Health bulletin

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^iiibrary of
(II]e University of Hortl] Carolina
C O I. L K C T ION OF
NORTH CAROL INI ANA
ENDOWED BY
JOHN S P R U N T HILL
of the class of 1889
v^^
This book must not
be token from the
Librory building.
orm No. 471
fiusHA Mitchell Scientific SocffiTY.
Chapel Hnx ''' '-
BULLETIN
OK THE
NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH.
Published Monthly at the Office of the Secretary of the Board, at Wilmington, N. C.
SUBSCRIPTION FIFTY CENTS A YEAR.
J. W. Jones, M. D., /';w/</'c'/z/', ..Tarboro. J. H. Tucker, M. D., Henderson.
R. H. Lewis. M. D., ..Raleigh. W. D. Hilliard, M. D., Asheville.
John McDonald. M. D... Washington. Prof. W. G.Simmons, ...Wake Forest.
H. T. Bahnson. M. D.. Salem. J. L. LuDLOW. C. E.. Winston.
Thomas F. Wood, M. D., Secretary and Treasurer, Wilmington.
Entered at the postoffice at Wilmington, N. C, as second class mail matter
Vol. IV. APRIL, 1889. No. I,
To the Superintendents of Health and Corres-pondents.
We respectfully request that the superin-tendents
of health and correspondents be
more explicit in regard to that part of their
monthly report to this office 1 elating to
the prisoners in jail and inmates of the
poor-house; as to the space allotted each
inmate, in cubic feet; the water served each,
whether well or cistern water, whether whole-some
or not, and how much; the food served
each, whether sufficient, and of what kind, how
much meat and bread, or whether bad, ordi-nary,
fair or good; the number givingevidence
of successful vaccination, and the number
which can read and write.
We would also request that the sanitary and
mortuary reports be sent in more promptly.
We suggested some time ago that the su-perintendents
and correspondents place in
some conspicuous place in their office a
reminder to send in reports by the ^th of
each month. If all would do this we would
be able to issue the Btllktin by the 20lh of
each month, containing the reports for the
month preceding. It is very essential to have
the Bulletin to issue as soon after the close
of each month as practicable, and it is remark-able
how a few. tardy superintendents persist
in detaining its early publication, though told
of the necessity and desirability of sending in
their reports on time.
Disinfection.
Disinfection plays an important rule in the
prophylaxis or prevention of disease. We
know, for some of the infectious diseases at
least, the media by which they are usually con-veyed.
Cholera and typhoid fever, for instance, are
contracted in the majority of instances through
the ingestion of infected food or drink, espe-cially
the latter. Hence, when diseases are
present, it is a safe plan to boil the water used
for drinking purposes. Milk, also, should be
treated in this way, as it is not only frequently
diluted with water, which may be infected, but
may itself be the carrier of disease-germs. Scar-
BULLETIN OF llIE NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH.
let fever, diphtheria and typhoid fever have been
communicated by infected milk.
It is now believed that tubercular consump-tion
is an infectious disease, and may be con-tracted
by the inhalation of spores present in
the expectoration.
For this reason the expectoration of con-sumptives
should be received in vessels con-taining
a solution of corrosive sublimate or
chloride of lime.
Filth, in itself, is considered by some to be
a cau!-e of diphtheria. However this may be,
filth of all kinds offers a breedmg place for dis-ease-
germs, while by cleanliness and the proper
use of antiseptics, we may render such mate-rial
incapable of supporting germ-life.
—
Ex-tract
Jrom an ai tick in ''The Monthly Sani-tarv
Record."
. i
The Coniagion of Pneumoina.
At the close of a long discussion of the con-tagiousness
of pneumonia, Netter draws the
following conclusions {Arch. Gen. de Med.) :
Acute pneumonia is a ct)ntagious transmissible
affection. The contagion emanating from the
sick persons owes its activity to specific patho-genic
organisms, the pneumocoo ^ which mul-tiply
in the jjneumonic focus, and leave the
body by diffeient ways, but are specially abun-dant
in the sputum.
Contagion is possible long after the reovery
of the patient. One leason for this is that the
:germ continues to live in the pneumonic patient
for a long time after the disease has disap-peared,
and may be found in an active state in
the mouth. Another reason is the resistance
which the vitality of the germs offers to
dessicaiion outside of the human body. This
raises the question whether isolation of pneu-monic
patients should bepiacticed. The author
does not think this necessary, but would for-bid
the parents using linen that had been in
.use about the patient, staying continually in
,lhe room, or passing the n'ght there. In hos-ipital
practice the pneumonic patients should be
iput in the smaller rooms, and not in the main
ward. Esjjecially should they be separated
from cases of typhoid fever, measles, nephritis,
diabetes, and acute affections of the respiratory
tract. The sputum being the principal vehi-cle
of contagion, should be disinfected. Linen
and other articles should be disinfected in the
same way as in the case of other contagious
diseases. Disinfection of the oral cavity would
certainly diminish very greatly the number of
cases of pneumonia, by lessening the danger of
relapse and the risk of infection to other indi-viduals.
—
American Journal of the Medical
Sciences.
The Tubercle Baccillus.
A French co"" temporary gives a vivid descrip-tion
of the vitality of the Bacillus of Tubercle.
Of all micro-oiganisms it is one of the most
refractory to the action of the most destructive
agencies. It maintainsits virulence after lying
for forty days in putrid sputum, and for i86days
away from contact with air. It can live at
temperatures between 86" and 104° F. The
most unfavorable conditions, though affecting
its activity, do not compromi--e its existence,
for it resumes its virulence whenever its sur-roundings
become suitable. To render it in-active
it is necessary to have lecourse to violent
means, such as tbuilition, steaming, or pro-longed
contact with antiseptic substances, such
as ammonia, concentrated salicylic acid, abso-lute
alcohol, or a strong solution of carbolic
acid. Corrosive sublimate it-elf is said to be
powerless to disinfect the sputum The Bacil-lus
acclimates itself amidst the most unfavor-able
surroundings. It complies with the exi-gencies
of its condition, and even alte- its
shape, but without losing any of its virulence,
of v\hich it gives ample evidence whenever
fortune favors it. Its polymorphism is not the
least curious point in the life-history of this
organism. Thus it is sometimes a short rod,
sometimes a line—occasionally it splits and
forms spores—but it always returns to the
Bacillus in its complete form, with its viiulence
BULLETIN OF THE NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH.
intact, whenever circumstances become favor-able.—
J/^d'. Press, Feb. 6, 1889.
Sanitary Care of Privies
BY G. S. FRANKLIN, A. M., M. D.
The recent astonishing progress in sanitary
science has taught us more and more definitely
the sources and causes of human mortality that
are partially, if not wholly, within the reach of
sanitation. It has long been known that one of
the most fatal diseases which afflicts humanity
and decimates our fellow-men, is typhoid fever,
which has been tersely called, from its origin,
night-soil fever. This description means that
night-soil is commonly accepted by educated
men as the source of typhoid fever, dysentery,
diphtheria and some other affections of similar
type-
Special, intelligent and careful investigations
have demonstrated the connection between de--
composing, foul-smelling, filthy human excre-ment
and various filth diseases, of which
typhoid fever is the type. The best measure
of disposing of human excrement, under vary-ing
circumstances, so that the filth diseases
might be less common, less fatal, or banished
altogether, have been the subject of careful
experiment, and the results obtained were
widely published. The conclusions arrived at
were as follows :
1. That the wnter-carriage system, by means
of well constructed water-closets, impervious
sewers, .Tnd arrangements for careful depura-tion
and utilization of sewage at point of de-livery,
was the best method.
2. That an impervious receptacle, such as an
, eart '-closet, or a tub, or a pail of small capa-
1 city, compelling its being emptied in a day or
V two, the contents being carted away for imme-
^ diate u^e in enriching the garden or the farm,
\ was next best.
k 3. That privies or cess-pools, lined with
impervious materials, so as to prevent leakage
jnto the surrounding soil, of small capacity, so
as to compel emptying and cleaning to prevent
overflow, combined with the use of certain deo-derants
and disinfectants to prevent filthiness
and decomposition, was next best.
4. That the use of open-surface middens, or
dunghills, or unlined, pervious and neglected
privies, so as to allow leakage and contamina-tion
of the neighboring drinking-water, or water
used in cooking, or the water used in washing
milk cans, etc., is the most dangerous method
of all, and is justly chargeable with the vast
majority of all cases of typhoid fever and its
congeners.
This classification shows whete the privies in
common use in most of our towns properly
belong, namely, to the fourth and worst class,
where contamination of the soil, and conse-quently
of d'-="Ving-water obtained from wells,
is the rule, ' hardly an exception. I ven-ture
to sfc there is not a physician in North
Carolina \ho is not chargeable with gross indi-vidual
negligence in permitting this state of
things to exist on his own premises, and with
ignoring a great public duly when he does not
call the attention of neighbors and patrons to
the great danger liable to be thus incurred even
by the present generation, but more especially
by our pos. ity. But the time will surely
come, if present methods continue, when our
sanitary sins will find us out ; when typhoid
fever, and dysentery, and diphtheria will
become more and more common, and more
deadly, until we will be compelled to repent of
our sins and reform our vicious methods.
Would it not be far more piudent to begin
such reform now ; to agitate for better meth-ods
of taking care of human excrement; to beg
our city or town authorities to pass an ordinance
that all newly erected priviesshall be cemented,
and that some provision for removal and utili-zation
should be made ? On the score of ex-pense
and trouble, the cemented privy, proper
disinfection, and the annual or semi-annual
removal of its contents, would be the least
burdensome, but not nearly so efficient as the
methods numbered two and three, to the real-ization
of which considerable time and money
HULLETIN OF THE NORTH CAR(JLINA BOARD OF HEALTH.
must be brought. Efficient water-carriage and
sewerage would cost a very large sum, and
human lives may be considered much cheaper,
only the victims and their friends wishing we
had such a sy^tem, whatever the expense.
In the meantime, under our present system,
and in view of the probable appearance of
cholera among us in the near future, what can
be done in the way of sanitary precaution by
corporate authority or individuals ?
If I should be asked to advise the best
method of disinfecting a foul privy, I would
direct the use of a pound of crude permangan-ate
of potash dissolved in a gallon of hot rain
water, to be sprinkled from a watering-pot over
the sides of the privy and on the decomposing
mass ; then, after this is done, I would direct
about five or ten pounds of pulverized sulphate
of iron to be scattered over the mass. These
disinfectants are not dangerous to handle, do
not poison the soil, and do not lessen, but
rather add to, the fertilizing qualities of the
excreta.
If these disinfectants were too expensive for
the means of the owners, and corporate aid
was not at hand, I would order a cart load of
dried clay to be used so as to cover the putres-cent
mass thoroughly, with a reserve of clay to
be used in smaller quantities every few days.
But, however carefully and thoroughly these or
any other disinfectants may be used, it should
never be forgotten that we can only expect a
partial and incomplete correction of the nox-ious
propeities of such privies, and that so long
as they are unlined and uncemented the pois-oning
of our drinking water is always possible,
and yearly becomes more and more probable.
A Wise Move—Let Other Towns Follow!
Dr. James McKee, of Raleigh, has inaugu-rated
an excellent system of mortuary reports,
to be issued monthly, and having the official
sanction of B. P. Wdliamson, Esq., chairman
of the Board of County Commissioners, and
Hon. A. A. Thompson, mayor of the citv.
