laws were
thrtshed out Saturday morning, at the
concluding meeting Of the annual
school of instruction for health on
GERS. by NJ. G. Weber Of Rutland. Mr..
Weber was the target Afterwards for
volley of queries from many officers
present. whose doubts were not re-
solved in the speakers paper Mr..
Webber's address consisted simply Of
common sense answers to written
questions regarding Interpretation
that had been submitted to him dur
ing the two days previous.
prosecutions and Penalties Under
the Laws Relating to Public Health"
was the formal title Of Mr.. webbers
paper. and it was broad enough to
cover almost everything. It was
brought out at the meeting that a
health officer should report a case. or
have it reported to him. II it even
looked suspicious. 1t was the business
of the physician TO report a case at
once. and not wait until his suspicious
were clinched before reporting It..
For example, in the case of tubercu-
losis. there should be no delay in
making a report even though the final
diagnosis depended upon what the
, laboratory had to say after a sputum
or other test.
Mr.. Weber said It was the business
of the head of family to report at
once also case of contagious disease
in his family. The physician should
not OILY report the case. but ouAran-
tine the family. whether there was ILL
ness or death. 1t was illegal to inter-
fere with the work of a health oficer
| or local board of health. A written
order of the State board Of health
must be needed at once under penalty.
A proper permit Is required for the
burial or transportation Of deaA
bodies. Written orders regarding
nuisances must likewise be obeyed.
! penalty of $40 is provided for
| health officers who fail to return to
the town clerks during the frst week
of each month all certificates Of death
and removal and transit.
FOR "r. B." AUXILIARY.
Plans for a Vermont Association for
the Prevention of tuberculosis will
now be carried forward vigorously by
/ the State hoard of health The an
| nua1 school Of instruction lent wings
to the movement in that health officers
were made to realize as never before
the urgency of it's need. Copies of ap-
plication blanks similar to those sent
out to 500 business men. club women
and ministers in Chittenden county, to
be distributed to the members Of their
congregations. were handed to all Of
the health officers present in town FRI
day and Saturday and DR.. Harold w.
|
Essex county and vicinity with the
boards exhibit. The exhibit has been
shown in several towns of every coun-
ty but Essex. The schedule of DIR.
Slocum is follows: July 10. Wella
River: 10. Barnet; IA. Waterford; II.
Concord: IS. Lunenburg: 10. Guildhall:
90. Lyndonville: 21,Lyndon: - Burke:
25 Beach Haven; rs. Ferdinand; 27.
Island Pond; IS. Bloomfield; 81.
Canaan; August l, Norton; 2, Holland:
g. Derby; 4. Charleston: 5. Darlington:
T. Coventry: s. Newport: 9. Troy; 10.
Westfeld; II, Montgomery; IA, Rich
ford; 3. Enosburg Falls; rs. st. AL
bans Bay; II. Georgia: IS, Milton.
This schedule is tentative and slight
changes may he made in it. The ex-
hibit Is not shown on Saturday or
Sunday. committee of FIVE persons
will be appointed in each community
as the nucleus for local organization
| which shall be a component part OF
the general Statewide auxiliary.
Following upon this tour DR.. Slo-
cum will visit the larger towns of the
State and organize associations. He
will not take the exhibit with him. for
it has already been shown in the
chief cities and villages. The next
/ step will be visit to Montpelier
where all the records of cases ~ the
disease will be gone through, the
records of persons who have died
since the case was registered weeded
out, and the remaining list put into
shape for reference purposes. 1t is the
plan to have as officers president
elected by the members at large and
- viCe-presidents one for each coun-
ty. elected by the counties individu-
ally. The executive committee will
comprise the president of the associa-
ton and the State board of health.
Mr.. Slocum himself will probably act
as a sort of executive secretary. DR..
Slocum estimates that threefourths Of
the tuberculosis of Vermont are on
record in the capital
The local committees in each COM
munity, or the association which it
builds up. will report all local cases to
the State board of health and keep an
eye on each individual case. In this
way good deal of home treatment,
it is believed. can be given. aud the
spread of the disease checked.