The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1919-07-27

est loss in human life.
The health department does not
maintain public laboratory. or infant
welfare station nor does IL conduct any
campaign TO educate the people in prin'
ciples of healthy living and in the pro.
lection of disease. These important
matters are today Incorporated in the
organization and activities OF every
modern health department 1t will be
impossible adequately TO protect the
public health until provision is made
for these activities.
Health Department Inadequate
Dairy inspection work has never been
conducted by the city physician. The
only things which occupy his time and
attention are the abatement of NUS
ances which have been reported to him.
No record is kept of the work which
is done along this line. II is true that
very little il done to follow up reported
nuisances TO learn whether they have
been remcdied or not.
Communicable diseases are quaran'
tined infrequently and inadequately. Fu'
migation is conducted unsatisfactory
too.
At this point in his report Profes-
sor Horowitz inserted n paragraph
calling attention to excellent work
done by former City Physician X.
S. Willard in regulation of restau-
rants, hotels. soda fountains, clean
ing wagon yards, abandonment of
wells and cisterns. abolishing priv
les, vaccination, sanitation of jails,
etc
The Pest House
The pest house consists of two one
story shacks located at the eastern eX-
tremity of the city. poorly equipped ana
in poor condition. The houses do not
have water facilities, except for hy'
drant which Is located in a nearby
field. Instead of having sanitary tot
let's, the open privy is used. The houses
are not screened adequately so as to
prevent the entrance OF flies. The cots
and bedding are unsatisfactory and the
conditions are entirely undesirable. 1t
should be the last place to take an in
dividual i'll with n serious contagious
disease.
1t is important for the community to
apprec ciate the fact that contagious dis
eases should be treated in exactly the
same splendid way as general cases of
sickness are treated in modern hos
pitals. The public must also appreci'
ate the fact that there is no danger to
the community in establishing mod
ern and scientific hospital in the main
part of the city. 1t is important that
the community should offer excellent
and adequate medical facilities for cases
of contagious diseases, as it does for
cases of general sickness.
Health Dept. Needs Reorganization
In order to adequately protect the
public health in Ardmore it will be
necessary completely to reorganize the
personnel of the health department and
to materially increase the budget which
is annually available for public health
work. The community should employ
an individual who is primarily trained
in sanitation, preventive medicine and
public health.
1t is not mandatory that such an indi-
vdual should be a physician, although it
would be perhaps more desirable if the
physician has special training in public
health work. Nor should the commu-
nifty hesitate to go beyond the city
limits for such a properly trained indi-
vidual. The protection of the public
health is too important for a commu
nifty to appoint only individuals who
are residents in the city.
Lunch Rooms and Restaurants
Fourteen lunch rooms and restaurants
were thoroughly inspected and scored
Following are some of the important
defects which We're observed:
The dishes and other utensils We're
almost always found to be unclean.
This is due primarily to the fact that
the washing of the dishes is unsatis-
factory The method employed is to
use either one or two tubs OF warm
water, together with little soap or
lye, and to wash the dishes therein.
Since the water is not changed fire.
quently enough, it becomes very Sc
riously polluted in a short time and
does not serve adequately to clean the
utensie Teh rinse water is also pol
luted very rapidly, and hence does not
sllu III IliN NiNoiihA5 ci viz NAi'hN9 W. >
materially.
1t is important that the wash water
should be changed often during the
day, particularly during those periods
when the dishes are being used most
often. The water should be scalding
hot. so that the germs which are left
behind from the partly-eaten food may
be destroyed The dishes should then
be thoroughly rinsed in fresh boiling
water and dried with a clean towel.
If the dishes are cleaned in that way,
there will be no complaint. Sometimes.
too. the utensils were found to be
cracked and in poor condition. 1t is
important that only utensils which are
in good repair should be used
Improper Medical Supervision
Proper medical supervision is not con-
Quoted in every case In six cases, the
food handlers were required to submit
to physical examination and undergo
o test TO ascertain whether they were
free from venereal disease, but no tests
were made to determine whether they
were typhoid of diphtheria carriers. or
whether they were free from other all
ments which might prevent them from
serving as food handlers. 1t is urgent
therefore that each food handler be re
quired to have a thorough medical ex
animation. which should include labor /.
atory diagnostic tests. at least once 1
year. and that only those who are found
TO be free from disease should be per !
rnittcd TO serve.
Nnf SiuOla nrnVidp1