The report for March shows twenty-one deaths
in the city. Seven burial permits were issued
for persons who had died at the insane asylum
and elsewhere. It is notable among the causes
of disease, that five of negroes were due to
consumption, while not one white person died
with it. It has not been a quarter of a century
since consumption was very nearly an unknown
disease among the negroes. Therd" is a very
difTerent state of things now—that disease car-ries
off a great many of that race.
Glanders in Wilmington.
Mr. Isaac Rhodes bought a drove of horses
from a drover from Pittsburg on the 5th of Feb-ruary.
On the loth of February Messrs. Boney
& Harper bought a mule from this drove. The
animal was a fine one, and apparently healthy,
but was confined to the stable shortly after pur-chase
with lameness, making in all three weeks.
Discharge from the nostrils was noticed after a
lapse of about forty days from his time of arrival.
Having no knowledge of glanders, the pur-chaser,
by accidental inquiry, discovered the
nature of the disease. On the 8th of April,
he directed a man to take this mule out of
town and shoot him. Tuesday and Wednes-day
elapsed and it was discovered on the nth
that the man who had been ordered to kill him
gave him away to a colored man. When this was
ascertained steps were taken to discover the
whereabouts of the animal, have him killed and
buried. For this purpose the Chief of Police
made a detail of police. On the 6th of April
a second mule was taken with the disease, and
on the 7th of April a pony, all having caught
the disease from the first animal. Two more
animals, a horse and a mule, from the same
stables, are under observation.
Mr. D. W. Thompson, of Abbotsburg,
bought two mules from the same drove in Wil-mington,
and intelligence was received to-day
(the 13th) that both animals died with glan-ders.
This is the first visitation of glanders, so far
as we can learn, and immediate steps will be
BULLETIN OF THE NORTH CAROLINA HOARD OF HEALTH. 5
taken to isolate all animals suspected, and de-stroy
all the probable foci of propagation.
The symptoms of iilanders, as given by
Prof. Law, in ''Pepper's System of Medicine
"
are, in the abstract, as follows:
The incubation period is from three to five
days in inoculated cases, when by infection it
has extended over years. At the outset there is
fever, languor, loss of appetite, and a serous na-sal
discharge, often from one side only. By the
6th day this becomes yellowish, the margin of
the nostril is often swollen, and upon the mu-cous
membrane may be detected elevations of
various sizes, of a general yellowish tinge, dot-ted
with minute red points, and surrounded by
a bright-red or purple or slightly elevated are-ola
yi. e., a circle of inflamation). At the
same time the glands under the jaws on the
side corresponding to the discharging nostril,
become the seat of a hard nodular, painless en-largement,
feeling like a mass of pease; they
do not often ulcerate. Extensive hot, painful
engorgements often appear on the parts of the
body; if on the limbs or joints, cause lameness.
Soon the swellings on the mucous membrane of
the nose change iheir character to ulcers, which
tend to eat deeply. These ulcers have reddish,
gray or yellowish red borders, bleed readily,
and may be black from haemorrhage, or green-ish,
or of some other srhade, from decomposi-tion.
The dischaige is always sticky, but may
vary in color from white to yellowish, green-ish
brownish or red. By ihe 6th or 15th day
the height is reached.
The sides of the nose are glued together by
the drying discharge, and this, with the swel-ling
renders breathing difficult. Death usual-ly
ensues from suffocation.
The chronic form of glanders may set in
insidiously, but there is usually constitutional
disturbance, the frequent premonitory symp-toms
being intermittent or continued lameness,
swelling of the limbs, cough, bleeding from the
nose. Although the general health may appear
good, duUntss of the eye, dryness of the coat,
lack of endurance, and debility soon show
themselves. The tendency of the nostrils is to
glue together, and mucous is expelled in masses
by snorting. Ulcers can be seen low down in
the nasal passages, especially over mucous
membrane of the dividing wall of the nose. A
case may remain indolent for years, spreading
infection.
Treatment.—Prof. Law says: " Consid-reing
the great danger of multiplying and pre-serving
the germs of the disease, so fatal alike
to man and beast, the treatment is never com-mendable.
Prea ENTION.—"The glandered horses and
all animals attacked with the acute or obsti-nate
disease should be destroyed and their
bodies be burned or deeply buried.
' Every State should legally interdict the use
of a glandered horse or his exposure in any public
or other place where infection is likely to reach
other animals by contact through fodder, litter,
stable utensils, or any other object employed
about animals. No less imperative should be
the perfect disinfection of all stables, harness
and other objects with which glandered ani-mals
have come in contact."
The doctrine of contagion is the only safe
one, and it is best to sacrifice a few animals at
the proper lime than to run the risk by vacil-lating
and temporizing experiments. Deten-tion
for inspection in isolated places, after the
disease has been diagnosticated by capable
persons, is very objectionable.
A coral of detention has been established at
Mt. Tirza, four miles from the city, where all
horses will be sent that are under suspicion of
glanders, but have not shown decided symp-toms.
As soon as symptoms of the disease ap-pear
the animals will be shot and their bodies
burned or buried.
Section 2488, of the laws of North Carolina,
says
:
" Any person who shall sell, or offer for sale,
or who shall use, or expose,, or cause or procure
to be sold or offered for sale, or to be used or
exposed, any horse or other animal having the
disease known as glanders or farcy, or any
BULLETIN OF THE NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH.
other contagious or infectious disease known
by such person to be dangerous to life, or
which shall be diseased past recovery, shall be
guilty of a misdemeanor ;" and,
Section 24S9 says
:
" Every animal having the glanders or farcy
shall at once be deprived of life by the owner
or person having charge thereof upon discovery
or knowledge of its condition, and any such
owner or person omitting or refusin to com-ply
with this section shall be guilty of a mis-demeanor."
By request of this Board to the Chief of the
Bureau of Animal Statistics, Dr. W. H. Wray,
United States Veterinary Inspector, arrived in
this city Sunday night, the 14th April. After
viewing the diseased horses, and making a care-ful
diagnosis, he pronounced the disease to be
glanders, and they were immediately killed.
Dr. Wray also made a careful examination of
all horses in the livery stables and others, and
pronounced them free from any symptoms of
this disease, and left Wilmington the night of
the i6ih.
Review of Diseases Reported by Counties for
the Month of March. 1889.
Broncliitis was reported from Johnston,
Vance and Yancey counties.
Brain diseases were reported from Cumber-land,
Guilford, Mecklenburg and New Hano-ver
counties.
Consumption was reported from Beaufort,
Craven, Cumberland, Durham, Guilford, Meck-lenburg
and New Hanover counties.
Chicken cholera was reported from Chatham,
Cherokee, Cumberland, Pender and Richmond
counties.
*Diphlheria was reported from Alleghany,
Craven, Orange and Richmond counties.
*Distemper was reported from Alamance and
Franklin counties.
* Erysipelas was reported from Yancey
county.
Hog cholera was reported from Cherokee,
Columbus, Pender, Richmond and Rowan
counties.
Heart diseases were reported from Cumber-land,
Craven, Guilford and New Hanover
counties.
Influenza was reported from Alamance and
Duplin counties.
* Measles were reported from Cabarrus, Cald-well,
Caswell, Cleveland, Cumberland, Ire-dell,
Johnston, McDowell, Pender, Richmond,
Robeson, Rowan, Rutherford, Stanly and
Wayne counties.
Mumps were reported from Caldwell, Cam-dem,
Carteret, Chatham, Cumberland, David-son,
Franklin, Nash, Orange, Wayne and
Wilson counties.
Malarial fevers were reported from Craven,
Nash, New Hanover, Northampton and Pender
counties.
Neurotic diseases were reported from Cum-berland
and New Hanover counties.
Pneumonia was reported from Alexander,
Alleghany, Caswell, Cleveland, Craven, Cum-berland,
Duplin, Franklin, Gaston, Greene,
Iredell, Johnston, McDowell, Mecklenburg,
New Hanover, Rowan, Swain, Transylvania,
Vance, Warren, Wilson and Yancey counties.
*Typhoid fever was reported from Cabarrus,
Johnston, Nash, Pender and Yancey counties.
* Whooping-cough was reported from Macon,
Mecklenburg, Richmond, Robeson, Swain and
Wayne counties.
*NoTE.—All diseases marked thus * are
considered as dangerous to the public health.
Review of Deaths from Thirteen Towns in the
State, Representing a Population of 60.900
whites; 51,900 colored : total, 112,800 —
Total Temporary Annual Death Rate 14.4
per 1,000.
There were 3 deaths from malarial fevers ; i
from diphtheria; 2 from whooping-cough; it
from pneumonia; 23 from consumption; 5 from
brain diseases; 5 from heart diseases; 4 from
BULLETIN OF THE NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH. 7
neurotic diseases; 63 from all other diseases; 3
from accident and violence; i from suicide; and
5 were still born.
No reports were received from Oxford, Mon-roe,
Winston or Salem. Cannot the reporters
in these towns be more prompt in their returns ?
It is very essential in order to have correct
mortuary statistics thai these reports be sent
in regularly, their importance and value resting
upon the uninterrupted returns sent promptly;
the reporters should themselves see the desira-bility
of such a proceeding. We would re-spectfully
request that they and all others read
the article in the Bulletin entitled " To the
Superintendents of Health and Correspond-ents,"
and then carry out the contained sugges-tions.
Summary of Reports Received from Superin-tendents
of Health and Official Healtfi Cor-respondents
for the Month of March, 1889.
Alamance.—Dr. George W. Long, Graham.
Court-house is now being improved. The pub-lic
buildings are in fair sanitary condition.
There is not a great deal of sickness in the
county now, but have had considerable influ-enza
with resultant complications. Distemper
has prevailed among horses.
Alexander.—Dr. H. McD. Little, Taylors-ville.
The general sanitary condition of the
county is veiy good. No sickness of any kind
reported, except a case or two of pneumonia.
The general sanitary condition of the public
buildings is good. There are two new rooms
to be added to the poor-house, thus enlarging
its capacity.
Alleghany —Dr. George Daughton, Sparta.
The sanitary condition of the county is pretty
fair, but pneumonia and diphtheria have pre-vailed
in different sections to a considerable
extent. Theie has been no epidemic of any
kind among domestic animals. The jail is in
moderately good sanitary condition; but one
case of mumps among the prisoners ; they are
supplied with well water, and the food fur-nished
them is sufificient ; but none of them
give evidence of successful vaccination. The
sanitary condition of the poor-house is good;
the water furnished is spring water, and its
inmates are supplied with sufficient food, but do
not give evidence of successful vaccination.
No house of correction in the county.
Ashe.—\yx. J. W. Colvard, Jefferson. No
report received for this month.
Anson.—Has no Board of Health.
Beaufort —Dr. Wm. A. Blount, W'ashing-ton.
The sanitary condition of the county
continues good. There has been no epidemic
of any kind among domestic animals. The
water served the inmates of the jail and poor-house
is good. Of the 10 prisoners confined in
the jail, 3 show signs of successful vaccination;
and of the 12 inmates of the poor-house, only
4 give evidence of successful vaccination.
Bertie.— T)x. H. V. Dunston, Windsor. An
epidemic of erysipelas in mild form has pre-vailed
to some extent in and around Windsor;
tonsillitis has also prevailed in several portions
of the county. There has been no epidemic of
any kind among domestic animals. The gen-eral
sanitary condition of the county is fair.
Bladen.—'Ho Board of Health organized.
Brunsiuick—'Di. D. B McNeill, Supply.
No report received for March.
Buncombe.—TiK. H. B. Weaver, Asheville.
