Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-03-16
PUBLIC HEALTH

"A rehearlnS was given before the
Committee on Public Health Tuesday
afternoon on the bill prohibiting the
marriage of persons having syphilis.
Rep. Phillips of Bar Harbor, father of
the measure, told the members of the
committee that the ILL has been re-
committed for hearing for the pur-
pose Of making several changes.
which he said had been incorporated
in the new draft of the bill This in
cludes a change in the title by elm
mating the word syphilis and substi-
tuting therefor the phrase, active
contagious diseases and changing
the fee for an examination by a ply
stefan before a marriage certificate
may be obtained to the regular fee
charged in the locality in which the
examination is made.
In addition to Dr. Phillips the
measure was supported before the
committee by DR.. L. d. Bristol, State
commissioner of health; DIR. Thomas
Tetreau. health officer of Portland:
and Professor Frank E. Woodruff of
Rowdoin College, a member of the
House from Brunswick. DR.. Phillips
presented several petitions in favor
of the measure.
Representatives Bragdon of Per-
ham and Farnsworth of Caribou OPP
posed the measure, stating that they
felt the provisions of the proposed
bill would drive the young people de-
string to marry outside the State
rather than to submit to the required
examination and the former said that
he believed the bill would force young
people to cohabit without the formal
ity of marrying. Both opponents
stated they believed that it would be
comparatively easy for persons desir-
ing TO marry to secure certificates
regardless of the condition of their
health.
Rat Survey of Portland
DR.. Thomas Tetreau, health officer
of the city of Portland, and Dr. L. D.
Bristol State commissioner of health,
appeared in support of resolve ap-
propriating $4,000 for rat survey of
the port of Portland, contingent upon
the City of Portland appropriating
like sum. DR.. Bristol told the COM
mittee that the measure originated
with the public health service and is
similar to that being carried out by
many coast cities in order to prevent
the entry and spread of bubonic
plague by means Of rats from ship
ping entering port from rat-infested
foreign and domestic ports.
DR.. Tetreau urged the benefit of the
measure as a precaution. He told the
committee that there is no reason
why the plague should not enter the
port of Portland as there are the
which handle foreign shipping and
that other cities have found it far
more. economic to take preventive
measures than to fight it's spread.
DR.. Tetreau told the committee that
the disease is of such nature that
it may exist in rodents for months
before becoming contagious to human
beings and the survey is necessary in
order to detect the presence Of the
plague before it becomes commun-
icable.
The present plan, said DR.. Tetreau,
does not contemplate rat proofing or
determination, merely keeping in
touch with possible plague conditions
along the Portland waterfront. The
determination might well come later,
said the doctor, for on the basis of
national figures it costs Portland APP
proximately s125,000 annually to feed
it's rat population. The appropriation
asked from the State and the city is
for two-year period and is estim-
ated as sufficient to carry on the work
for that time.