Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1920-05-15
HEALTH union
For Waterville Is
Recommended
BY District Health Officer Pope
Sanitary Survey Just Completed
Considers Hospitals inadequate

WatervilIe. Me. May 1i-That Wa
terviIle should Unite with several
neighboring towns for the forma ton
OF d health Union 10 make possible
the employment OF a full time health
ofTicer. Is the ma jcr recomme ndaticn
made by Alton :. Pope. c. p. II. dis
trict health officer for kennebec and
Somerset Counties, in sanitary
survey of that city, just completed.
Mr. Pope states in his survey that
but sIs2l.s5 was spent by the city OF
Waterville for the entire support OF
its public health administration dur
ing 1919. which compared with the
population of 1875 gives the unu-
sualIy low rate Of 13.3 cents per cap
ita. far below what the majority Of
Maine cities are expending in health
work
The Importance of prompt and
complete reporting OF births is en-
pha sized in the report, 4 matter in
which Waterville seems 10 have been
lax during recent years and the rec
ommendation is made that if the
health union is formed, the health Of
ficer be appointed local registrar Of
vital statistics. He would report
birth and deaths TO the State De-
partment of Health, and as part of
his duties would attend TO reporting
of communicate BILE diseases which are
responsible for large proportion OF
unnecessary deaths in The city.
The Waterville -Vinslow Health
Center is commended by the district
health officer for its excellent work
and plans underway for future de-
velopment include clinics in child
welfare, prenatal care. dental work
and kindred public health necessities.
in addition TO the excellent venereal
disease work now being conducted
there. a recommendation is made
that the citizens of the city inform
themselves more fully of the work of
the health center and by their sup
port ma it the true center of health
activities in Wateryille.
Among the most important sug-
gestions that Mr.. Pope offers is that
of the employment of school nurse
at salary of $1,000 10 assist the
school physician and 10 teach per-
sonal hygiene in the schools. while a
dental inspection of the children is
further recommended.
The health officer Thoroughly COM
mends0he sewer facilities Of the city
and says that $50 of the houses have
sewer connections. Sewage is safely
disposed of through dilution with the
kennebec and Messalonskee stream
and all outlets are sufficiently below
low water mark 10 avoid nuisance.
He does recommend however that the
outlet Of the Edgemont Ave sewer
be extended to Messalonskce stream
and that the city sewage system be
extended to include Elm wood. Pleas
antdale and Colonial streets, the same
recommendation also being made by
the city engineer. These improve
ments being made, an ordinance re-
quiring all houses within 100 feet Of
the sewer TO be connected with il,
should be enacted.
The final recommendation resulting
from the survey is that a compre-
hensive sanitary code be drawn up
for the city and enacted for Water
willie. TO standardiZe the health work
there.
Mr.. Pope's survey brings to light
some interesting statistics for the
city In 1919 there We're 1871 deaths
or a death rate Of 1903 per thousand
population. which is the lowest in
that city for eighth Years. There
were 354 births. or birthplace OF
26.e per 1000. which is phenomenally
high for a Maine city. But the in
FAINT mortality rate and the number
Of still births Offset this record. Eight
out of every 100 births were stiIl
births while the average proportion
for American cities is but four out Of