The county is in most excellent sanitary condi-tion,
but have had one case ot scarlet fever,
which has been isolated; do not fear that it
will spread. Have alo had several cases of
measles. There has been an epidemic of dis-temper
among horses in the city. The general
sanitary condition of the public buildings is
good in all respects. The prisoners confined
in jail are furnished excellent water and good
food, and 17 of the 25 give evidence of suc-cessful
vaccination; while the 20 inmates of the
poor-house are served with good food and water
and 15 of them give evidence of successful
vaccination.
8 BULLETIN OF TFIE NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH.
Burke.—No Board of Health organized.
Cabarrus.—Dr. Robert S. ^oung, Concord.
The general sanitary condition of the county
is good. There has been no epidemic of any
kind among domestic animals. The sanitary
condition of the public buildings is good. The
water and food served the inmates of the jail
and poor-house is good, and of the 12 inmates
of the former only 2 show signs of successful
vaccination; while of the 2 4 inmates of the lat-ter
12 give evidence of successful vaccination.
Cahi7vell.— Dr. R. L. Beall, Lenoir. Measles
and mild catarrhal affections have prevailed to
some extent, otheiwise the health of the county
is good. A few cases of mumps are reported.
There has been no epidemic among domestic
animals. The general sanitary condition of
the public buildings is good, but no effort at
improvement. The food and water served the
inmates of the jiiil and poor-house is good, but
only one in each show signs of good vaccina-tion.
Camden.—Dr. Ed. B. Ftrrebee, Bellcross.
The health of our county not so good for past
month as the two preceding months, and yet
there is no sickness of great importance.
Mumps have appeared in several localities.
The sanitary condition of the public buildings
is good.
Carteret.—V>x. M. F. Arendell, Morehead
City. The sanitary condition of the county is
good. No epidemics have prevailed save a few
cases of mumps. There has been no epidemic
of any kind among domotic animals. The con-dition
of the jail is clean and healthy, though
old and somewhat dilapidated ; ample water
and good food is served its inmates, but none
give^evidence of successful vaccination.
Caswell.— Dr. R. H. Williamson, Vancey-ville.
The general sanitary condition of. the
county is good, but measles and pneumonia
have prevailed in all portions. The general
sanitary condition of the jail and poor-house is
very good, and the food and water served its
inmates is good.
Catawba.—V>x. J. M. McCorkle, Newton.
No report received for March.
t
Chatham.—Dx. L. A. Hanks, Pittsboro.
The sanitary condition of the county is good.
The general health of the county is good, with
ihe exception of an epidemic of mumps. There
has been an epidemic of chicken cholera among
domestic animals. The sanitary condition of
the public buildings is very good. The in-mates
of the almshouse and the prisoners con-fined
in the jail are well fed and clothed; clean-liness
is enforced and every effort is made to
prevent the origin of disease. The water
served the prisoners confined in the jail is
good lime-stone, while the inmates of the
almshouse are served with good free-stone
water, Of the 3 prisoners in the former
only I gives evidence of successful vaccination,
while 10 of the 22 inma'es of the latter show
signs of successful vaccination.
Cherokee—Dr. J. F. Abernathy, Murphy.
This county was visited during the month of
March by an epidemic of severe colds, which
often ripened into pneumonia, causing several
deaths. No contagious diseases of a danger-ous
nature to my knowledge. Chicken and
hog cholera still prevail here, and it seems
with more violence than ever. The poor-house
is now kept in a neat new building located on
a dry elevation one mile from town, which I
think is a very salubrious situation. The new
jail is in every way a very healthy building.
Chowan.—Dx. R. W. Winborn, Barnitz.
Board of Health organized in this county last
month, and we hope to hear from Dr. Win-born
regularly hereafter.
Clay —No Board of Health organized.
ClevelanJ.—Dr. J. C. Gidney, Shelby. The
general sanitary condition of the county is very
good, but measles have prevailed throughout the
past month, but not of a malignant type. There
were a few cases of pneumonia and one death
therefrom. There has been no epidemic among
domestic animals. The sanitary condition of
the public buildings is very good. The food
BULLETIN OF THE NORTH CAROLINA I50ARD OF HEALTH.
and water served the inmates of the jail and of
the almshouse is good.
Columbus.—Dr. Isaac Jackson, Whiteville.
The general sanitary condition of the county
is ver) good; we have had very little sickness
of any kind except a few cases of malarial
fever. There has been an epidemic of hog
cholera. The sanitary condition of the public
buildings is good. The water and food served
the inmates of the jail and poor-house is
plenty.
Cumberland.—Dr. James A. Hodges, Fay-etteville.
Measles, mumps, and scabies are
reported for this month from ihe surrounding
country. There is little serious sickness. There
has been an epidemic of chicken cholera. The
public buildings have been put in thorough re-pair,
and are in first-class sanitary condition.
Of the 6 prisoners confined in the jail 4 give
evidence of successful vaccination, while of the
16 inmates of the poor-house 12 show signs of
successful vaccination.
Craven.—No Board of Health organized.
Currituck.— T>t. F. W. Ritter, Moyock. No
report received.
Dare.—No Board of Health organized.
Davidson.—Dr. R. L. Payne, Jr., Lexing-ton.
The general sanitary condition of the
county is good. This is always so at this sea-son,
but later on we may expect malarial dis-eases,
because of the very faulty drainage of
our swamp lands Mumps have prevailed in
all portions. There has been no epidemic
among domestic animals. The general sani-tary
condition of the public buildings is good.
The food and water served the 9 prisoners con-fined
in the jail is good; of this number none
give evidence of successful vaccination; while
the water served the 22 inmates of the poor-house
is good, and the food is fair, and of this
number there are none showing signs of suc-cessfuJ
vaccination.
Davie.—No Board of Health organized.
Duplin.—Dr. James W. Blount, Kenans-ville.
The general sanitary condition of the
county is very good, but we have had more
pneumonia and influenza than at any time in
several years; there have also been three cases
of typhoid fever reported. There has been
no epidemic among domestic animals. The
general sanitary condition of the public build-ings
is not good, but as we now have a superin-tendent
of health I hope to see it improved
during the present year.
Durham.—Dr. N. M. Johnston, Durham.
The health of the county for the past month
has been good, no epidemic having prevailed in
any portion. The sanitary condition of the
public buildings is good. The prisoners of the
jail and the inmates of the house of correction
and poor-house are served with .'oft water and
they are served with wholesome food.
Edgecombe.—Dr. Julian M. Baker, Tarboro.
There are three prisoners confined in jail; they
are served with good food and water, and of
this number only one gives evidence of success-ful
vaccination; the thirty-five inmates of the
poor-house are also furnished with good food
and water, and of this number i only gives
evidence of successful vaccination.
Forsyth —Dr. D. N. Dalton, Jr., Winston.
The sanitary condition of the county is good.
There has been no epidemic among the domes-tic
animals. The general sanitary condition
of the public building is excellent. The 18
prisoners confined in jail are furnished with
good and sufficient food and water, one-half
of them giving evidence of successful vaccina-tion
; the 16 inmates of the poor house receive
ample food and water, and of this number
only 4 give evidence of successful vaccination.
Franklin.—Dr. E. S. Foster, Louisburg.
The sanitary condition of the county so far as
1 can learn is very good, but pneumonia in a
mild form, and mumps have prevailed in town
and other portions. There has been an epi-demic
of distemper among dogs and horses.
The general sanitary condition of the public
buildings, taking the health of the inmates as
a criterion, is splendid. The jail may, how-
lO BULLETIN OF THE NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH.
ever, be made more comfortable, and the mat-ter
is in the hands of the county commissioners.
The food and water served the inmates of the
jail and poor-house is good.
Gaston.—Dr. E. B. Holland, Dallas. The
sanitary condition of the county is excellent,
but catarrhal fever and pneumonia have pre-vailed.
The sanitary condition of all of the
public buildings in the county is good. The
jail is being enlarged and improved. The food
and water served the inmates of the jail and
poor-house is good, but none of the former
give evidence of successful vaccination, while
only 4 of the iS of the inmates of the latter
show signs of successful vaccination.
Gates.—No Board of Health organized.
Graham.—No Board of Health organized.
Granville.—Dr. J. M. Hays, Oxford. There
has been no epidemic disease prevalent in the
county during the past month. We have had
about our usual number of cases of pneumo-nia.
Bronchitis has abounded and malaria in
a mild form is beginning to make its appear-ance.
The sanitary condition of the public
buildings is good. The county commissioners
have adopted the plan of refusing applications
for aid from paupers outside the poor-house
except in exceptional cases, and this necessi-tates
additional accommodation at this institu-tion.
Arrangements are being made to that
end now. The idea is that needy persons,
rather than go to the poor-house, will make
extraordinary efforts to support themselves
;
and that such as do go there will be properly
cared for and discharged as soon as practical.
We are working to make Oxford the cleanest
and healthiest town in the State.
Greene.—Dr. W. C. Galloway, Snow Hill.
The county is in a fair state of health, but
have some pneumonia and bronchial colds.
The poor-house is in first-rate sanitary condi"
tion, and the jail will do very well; the food
and water served the prisoners and inmates of
same is sufficient in quantity and ciuality.
Guilford.—Dr. R. W. Tate, Greensboro.
The poor-house is in excellent sanitary condi-tion,
while that of the jail is not so good.
Well water is served the I2 prisoners confined
in jail, and they are supplied with good food,
and of this number 5 give evidence of succes-ful
vaccination; the inmates of the almshouse
are also supplied with well water and good
food, and of their number, 26, 15 show signs of
successful vaccination.
Halifax.—No Board of Health organized.
Harnett.—No Board of Health organized.
Haywood.—No report received this month.
Henderson.—Dr. L. L. Johnson, Angeline.
We have had a general epidemic of pneumonia
in all parts of the county; 30 cases reported,
and S deaths. The'e has been no epidemic of
any form among domestic animals. The sani-tary
condition of the jail and poor-house is as
good as last reported. We hope to have a new
building by the termination of the next twelve
months.
Hertford.—No Board of Health organized.
Hyde —Dr. Edward Clark, Middleton. No
report received for this month.
Iredell --T)T. M. H. Hill, Statesville. The
sanitary condition of the county is pretty fair,
judging from the amount of sickness. Measles
prevail in the souihern and northern portions
of the county. Pneumonia has been prevalent
in a portion of the county. There has been no
epidemic of any character among domestic ani-mals.
The sanitary condition of the public
buildings as good as can well be, considering
faulty construction. Nothing being done ^'pro
bono publico." Good water and substantial
ft)od is served the prisoners confined in the jail
and inmates of poor-house.
Jackson.—No Board of Health organized.
Johnston —Dr. L. L. Sasser, Smithfield.
The general sanitary condition of the county
is very good, but bronchitis and pneumonia
have prevailed. There has been no epidemic
of any kind among domestic animals. The
sanitary condition of the public buildings is
very good ; no efforts are being made at im-
BULLETIN OF THE NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH. I I
provement. The food and water served the
prisoners confined in the jail and the inmates
of the poor-house are sufficient.
Jones.—T>T. C B. Woodley, Trenton. The
sanitary condition of the public buildings is
fair.
Lenoir.—There was a Board nf Health or-ganized
in this county, but we cannot obtain
any report.
Lincoln-Y)x. W. L. Crouse, Lincolnton. There
is but little change in the health of the county.
Generally good. Diseases of the respiratory
organs continue in the forms of bronchitis and
pneumonia to some extent. Measles also con-tinue
in the southwestern portion of the county.
Our poor-house is full of inmates; it is well
kept.
Macon—\ix. J. M. Lyle, Franklin. The
general sanitary condition of our county is
good, but an epidemic of whcioping-cough has
prevailed in central portion of our county.
There has been no epidemic among domestic
animals. The general sanitary condition of
the public buildings is good.
McDozuelL—Dr. J. H. GiJkey, Marion.
The general sanitary condition of the county
has been very good, with the exception of
measles and pneumonia, which have prevailed
pretty extensively in some portions of the
county, the former proving fatal in several in-stances.
There has been no epidemic among
domestic animals. General sanitary condition
of the public buildings very good. The food
and water served inmates of the j lil and poor-house
is good, but only 2 of the former and i
of the latter give evidence of successful vacci-nation.
Madison —Dr. J. K. Hardwicke, Marshall.
The sanitary condition of the county is good,
except in one locality, where bad sewerage and
impure well-water caused six deaths by diph-theria.
The general sanitary condition of the
public buildings is very good. The 2 prisoners
confined in jail are supplied with good food and
water, but neither give evidence of successful
vaccination ; the 8 inmates of the poor-house
are furnished with good food and water, but
none of them give evidence of successful vac-cination.
Martin.—Dr. W. H. Harrell, Williamston.
No report received this month.
Mecklenburg.—No Board of Health organ-ized.
Mitchell.—No Board of Health organized.
Montgomery.—Dr. W. A. Simmons, Troy.
The general sanitary condition of the county
is good ; no particular disease has prevailed
anywhere. There has been no epidemic of any
kind among domestic animals. No efforts at
improvement of the public buildings, and not
much needed. The food and water furnished
the inmates of the jail and poor-house is good.
Moore.—No Board of Health organized.
Nash.— Dr. George W. Lewis, Spring Hope.
The general sanitary condition of the county
seems to be fairly good at present, but typhoid,
typho-malaiial and intermittent fever and
mumps have prevailed in different portions.
There has been no epidemic of cholera among
domestic animals. The jail and poor-house
are in good sanitary condition; no effoits at
improvement just now.
New Hanover.—V)x. F. W. Potter, Wil-mington.
1 have been informed that the sani-tary
condition of the county has been good, but
have some catarrhal troubles on the sea-coast,
also a few cases of pneumonia. There has
been no epidemic of any kind among domestic
animals during ihe past month. The jail is in
good cleanly condition; one case of intermit-tent
fever treated. The house of correction is
in good condition. The poor-hou^e is very
well kept; two cases of fever treated, and one
death among insane. All of the inmates of
the above institutions are furnished with water
ad libitum, those confined in jail with water
from the water works, and those in the house
of correction and poor-house with water from,
cistern. Of the 22 prisoners in jail only 12
give evidence of successful vaccination, and of
12 BULLETIN OF THE NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH.
the 6 confined in the house of correction 4 show
signs of successful vaccination, while of the 24
inmates of the poor-house 14 give evidence of
successful vaccination.
Northamp\on.—Dr. H. W. I.ewi^, Jackson.
The sanitary condition of the county is good,
no epidemic having prevailed in this or other
portions, neither has there been an epidemic of
disease among domestic animals. The s.initary
condition of the poor-house is much improved,
the water served its inmates is good, the food
fair,, and 15 of the 38 give evidence of success-ful
vaccination. The jail is burned.
Onslow.—Dr. J. L. Nicholson, Richlands.
A very extensive epidemic of measles, influ-enza
and catarih has prevailed in every section
of the county.
Oi-ange.—Xix. D. C. Parris, HilLsboro. The
general sanitary condition of the county is
fairly good. Accumulation of saw-dust in small
sluggish flowing stream in northern part of
county has betn the cause of some malarial
troubles in that section. It is decided that
ditching of said stream will remedy the evil.
Aside from this, I know of no other nuisance
that threatens public health. Bronchial, ca-tarrhal,
malarial and throat affections have pre-vailed,
but to no alarming extent. Mumps
have been moderately severe in western part of
the county. There has been no epidemic of
any kind among domestic animals. The sani-tary
condition of the poor-house is good ; its
33 inmates are supplied with pure water, and
the food served them is fair, but only 11 of
them give evidence of successful vaccination.
The jail is in moderately good sanitary condi-tion
; efforts are being made to improve same,
however ; the 2 prisoners are furnished with
pure water and fair food, and only one gives
signs of successful vaccination. The guard-house
and mayor's office is nearing completion;
when finished will be a neat and nice building.
Pamlico —No Board of Health organized,
Pasquotank.—No Board of Health organ-ized.
Pender.—Dr. W. T. Ennett, Burgaw. The
general sanitary condition of the county is not
good; on account of wet grounds, caused by
excessive rain, malarial fever has prevailed in
low swampy portions. There has been an
epidemic of chole a among hogs and chickens.
The sanitary condition of the public buildings
is good.
Person.—Dr. O. G. Nichols, Roxboro.
There has been a great deal of chicken cholera,
distemper, but slight, among horses. The gen-eral
sanitary condition of the county, so far as
I can learn, is pretty good. We have no dis-eases
prevailing but mumps now. The poor-house
is in good sanitary condition. We are
going to repair the jail at once.
Peiquimans.—No Board of Health organ-ized.
PiU.—T>r. J. T. Sledge, Greenville. No
report received from this county since Febru-ary,
18S9.
Polk.—No Board of Health organized.
Randolph.—No Board of Health organized.
Richmond.—Dr. W. W. Covington, Rock-ingham.
The sanitary condition of the county
is as good as has been known for years, there
being no sickness of any consequence. There
has been an epidemic of hcg and chicken chol-era
in many sections of the county. The
sanitary condition of public buildings is good,
except the cells at poor-house for confinement
of lunatics, which I have often mentioned as
being entirely too small and poorly ventilaled.
The food and water served the prisoners (5)
confined in jail is good, but only i of that
number gives evidence of successful vaccina-tion
; and the 12 inmates of the poor-house are
also supplied with good food and water, and 2
of them show signs of successful vaccination.
Robeson.—Dr. R. F. Lewis, Lumberton.
The county is in fine sanitary condition, but
measles and whooping-cough have prevailed.
There has been no epidemic among domestic
animals. The public buildings are in fair sani-
BULLETIN OF THE NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH.
tary condition, improvements continually be-ing
made when necessary. The inmates of the
jail and poor-house are supplied with pure
water and sufficient food.
Rockingham.— X:)!-. T. E. Balsley, Reids-ville.
Will send reports from April on.
Rowan.—Dr. J. J. Summerell, Salisbury.
Our county seems to be in pretty good sanitary
condition, if we are to judge by the small
amount of sickness prevalent. There has been
no special effort made to make the sanitary
condition better. The city of Salisbury has
had singular e.xemption from the usual spring
complaints. There have been only a few deaths
this winter and spring, but the fatal cases have
been generally old and worn out with phthisis
or dropsy, jt very young children with catar-rhal
troubles, as after measles. There has
been an epidemic of hog cholera among the
hogs at several of the distilleries of this vicin-ity.
Our public buildings are in good sanitary
condition. Though there has been rather over
the usual number in jail there has been as lit-tle
bad odor or impurity in the air respired as
I ever witnessed in a prison where there were
so many confined. The jail is the only build-ing
in our town that is distinguished by having
a system of sewerage, imperfect indeed, but
still answers the purpose of a sewer, as far as
the jail is concerned. The prisoners confined
in jail and the inmates of the poor-house are
supplied with good and plentiful water, and
are served with plain, good and sufficient food.
No data given as to vaccination.
Rutherford.—Dr. E. B. Harris, Rutherford-ton.
The sanitary condition of the county is
extremely good. Hog cholera has ceased, and
measles have about run their course. The
public buildings are in splendid sanitary con-dition
for the spring, and the inmates are all
in very good health ; had measles at poor-house,
but all recovered and are doing well.
The prisoners in the jail are supplied with good
food and water, and only 2 out of the 8 give
evidence of successful vaccination. The in-mates
of the poor-house are also furnished with
good food and water, and out of the 36 inmates
of the latter, on'y S show signs of successful
vaccination.
Sampson.—Dr. John A. Stevens, Clinton.
The health of the county is tolerably good—
a
few cases of intermittent and remittent fevers,
some cases of measles, whooping-cough and
mumps. There has been an epidemic of hog
cholera. The .sanitary condition of the poor-house
is very good, while that of the jail is bad
in every way.
Slanly.—Dr. R. Anderson, Albemarle.
The general sanitary condition of the county
is good; there is no sickness of any consequence,
though a mild type of measles has prevailed in
part of the county. There has been no epi-demic
among domestic animals. The jail is
old and uncomfortable, but reasonably clean;
the prisoners are cared for well enough, being
served with good water and wholesome food,
and of the 3 inmates none give evidence of
successful vaccination. The poor-house is
comparatively new and in good condition. The
paupers are well cared for, receiving good
water and wholesome food, and of the 12 in-mates
none give evidence of successful vacci-nation.
Stokes.—No Board of Health organized.
Surry.—No Board of Health organized.
Swai7i.—Dr. R. L. Davis, Bryson City.
The sanitary condition of the county is better
than it has been for some time. No sickness
except a few cases of pneumonia during the
month and a few cases of bad colds among
the children. There has been no epidemic of
cholera among domestic animals. The general
sanitary condition of the public buildings is as
good as can be under the present circumstances.
Steps are now being taken to bring pure spring
water from our mountain sides into our city,
which will be done shortly; then we will have
as healthy a little city as can be found any-where
in the mountains.
Transylvania.—Dr. D. H. Farmer, Bre-vard.
The sanitary condition of the county is
'4 BULLETIN OF THE NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH.
much better than last month; we have had a
few cases of pneumonia, but no deaths. There
has been no epidemic among domestic animals.
The jail and court-hou?e are not in as good
condition as they should be; the plastering in
the court-house is damaged from leaks in the
roof, and the jail is still in bad condition from
escaped prisoners.
Tyrrell.—Hr. Ab. Alexander, Columbia.
There are three inmates in the poor-house;
none in jail There is no house of correction.
We have only had three deaths since the first
of January The public buildings are in good
order. At this time there is no sickness to re-port.
The last gale did great damage to the
fishing inteiests in the county, not less than
fifty thousand dollars having been destroyed
by it.
Union —Dr. W. C. Ramsey, Monroe.
Measles and mumps have been quite general
in this county ; a few cases of typhoid fever
and pneumonia have been reported, with some
3 or 4 deaths from measles. There has been
no epidemic of any kind among domestic ani-mals.
The sanitary condition of the poor-house
is good; that of the jail inferior. No improve-ment.
* Vance.—The general health of the county is
not as good as last month. Bronchitis, rheu-matism,
etc., have been reported, and pneu-monia
has prevailed in all portions. There
has been no epidemic among domestic animals.
The poor-house is in good sanitary condition,
and a constant effort is made by the keeper
(Mr. Duke) to improve it.
Wake.—Dr. James McKee, Raleigh. The
sanitary condition of the city and county is re-markably
good. The city and county authori-ties
are in full accord with our eff>.irts to pro-mote
sanitation. There has been no epidemic
of any kind among domestic animals. The
public buildings are all in good sanitary con-dition.
Warren.—Dr. P. J. Macon, Warrenton.
The sanitary condition of the county is good,
but spring colds and pneumonia have prevailed
in all portions. There has Deen no epidemic
of disease among domestic animals. The jail
and poor-house are in very good sanitary con-dition;
they will be whitewashed with lime
soon.
IVashitigton—Dr. W. H. Ward, Plymouth.
No report received from this county this year.
What is the matter ?
Watauga. —Dr. W. B. Council, Boone. The
sanitary condition of the county is good; no
sickness of a seiioas nature has prevailed dur-ing
the month. I never knew the county to be
more healthy than at this time. There has
been no epidemic of any kind among domestic
animals that I have heard of. The poor-house
is in good sanitary condition; the new jail is
on hand, will be finished this year; the old jail
is in bad condition every way.
Wayne.—Dr. James Spicer, Goldsboro. The
sanitary condition of the county is good, but
mumps and measles have prevailed in all parts
of the county during the past month. There
has been no epidemic among domestic ani-mals.
The general sanitary condition of the
public buildings is as good as could be asked.
The food and water furnished the prisoners
confined in jail is good, and of the 6 prisoners
only 4 give evidence of successful vaccination;
the food and water served the inmates of the
poor-house is good; 6 of the 14 inmates give
evidence of successful vaccination.
Wilkes.—No Board of Health organized.
Wilson.—Dr. N. Anderson, Wilson. The
sanitary condition of the county is good; with
the exception of an extensive prevalence of
mumps, the general health of the county has
been excellent. The poor-house and jail are
in fine sanitary condition.
Yadkin.—No Board of Health organized.
Yancey.—Dr. J. I^. Kay, Burnsville, The
general sanitary condition of the county is
moderately good at present. There has been
no epidemic of consequence among domestic
animals. The sanitary condition of the jail
is very good; the two prisoners are furnished
with sufficient food and water, and one of them
gives evidence of successful vaccination.
BULLETIN OF THE NORTH CAROLLNTA 150ARD OF HEALTH. 15
Coiitlttloii of Jails and Poor-houses by Counties for March, 1889.
JAIL. POOR-HOUSE.
COUNTIES.
i6 I5ULLETIN OF THE NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HP^ALTH.
Condition of Jails and
BULLETIN OF THE NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH. 17
Condition of Jails and Poor-Uouses by Counties for March, 1889. (continued.)
i8 BULLETIN OF THE NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH.
BULLETIN OF THE NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH. 19
Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society,
ChAPJl Hill, N. C.
BULLETIN
OF THE
NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH.
Published Monthly at the Office of the Secretary of the Board, at Wilmington, N. C.
SUBSCRIPTION FIFTY CENTS A YEAR.
..Fayetteville. w. D. Hilliard, M. D., A.sheville.
Prok. F. p. Venable, Ph. D., F. C. S.,
Chapel Hill.
J. L. Ludlow, C. E... ... Winston.
J. A. Hodges, M. D.,
R. H. Lewis. M. D., Raleigh.
Julian M. Baker, M. D., Tarboro.
H. T. Bahnson, M. D., Salem.
J. H. Tucker, M. D., Henderson. !
Thomas F. Wood, M. D., Secretary and Treasurer, Wilmington.
Entered at the postoffice at Wilmington, N, C, as second class mail matter.
Vol. IV. MAY, 1889. No. 2.
New Members of the Board of Health.
Governor Fowle appointed the following
gentlemen to serve for two years each on the
State Board of Health:
Dr. J. H. Tucker, Henderson.
Mr. J. L. Ludlow, C. E., Winston, and
Prof. F. P. Venable, Ph. D., F. C. S.,
Chapel Hill.
The following gentlemen were elected by the
Medical Society of North Carolina, at the
recent meeting in Elizabeth City, to serve six
years:
Dr. J. A. Hodges, Fayetteville.
Dr. Julian M. Baker, Tarboro.
To the Chairmen of the Boards of County
Commissioners, and Others.
We would respectfully request the attention
of the chairmen of the various Boards of
County Commissioners not, as yet, having regu-larly
established boards of health, or officially
appointed health correspondents, and others
interested, to the law in the premises, as this
seems to be imperfectly understood in some
counties.
The law plainly says—section 5 of the Revised
Code of 1885, entitled, "An Act Relating to
the Board of Health "—as follows:
" There shall be an auxiliary Board of
Health in each county in the State," and
then goes on to specify who shall constitute
these boards. Therefore it is not optional
with the county whether or not it shall organ-ize
a Board of Health, but the law is manda-tory.
In the same section, the law sets forth that
the Superintendent of Health shall be the
physician to the county institutions, performing
all the offices incident to this position, besides
his sanitary work. There is no other way pre-scribed
by law by which the county authori-ties
can get medical advice to the poor-house,
jail and house of correction, and for medico-legal
purposes.
22 BULLETIN OF THE NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH.
The following named counties have no boards
of health or health correspondents: Anson,
Bladen, Burke, Clay, Craven, Dare, Davie,
Gates, Graham. Halifax, Harnett, Haywood,
Hertford, Jackson, Mecklenburg, Mitchell,
Moore, Pamlico, Perquimans, Polk, Randolph,
Stokes, Surry, Wilkes and Yadkin. In there
counties boards should beat once organized, as
follows:
Notices should be sent to every legally author-ized
physician and to the chairman of the Board
of County Commissioners, Mayor of county
town, county surveyor, or, where no county
surveyor exists, to the county town surveyor, to
attend a meeting at a specified day and place.
The law does not prescribe who shall call
this meeting of organization, but it would be
well if the chairman of the Board of County
Commissioners would do so, but any one
authorized to be a member of the proposed
Board of Health may make the call. In most
counties, if the time selected be court week, it
w^ould insure better attendance, and give an
opportunity to enlist the widest interest.
A first meeting of organization may be held
at any time, as will be seen by reference to
section 7.
The State Board of Health would also sug-gest
that advertisement for preliminary meeting
of organization be made in the county news-paper,
when available, and that the terms of
membership be stated, so that it may be gen-erally
known that the law says:
"These boards shall be composed of phy-
•sicians who shall have compHed with the laws
of the State in regard to the practice of medi-cine
or surgery, or have a diploma from a regu-lar
medical college."
As soon as boards have been organized, the
Superintendent of Health will please commu-nicate
with the Secretary of the North Caro-lina
Board of Health, at Wilmington, giving
the name and address of each member of his
board, and all the necessary blanks will be
iorwarded to him.
The Yellow Fever Outlook for Next Summer
The unusually mild winter noted in all sec-tions
of the country, taken in connection with
the fact that yellow fever still lingers in the
tropics, is sufficient to cause a marked feeHng
of uneasiness among the sanitary authorities of
the South and Southwest. Similar meteorologi"
cal conditions were manifest prior to the outbreak
of 1878, and there is reason to think that history
may repeat itself. Yellow fever, even although
of an imported type, with the death of a Lieu-tenant
on board of the Yantic in New York
harbor on the r4th of January, is enough to
cause comment, if not alarm. Should the
present balmy weather continue into spring,
the month of June will most probably exhibit a
yellow fever tendency in the Gulf States,
especially in Florida.
Within the last ten years the railroads and
steamboats have opened up large ' additional
tracts of territory in the New South; numerous
towns have sprung up, filled with unacclimated
Northern mechanics, who are not suitable sub-jects
for exposure to the low forms of paludal
fevers which annually prevail in many districts
south of Kentucky and Tennessee. Rapid
transit m;ans the swift spread of infectious
and contagious diseases. It then behooves the
various railroad and steamboat interests of the
Southwest to settle on some fixed sanitary pol-icy;
there are millions of dollars of interests at
stake, and it is penny wise and pound foolish
to subject such interests to a shotgun-quaran-tine
policy; yet this is what may naturally be
expected every time an outbreak of yellow fever
occurs in all States lying below the Appalachian
Ridge. Self-preservation is thefirst law of nature
and railroad corporations, including sleeping-car
interests, should have learned by experience,
dearly bought, that they will not be trusted by
those people through whose territory they carry
infected passengers so long as the inhabitants
know that such work is not done under medical
supervision.
BULLETIN OF THE NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH. 23
It is only the fine sanitary work done by the
New York City Health Department annually
that keeps fever out of that port; their work of
isolation is more of a protection than the boasted
quarantine work of their State authorities.
After New York, Chicago does the best sani-tary
work in'the country, and Chicago watches
yellow fever in Florida, although it is far
enough north to be almost beyond the range
of epidemic probabilities.
The country at large would save millions of
dollars annually were it not subjected to the
senseless excitements induced by yellow fever
outbreaks. If we lived under a more paternal
form of government, with a centralized power,
much could be accomplished in the prevention
of epidemics; but the glorious old doctrine of
State rights, more defiant than ever, prevails
to an alarming extent. North and South.
As we before remarked, " It is a warm win-ter."
With Jacksonville still in sight and to
the memory of many dear, yellovv^ fever on the
Yantic in New York harbor, with a death in
the middle of January, the outlook for yellow
fever next summer is good; alarm is needless,
but the warning is given to those most con-cerned
for their best interests.— The Cincitt-nati
Lancet-C inic.
Sewerage vs. Surface Drainage and Combus-tion.
BY O. D. CHILDS, M. D.
If there be aught in which the people of this
century and generation pride themselves it is
progress—progress in the arts, but more in the
sciences and their scientific attainments, and
the many, as we call them, modern improve-ments.
Whether we may call a great sewer a
modern improvement or not, many are able to
testify that it is a great modern convenience.
Since the world began there has been "waste."
No growth or existence without waste, and
although the question of the disposal of this
waste may not be raised in the country, when
it comes to the densely populated cities, it is
the essential question of human existence as
well as growth. Not only is the waste, in
comparison, much greater per living being,
but, in a much greater degree, is its means of
disposal more limited, until it is only by arti-ficial
means that life is protected.
As we are all aware, this means, at the pres-ent
day, our large and small, good and bad,
convenient and inconvenient, system of sewer-age,
into which we can wash everything, from
the crumbs off the table to the results of the
abortionist, to where, no one knows and no one
cares, so it is cast from our sight and smell.
Probably one of the greatest conveniences of
our modern mansion, our hotels and public
buildings, as well as many less notable places,
is the system of sewerage in connection with
our public water-supply.
This great convenience need not be described,
but must be enjoyed to be fully realized. We
build them for their convenience; we build
them for their healthfulness; we build them for
their economy; we build them for their cleanli-ness;
we build them because others build them.
There is one condition of a sewer which
there is not the least excuse for entertaining,
and that is the cess- pool sewer. The liabilities
of it so overbalances the resources that it is
a long way below par. Many endeavor to
make themselves think that they are all right in
a light sandy soil, but I know, from my own
observation, that, in the purest sand, they will
fill completely in a remarkably short time.
One of the most malignant causes of disease
and death is sewage gas. The elements of
which that gas is manufactured, in their crude
and unfermented condition, may be taken into
the stomach much more safely than the gas
can be inhaled and mingled with the blood.
In the one condition there is a probability that
the buccal and gastric secretions will neutrali;!,e
the poison, or that the irritability of the nerves
will expel the death elements, while in the other
case there is no known means of freeing the
24 BULLETIN OF THE NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH.
blood from its iniidious ravages. We may
insult the stomach with only a disturbance of
harmony, but when we poison the blood we
poison the life. More than ninety per cent, of
the thought and cunning of the plumber's craft
is expended at the present time in perfection of
our sewers, to prevent this liability from sewer
gas. All this thought is commendable and
praiseworthy, .but who shall not say they are
not commencing at the wrong side of the ques-tion
? Where is the wisdom of studying to
avoid an evil that should never exist? It is
one thing to prevent coming in contact with
gas, and it is another and much more scientific
condition to have no sewer gas to shut out.
If it is an absolute necessity to have a sewer,
then it is absolutely necessary to be sub-ject
to that sewer's consequences, for it is
not yet fully known what all the laws and
penetrating conditions of sewer gas are. We
all know how desirable it is to have a proper
outlet for our sewers—not an outlet prepared
by man, but where we can use the resources
which nature has provided. How nature
purifies her springs and streams man cannot
now explain, yet the fact remains, that running
water, and large bodies of not running water,
but sufficiently large to be acted upon by the
winds, have means of purification which, many
times, seem almost limitless.
If there are laws of purification, if there are
laws of nature by which the deadly poison of
putrefaction may be neutralized, why should
not these laws be a source of health to be cher-ished,
where now we have only poison to be
avoided ?
Only one way do I see for a remedy to ter-minate
this war, and that is to experiment with
chemical conditions till we discover some agent
which shall convert sewer waste into purely
harmless substance of value. We have odor-ized
until our sensitive olfactories are able to
say "Well done," as though the taking of
offensiveness from putrefaction made it harm-less.
We want chemicals which shall be com-bined
with all waste upon its first introduction
into the sewer, and which shall neutralize all
poisons as well as odors.
There are no delusions in chemical combus-tion.
Chemical laws are the same to-day and
forever, and only in chemistry shall we find
the true and safe means of disposing of our
absolute waste.
Since studying the subject of this paper, I
notice an article stating that Dr. C. H. von
Klein, of Dayton, Ohio, has perfected a pro-cess
which will neutralize sewage, and also
solidify it, in such a way as to make it burn as
readily as coal. If so, we should hail the day
with joy, not only for the process of neutraliza-tion,
but that the substance may be handled,
and that with profit—for as soon as there is
profit in sewage waste, man will be after it and
with a premium, and plenty of means will be
devised for its speedy conversion into money
before it shall have time to make sewer gas.
The utilization of sewage should have ninety
per cent, of study rather than the methods of
manufacturing, and then the means of avoiding
the poison resulting.
For surface water, my convictions, from my
present knowledge on this subject, are most
decidedly in favor of surface drainage. In
surface drainage, although we may have many
inconveniences, we have nature's own process
of purification, and that process was never
improved upon healthfully. Until we shall
have a chemically pure means of treating all
surface and night waste, the only absolute
safety is in combustion of all solids by the fur-nace
and in surface drainage for surface water.
A Cheap Disinfectant.
A cheap and fairly effective disinfectant can
be made by dissolving a bushel of salt in a
barrel of water, or as much salt as will dissolve,
and with this water slack a barrel of quick-lime.
This forms a sort of lime, which may
be used freely in cellars, out-houses, etc.
Smaller proportions may be tried.
—
From the
Monthly Bulletin of the R. 1. Board of Health.
BULLETIN OF THE NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH. 25
Drinking Water.
It is an established fact, and well agreed
among the medical profession, that polluted
drinking water is the primary cause of typhoid
fever more than any other cause or thing. We
would impress upon our readers that the pollu-tion
usually comes from the drainage of privies,
sink-drains, barn-yards, and other nuisances,
into the family well. Being filtered through
the soil, the pollution is generally of a char-acter
not recognized by either taste, smell or
sight; thus being unseen, or not apparent to
any of our senses, we are apt to imagine all is
safe! But the penalty of our carelessness will
o'ertake us, sooner or later. Be sure that the
water supply is protected from such dangers of
contamination. Many other ills are also con-tracted
by the use of impure water.
Summary of Mortuary Statistics from Towns
for the Montti of April, 1889.
Mortuary reports were received from
towns for the month of April, 1889, showing
as follows:
White. Colored. Total.
Total population. .54, 787 49,716 104,493
Total deaths 45 88 133
Temporary annual
death rate per
1,000 9.6 20.4 14.4
Deaths under 5
years 10 27 37
Cause of Death. White. Colored. Total.
Typhoid fever.. 02 2
Malarial fever.. 044 Measles i o I
Pneumonia 04 4
Consumption 2 7 9
Brain diseases 314 Heart diseases.. 235 Neurotic diseases 02 2
Diarrh'al diseases 156 All other diseases 30 53 83
Cause of Death.
Accidents and
violence
Still-born
Total
White. Colored.
2
4
Total.
4
9
45 88 133
Review of Diseases Reported by Counties for
the Month of April, 1889.
Bright's disease was reported from Orange
county.
Bronchitis was reported from Alleghany,
Cherokee, Nash, Sampson and Warren
counties.
Bronchial catarrh was reported from Mc-
Dowel county.
Catarrhal fever was reported from Gaston
county.
Cerebro-spinal meningitis was reported from
Brunswick and Orange counties
Chicken-cholera was reported from Chatham,
Orange, Person, Richmond and Warren coun-ties.
Chicken-pox was reported Jrom Alleghany
county.
Consumption was reported from Orange
county.
Diarrhreal diseases were reported from Cum-berland,
New Hanover, Sampson, Person and
Richmond counties.
Diphtheria was reported from Guilford and
Orange counties.
Diphtheretic sore-throat was reported from
Gaston county.
Distemper was reported from Franklin, Jones
and Sampson counties.
Flux was reported from Alexander county.
Hog-cholera was reported from Columbus,
Northampton, Richmond and Sampson coun-ties.
Inflammatory rheumatism was reported from
Alleghany county.
Malarial fever was reported from Cumber-land,
Jones, New Hanover, Orange and
Sampson counties.
26 BULLETIN OF THE NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH.
Measles was reported from Cabarrus, Cald-well,
Caswell, Davidson, Forsyth, Guilford,
Johnston, McDowell, Richmond, Robeson,
Rowan, Sampson, Stanly, Union and Wayne
counties.
Mumps was reported from Alleghany, Chat-ham,
Davidson, Franklin, Montgomery, Nash,
New Hanover, Orange, Person, Richmond,
Rowan and Union counties.
Phthisis was reported from Warren county.
Paralysis was reported from Iredell county.
Pneumonia was reported from Alleghany,
Forsyth, Henderson, Nash, Sampson, Swain,
Transylvania, Vance and Warren counties.
Pernicious malarial fever was reported from
Johnston county.
Roseola was reported from Person county.
Scarlatina was reported from Currituck and
Robeson counties.
Typhoid fever was reported from Ashe, Ca-barrus,
New Hanover and Union counties.
Whooping-cough was reported from Cabar-rus,
Johnston, Macon, Robeson, Sampson and
Wayne counties.
Ulceration of -the bowels was reported from
Iredell and Orange counties.
Summary of Reports Received from the Coun-ties
for the Month of April, ISSST.
Alamance.—Dr. George W. Long, Graham.
The general sanitary condition of the public
buildings is good ; the court-house will soon be
completed and will be a great improvement.
The health of the twenty-two inmates of the
poor-house is good, with the exception of two
cases of consumption; they are supplied with
good well-water and wholesome food. The four
prisoners confined in jail are furnished with
good well-water and wholesome food, and
three of them give evidence of successful vac-cination,
and three can read and write.
Alexander.—Yiv. H. McD. Little, Taylors,
ville. The general sanitary condition of the
county is good; not much sickness, with the
exception of a few cases of flux. There has
been no epidemic of any kind among domestic
animals. The general sanitary condition of
the public buildings is good. The prisoners
confined are furnished good well-water and
good food; none give evidence of successful
vaccination, and two of them can read and
write. The inmates of the poor-house are
supplied with good well-water and good food,
and none of them give evidence of successful
vaccination, nor can any of them read or write.
Ashe.—Dr. J. W. Colvard, Jefferson. The
sanitary condition of this county is very good,
and weather fair. We have had some frost
during the last week. There has been no epi"
demic of any kind among domestic animals.
The sanitary condition of the public buildings
is good, and some efforts are being made to
better the condition of the jail. Its three
inmates are furnished all the food and water
they want; two of them can read and write.
The nine inmates of the poor-house are sup.
plied with all the water they will use and with
all the food they want, but only one can either
read and write or gives evidence of successful
vaccination.
Alleghany.—Dr. George Daughton, Sparta.
A few cases of pneumonia, bronchitis and
inflammatory rheumatism, mumps and chicken-pox
to report. With these exceptions, the
sanitary condition of the county is good.
There has been no epidemic of any kind
among domestic animals. The sanitary con-dition
of the jail is not good, but I think some
improvements will be made soon. Its two
prisoners are supplied with well-water and 'Suf-ficient
food, one giving evidence of successful
vaccination, and one can read and write. The
one inmate of the poor-house is supplied with
spring-water, but does not give any evidence of
successful vaccination; can neither read or write.
Anson.—Has no Board of Health.
Beaufort.—Dr. Wm. A. Blount, Washing-ton.
From all I can learn, the health of the
county is good. There has been no epidemic
among domestic animals. Some of the prison-
BULLETIN OF THE NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH. 27
ers in jail have a less number of cubic feet of
air than others, depending upon the number
confined in each cell. The jail is insecure,
hence the lower cells are rather crowded.
They are served with good food and water,
and three of them give evidence of successful
vaccination, and four can read and wrile. The
eleven inmates of the poor-house are furnished
with good food and water, and two of them
give evidence of successful vaccination, and
two of them can read and write.
Be7tie.—Y)x. H. V. Dunston, Windsor. The
general sanitary condition of the county is fair,
no sickness in any portion of the county. There
has been no epidemic of any kind among
domestic animals. Some improvements are
being made to jail and poor-house with a view
of bettering its sanitary condition. The three
prisoners confined in jail aie supplied with
freestone water, and animal and vegetable
food, but none of them can read or write ; the
eight inmates of the poor-house are furnished
with freestone water and animal and vegitable
food, and none can read or write.
Bladen.—No Board of Health organized.
Brunstvick.—Dr. D. B. McNeill, Supply.
Not much sickness during April. Dr. Curtis
reported a few cases of cerebro spinal menin-gitis
among very young children at Southport.
No efforts are being made at improvement of
sanitary condition of public buildings.
Buncombe.—Dr. H. B. Weaver, Asheville.
No report received for April.
Burke.—No Board of Health organized.
Cabamis.—Dr. Robert S. Young, Concord.
The genei'al sanitary condition of the county
is good, but have had an epidemic of whoop-ing-
cough and several cases of typhoid fever
and measles. The general sanitary condition
of the public buildings is good. The eight
prisoners confined in jail are furnished with
good food and water, but none of them give
evidence of successful vacicnation and only two
can read and write; while the twenty inmates
of the poor-house are also supplied with good
food and water, seven of these give evidence
of successful vaccination, and ten can read and
write.
Caldwell.—Dr. R. L. Beall, Lenoir. Measles
have prevailed in some portions of the county,
otherwise there is very little sickness. There
has been no epidemic of any kind among
domestic animals. The jail has been repaired
and is in fair condition; its one inmate is sup-plied
with good spring-water and plenty of
meat and bread; can neither read nor write,
never been vaccinated. The poor-house is in
good sanitary condition ; its eght inmates are
furnished with good water and plenty of meat
and bread, none give evidence of successful
vacination, and only two can read and write.
Caviden.—Dr. Ed. B. Ferebee, Bellcross.
No report received for April.
Carteret.—Dr. M. F. Arendell, Morehead
City. The general sanitary condiiion of the
county is good. There has been no epidemic
of any kmd among domestic animals. The
public buildings are clean and comfortable.
The two prisoners confined in the jail are fur-nished
with ample water and good food, and
one gives evidence of successful vaccination,
and can read and wiite. There are no inmates
in poor-house at present.
Castvell.—Dr. R. H. Williamson, Yancey-ville.
The general sanitary condition of the
county is verygood, but there has been an
epidemic of measles in most all portions. The
sanitary condition of the public buildings is
good, but no improvements have been made
since last report. I'he one prisoner confined
in jail is furnished with good freestone waterand
fair food, but cannot lead or write. The twenty-two
inmates of the poor-house are supplied
with good freestone water and fair food—nine
of them giving evidence of successful vaccina-tion,
and two are able to read and write.
Catawba.—Dr. J. M. McCorkle, Newton.
The sanitary condition of the county is good.
There has been no epidemic among domestic
28 BULLETIN OF THE NORTH CAROLLNA BOARD OF HEALTH.
animals. Thesanitary condition of the public
buildings is as good as their crowded condition
will allow. The eleven prisoners confined in
jail are furnished good food and water; the
thirty-one inmates of the poor-house are also
supplied with good food and water; three of
the former and nine of the latter give evidence
of successful vaccination, while four of the
former and eight of the latter can read and
write.
Chatham —Dr. L. A. Hanks, Pittsboro.
The sanitary condition of the county is good,
as far as known, with the exception of a neigh-hood
in the northwestern portion. Measures
have been taken to abate the nuisance.
Mumps of a severe type have prevailed in
several portions of the county; there have also
been several cases of typhoid fever leported.
There has been an epidemic of chicken-cholera.
The sanitary condition of the public buildings
is very good, not exceeded, perhaps, in the
State; cleanliness and ventilation are enforced.
The four prisoners confined in jail are sup-plied
wilh good limestone water and good food;
two of them give evidence of successful vac-cination,
and two of them can read. The
twenty-one inmates of the poor-house are sup-plied
\Mih good freestone watt r and good food;
ten of them give evidence of successful vac-cination,
eleven can read and write.
Cherokee —Dr. J. F. Abernathy, Murphy.
The health of this county has never been bet-ter
to my knowledge; nevertheless we have a
greater mortality than for any preceding
month ; ihree from old age, one from chronic
l)ronchitis, the other from burns from an acci-dental
tire. Hog-cholera has subsided in this
county for ihe first time in fifteen or twenty
years. The public buildings are in excellent
sanitary condition, no sickne-s prevailing
among prisoners or paupers at this lime.
Chowan.—Dr. R. W. Winborne, Barnitz.
Board of Health organized in March, but no
report received so far.
Clay.—No Board of Health organized.
Cleveland.—T>r. J. C. Gidney, Shelby. With
the exception of a little.catarrhal affections and
derangement of liver, this county has been
very healthy. There las been no epidemic
among domestic animals. The sanitary condi-tion
of the poor-house is good; its forty- four
inmates are supplied with good food and water,
and seven of them can read and write ; the
jail is in as good sanitary condition as can be
expected, its fifteen prisoners are supplied
with good food and water and nine of them
can read and write.
Columbus.—Dr. Isaac Jackson, Whiteville.
The general sanitary condition of the county
is good, although on my return from the Med-ical
Convention I heard of three fatal cases of
pneumonia. There has been an epidemic of
hog-cholera in some portions of our county.
Cumberland.—Dr. J. A. Hodges, Fayette-ville.
There has been but little sickness in the
county during this month. A few cases ot
malaria have been reported, and some cases of
diarrhceal troubles, in the western portion of
the county. The jail and poor-house are in
better sanitary condition this spring than in
many years. The premises are scrupulously
neat, and will be kept so, if possible; the inte-rior
of all the cells and wards have been re-cently
whitewashed, and my thanks are due
the board of C' unty commissioners for their
liberal and generous encouragement in this
work. The ten prisoners confined in jail are
supplied with very good water from a well on
the premises, and a sufficient quantity of bacon,
vegetables and bread; seven of these give evi-dence
of successful vaccination, and six of
them can read and wrile. The fourteen in-mates
of the poor-house are furnished with
slightly chalyoeate water; their rations are the
same as those given for the prisoners in jail,
but varied occasionally with fish, molasses,
etc.; nine give evidence of successful vac-cination,
and six can read and write.
BULLETIN OF THE NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH. 29
Craven.—No Board of Health organized.
Currituck. —Dr. F. W. Ritter, Moyock.
Owing to the excessive humidity of the atnaos-phere
and sudden vicissitudes of temperature,
bronchial and pulmonary affections have been
prevalent. I have three cases of scarlatina
simplex to report, all in one family, which by
complete isolation spread no further; all made
good recoveries. I think that malarial troubles
will appear earlier than usual this year. There
has been no epidemic among domestic animals.
The jail is in good sanitary condition.
Dare.—No Board of Health organized.
Davidson.—Dr. R. L. Payne, Jr. The
general sanitary condition of the county is
good. Mumps and measles have prevailed in
many portions. There has been no epidemic
among domestic animals. The sanitary con-dition
of the county public buildings is good;
am now having jail and poor-house cleansed
and whitewashed. The seven prisoners con-fined
in jail are supplied with fair food and
water; none give evidence of successful vacina-tion
nor can read and write. There are
twenty-two inmates of the poor-house who are
supplied with good water and fair food, but
none show signs of successful vaccination, and
only five can read and write.
Davie.—Has no Board of Health.
Duplin.—Dr. James W. Blount, Kenans-ville.
The general sanitary condition of the
county is good; but very little sickness of any
character. There has been no epidemic among
domestic animals. The general sanitary con-dition
of the public buildings is not good,
though the inmates generally enjoy fair health.
Durham.—Dr. N. M. Johnson, Durham.
The sanitary condition of the county is good
so far as I am aware. There has been no epi-demic
of any kind among domestic animals.
The ssnitary condition of the public buildings
is better in some respects than before; we have
our jail supplied with a plentiful supply of
good water from our water-works, also some
improvements at our poor and work houses.
The six prisoners confined in jail and the seven
in house of correction are supplied with whole-some
food, the former with water from the
water-works and the latter with soft well-water;
two of the former and four of the latter
can read and write. The fourteen inmates in
the poor-house are supplied with soft well
water and good food; only one can read and
write.
Edgecombe.—Dr. Julian M. Baker, Tarboro.
The sanitary condition of the county is fair.
The six prisoners confined in jail are furnished
with good food and water, four of them giving
evidence of successful vaccination, but none of
them can read and write; the twenty-nine in-mates
of the poor-house are supplied with
good food and water; four of these give signs
of successful vaccination, and two can read and
write.
Forsyth.—Dr. D. N. Dalton, Jr., Winston.
The general sanitary condition of the county
is good, but we have had several cases of
pneumonia and a mild epidemic of measles.
There has been no epidemic among domestic
animals. The general sanitary condition of
the public buildings is good. The twenty-four
prisoners confined in jail are given good and
sufficient food and water, ten of them giving
evidence of successful vaccination, eight can
read and write. The eighteen inmates of the
poor-house are supplied with good and suffi-cient
food and water; four of them can read
and write and thiee give evidence of success-ful
vaccination.
Franklin.—Dr. E. S. Foster, Louisburg.
The sanitary condition of the county, so far as
my information extends, is very good, but
mumps have prevailed in some portions. There
has been no epidemic of any kind among do-mestic
animals except distemper among dogs.
Owing to the recent break from jail of priso-ners
the damage inflicted to the building Was
such as to make two rooms very uncomfortable;
30 BULLETIN OF THE NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH.
this, however, will soon be remedied by the
board of county commissioners. The six
prisoners in jail are given spring-water and the
food served them is of good quality and suffi-cient
in quantity; the same may be said of the
food supplied the nineteen inmates of the
poor-house, they are supplied with well-water;
only one of this number can read and write.
Gaston.—TiT. E. B. Holland, Dallas. Ca-tarrhal
fever and a few cases of diphtheretic
sore throat have prevailed, but of a ma-lignant
type. No disease among domestic
animals. The five prisoners confined in the
jail are given good food and water; none give
evidence of successful vaccination, and only
two of them can read and write. The nineteen
inmates of the poor-house are also supplied
with good food and water; three of these giv-ing
evidence of successful vaccination and six
can read and write.
Gates.—Has no Board of Health.
Graham.—Has no Board of Health.
Granville.—Dr. J. M. Hays, Oxford. The
general sanitary condition of the county is
unusually good, less sickness having prevailed
during the month of April than for several
months previously. There has been no epi-demic
of any kind among domestic animals.
The general sanitary condition of the jail and
poor-house is good. The jail has a complete
system of sewerage. In the centre of one
large room are the several steel cells, which are
open to ventilation like cages. Its five prison-ers
are supplied with good water and abundant
and good food; one giving evidence of success-ful
vaccination, and three can read and write.
The eighteen inmates of the poor-house Are
supplied with good water and abundant and
good food; ten of them giving evidence of suc-cessful
vaccination, and seven can read and
write.
Greene.—Dr. W. C. Galloway, Snow Hill.
The county is in pretty fair health. The
public buildings are in good sanitary con-dition.
The ten prisoners confined in jail are
supplied with'a sufficient quantity of food and
water, which is also sufficient in quality. The
same may be said of the food and water furnished
the twelve inmates of the poor-house; eight of
the former and one of the latter can read and
write, and four of the latter give evidence of
successful vaccination.
Guilford.—T>r. R. W. Tate, Greensboro.
The general sanitary condition of the county
is good; with the exception of measles of a
mild type which has prevailed in portions of
the county, we have had but little sickness.
There has been no epidemic among domestic
animals. The sanitary condition of the poor-house
is good, the thirty-two paupers are well
cared for, receiving pure water and wholesome
food, eight of ihem giving evidence of success-ful
vaccmation. and nine can read and write.
The jail is entirely too small for the demand
and poorly ventilated, but efforts are making
towards improvement; its present twenty-four
prisoners receive good food and water, twelve
of them giving evidence of successful vaccina-tion
and thirteen are able to read and write.
Halifax.—Has no Board of Health.
Harnett.—Has no Board of Health.
Haywood.—Dr. R. L. Allen, Waynesville.
No report received for this month.
Henderson.—Dr. L. L. Johnston, Angeline.
The general sanitary condition of the county is
still good although we are having several cases
of pneumonia in different portions of the
county—two deaths reported; there is some
other sickness, but not of a dangerous charac-ter.
There has been no epidemic of any kind
among domestic animals. The jail and poor-house
are in very good sanitary condition; we
will have a new jail and poor-house in the near
future.
Hertford.—Has no Board of Health.
Hyde.—Dr. Edward Clark, Middleton. No
report received for this month.
Itedell.—T>x. M. H. Hill, Statesville. Judg-ing
from the information I have from twophy-
BULLETIN OF THE NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH. 31
sicians out in the country, the sanitary condi-tion
of the county is excellent. Still, Death
the reaper gets in his work, as you will see.
Two were from old age, six from unknown
causes, one from neuralgia, one from ulceration
of the bowels, one from being cut with an axe,
one from pneumonia and one from consump-tion,
who was brought from Texas to die here.
We have the same public buildings we have
had all these years and no efforts at improve-ment,
but we hope to have a public building in
the course of human events.
Jackson.—Has no Board of Health.
Johnston.—L. L. Sasser, Smithfield. The
sanitary condition of the county is very good,
but pulmonary and digestive troubles have
prevailed. There has been no epidemic of any
kind among domestic animals. The general
sanitary condition of the public buildings is
very good. The four prisoners confined in
jail are given abundant water and sufficient
food; only one gives evidence of successful
vaccination, and two can read and write. The
sixteen inmates of the poor-house are supplied
with abundant water and sufficient food; five
giving evidence of successful vaccination, and
six can read and write.
Jones.—Dr. C. B. Woodley, Trenton. The
sanitary condition of the county, so far as can
be learned, is good, but malarial fever has pre-vailed
in some portions. There has been no
epidemic of distemper among domestic animals.
The three inmates of the poor-house are
allowed ten pounds of meat, seven of flour and
thirty-three of meal a piece, per month, and all
the well-water they want.
Lenoir.—There was a Board of health organ-ized
in this county, but we cannot obtain any
report.
Lincoln.—Dr. W. L. Crouse, Lincolnton.
For the last month this county has been very
healthy; all contagious diseases that did exist
seem to have stopped ; we have no malaria or
typhoid fever or the diseases common to the
spring season. Our jail contains nine prisoners
well provided for. Our poor-house is full, it
is kindly tended and the inmates well fed and
clothed.
Madison.—Dr. J. K. Hardwick, Marshall.
The general sanitary condition of the county
is good. The general sanitary condition of
the public buildings is very good. The two
prisoners confined in jail and the eight inmates
of the poor-house are given good food and
water, but none of them give either signs of
successful vaccination nor can they read and
write.
McDozvell.—T>r. J. H. Gilkey, Marion. The
general sanitary condition of the county is very
good and the health of thecountyunusualy good
for April. No sickness of any consequence, ex-cept
that bronchial catarrh and measles have
prevailed to a limited extent in some portions.
There has been no epidemic among domestic
animals. The puolic buildings are in good
sanitary condition. The four prisoners con-fined
in jail and the six inmates of the poor-house
are all given good food and water ; two
of the former give evidence of successful vac-cination
and two can read and write ; while
only one of the latter can read and write and
gives signs of successful vaccination.
Macon.—Br. J. M. Lyle, Franklin. The
general health of the county is very good, but
we had an epidemic of whooping-cough.
There has been no epidemic among domestic
animals. The sanitary condition of the public
buildings is very good. The prisoners are well
cared for.
Martin.—Dr. W. H. Harreil, Williamston.
No report received this month.
Mecklenburg.—Has no Board of Health.
Mitchell.—No Board of Health organized.
Montgomery. —Dr. W. A. Simmons, Troy.
The county is remarkably healthy for any
season of the year; nothing but colds, aches
and pains complained of generally, but mumps
32 BULLETIN OF THE NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH.
have prevailed in the western part of the
county. There has been no epidemic of any
kind among domestic animals. The sanitary
condition of the public buildings is good
enough, unless we had money to spare on im-provements.
Moore.—Has no Board of Health.
Nash.—Dr G. W. Lewis, Spring Hope.
The sanitary condition of the connty is very
good. We had Ijut little sickness during April,
but mumps have been quite prevalent. There
have also been a few cases of bronchitis and
pneumonia reported. There has been no epi-demic
among domestic animals. The jail and
poor-house are in good sanitary condition, and
their inmates have plenty to eat and have good
water to drink.
New Hanover.—T)r. F. W. Potter, Wil-mington.
I have been informed that there has
been very little sickness in the county, other
than colds. A few cases of mumps have oc-curred
on the sound (sea-coast). There has
been no epidemic of any kind among domestic
animals. The jail is in good .sanitary condi-tion,
well ventilated, and well scoured and
whitewashed when required; two cases treated.
The four prisoners are given water from water-works
a</ //3//«/;«, and are supplied daily each
with one pound of bread and one pound of
beef or bacon; three give evidence of success-ful
vaccination, and two can read and write.
No case of disease among the six prisoners in
house of correction; house is very clean; they
are given cistern-water ad libitum, and one
pound of bread and one pound of bacon or
beef daily; four give evidence of successful
vaccination, and three can read and write.
The poor-house has been well kept, in a sani-tary
point of view; three cases of sickness
treated during the month. Its twenty-five
inmates are given cistern-water ad libitum, and
each receives daily one pound of bread and one
pound of beef and bacon. Eighteen of these
give evidence of successful vaccination, and
only eight can read and write.
Northanipton.—Dr. H. W. Lewis, Jackson.
The general sanitary condition of the county is
very good; but very little sickness has prevailed
in any portion. There has been an epidemic
of hog-cholera. Continued efforts at improve-ment
are being made at poor-house.
Onslow.—Dr. J. L. Nicholson, Richlands.
No report received for April.
range. —V)x. D. C. Parris, Hillsboro. The
general sanitary condition of the county is still
very good though a few cases of cerebro-spinal
meningitis and diphtheria have occurred in
northern part; a few mild cases of malarial
fever have also occurred. Chicken-cholera has
occurred in some parts of the county, but not
as an epidemic. Both jail and poor-house are
in good sanitary condition; lime is used plenti-fully
in each. Our mayor's office and guard
house is finished up in first class style and con-sists
of a large room in front for use of the
mayor and the board of county commissioners,
and two neat and nice cells in the rear for the
accommodation of transgressors. The two
prisoners in jail and the thirty-three inmates of
the poor-house are furnished with healthful,
substantial and ample food, the former with
pure well and the latter with pure spring water;
one of the former and twelve of the latter give
evidence of successful vaccination, but only
fourteen of the latter can read and write.
Pamlico.—Has no Board of Health.
Pasquotank.—Has no Board of Health.
Pender.—Dr. S. S. Satchwell, Rocky Point.
No report received.
Person. —Dr. O. G. Nichols, Roxboro.
Mumps has prevailed in certain parts of the
county, roseola and dysentery have been very
frequent in some sections, but the general
health of the county is better than I have ever
known it. Chicken-cholera has prevailed in
certain portions. The sanitary condition of
BULLETIN OF THE NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH. 33
the poor-house is very good; that of the jail is
not so good, but better than it has been.
Perquimans.—No Board of Health organ-ized.
Pitt.—Dr. J. T. Sledge, Greenville. No
report received this month.
Polk.—No Board of Health organized.
Randolph.—No Board of Health organized.
Richmond.—Dr. W. W. Covington, Rock-ingham.
The sanitary condition of this por-tion
of the county is good; no sickness of any
kind except measles and a few cases of dysen-tery.
There has been an epidemic of cholera
among hogs and chickens.
Robeson.—R. F. Lewis, Lumberton. The
general sanitary condition of the county is
pretty good, but measles and whooping-cough
have prevailed in some portions. There has
been no epidemic among domestic animals.
The general sanitary condition of the public
buildings is fair; the fourteen prisoners con-fined
in jail, and the eight inmates of the poor
house, are all supplied with good water and
sufficient food.
Rockingham.—Dr. T. E. Balsley,Reidsville.
No report received for April.
Rowan.—Dr. J. J. Summerell, Salisbury.
Good health prevails everywhere in our county;
no change in its sanitary condition since last
report. There have been a few cases of measles
in one or two neighborhoods, and mumps have
prevailed very generally about the city, but no
one veiy sick; few cases required the attend-ance
of a doctor. There has been no epi-demic
among domestic animals during April.
The public buildings are in good sanitary con-dition.
No efforts at improvement except the
usual clearing up, and now and then a coat of
whitewash on the inside of the buildings, which
latter are all brick. The seven prisoners con-fined
in jail are given plenty of well-water and
good, plain, well-prepared and sufficient food;
only one giving evidence of successful vaccina-tion,
and one can read and write. The twenty-two
inmates of the poor-house are supplied
with an unlimited amount of well-water and
sufficient good, plain and well-prepared food;
of them, only two give evidence of successful
vaccination.
Rutherford.—Dr. E. B. Harris, Rutherford-ton.
A more healthy county cannot be found;
not a case of sickness anywhere during April,
that I have heard of. The public buildings are
in satisfactory sanitary condition. The twenty-four
prisoners confined in jail and the thirty-nine
inmates in the poor-house are supplied
with good food and water ; three of the former
and ten of tlie latter give evidence of success-ful
vaccination, while nine of the former and
six of the latter can read and write.
Sampson.—Dr. John A. Stevens, Clinton.
The general sanitary condition of the county
is fair, but whooping-cough, measles, bronchi-tis,
pneumonia and malarial fever with a few
cases of diarrhrea and dysentery are the dis-eases
to report this month. There has been
an epidemic of hog-cholera and distemper
among horses. Our poor-house is in excellent
sanitary condition; one of the twenty-three in-mates
can read and write and one gives evi-dence
of successful vaccination. The sanitary
condition of the jail is somewhat improved
since last report, but intend to keep stirring
the matter up until we get a new jail, which
our present board of county commissioners
have promised to do soon ; of the three prison-ers
confined in jail at present two give evi-dence
of successful vaccination and one can
read and write.
Stanly.—Dr. R. Anderson, Albemarle. The
sanitary condition of the county could not be
much better, but we have had a mild type of
measles in some portions. There has been no
epidemic among domestic animals.
Stokes.—No Board of Health organized.
Surry.—No Board of Health organized.
Swain.—Dr. R. L. Davis, Bryson City.
The general sanitary condition of the county
34 BULLETIN OF THE NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH.
is good; only a few cases of pneumonia in a
mild form to report this month. Our water
supply for the city will be all right soon. There
has been no epidemic among domestic animals.
The sanitary condition of the public buildings
is as good as it can be under present circum-stances.
Transylvania —Dr. H. Farmer, Brevard.
The sanitary condition of the county has been
very good for the past month, with the excep-tion
of a few cases of pneumonia. There has
been no epidemic among domestic animals.
As reported last month, the jail and court-house
are both in a bad condition, and there
has been no effort, as yet, to repair them.
The poor-house is in excellent sanitary condi-tion.
The one prisoner confined in jail, and
the four inmates of the poor-house, are sup-plied
with excellent water and good and whole-some
food, but the one in the former only gives
evidence of successful vaccination, while one
each of the jail and poor-house can read and
write.
Tyrrell.—Dr. Ab. Alexander, Columbia.
No sickness to report The two inmates in
poor-house receive sufficient food and water.
Union.—Dr. W. C. Ramsay, Monroe.
Measles has subsided, to a great extent, in all
portions of the county; two or three deaths
reported therefrom. Mumps still prevail,
but are declining; have also had a few cases of
typhoid fever. There has been no epidemic
of any disease among domestic animals. The
poor-house is in good sanitary condition; that
of the jail is inferior; no efforts at improve-ment.
Vance.—Dr. A. Cheatham, Henderson. The
sanitary condition of the county is much better
than last month, but have had a few cases of
pneumonia and rheumatism. I have heard
that there were several cases of cerebro-spinal
meningitis flast month) but no report of them
sent in. There has been no epidemic among
domestic animals. The general sanitary con-dition
of the public buildings is good. The
eight prisoners confined in jail and the twelve
inmates of the poor-house receive plenty of
water and good food,
Wake.—Dr. James McKee, Raleigh. The
general sanitary condition of the county and
city is good. There has been no epidemic
among domestic animals. All of the public
buildings are in good sanitary condition. The
five prisoners confined in jail are given pure
water obtained from the water-works and varied
and abundant food. The sixty-two prisoners
confined in the house of correction are made
to work on the public roads and are given pure
and abundant water obtained from wells and
springs and are furnished varied and abundant
food. The fifty inmates of the poor-house are
furnished with well and spring water and are
supplied varied and abundant food.
Warren.—Dr. P. J. Macon, Warrenton.
The general sanitary condition of the county
was never better with the exception of pneu-monia
and phthisis among the colored, which
is on the increase. There has been an epi-demic
of chicken-cholera. The jail is in first-class
sanitary condition—one case of typho-malarial
fever contracted in the swamps of
Northampton county; its four prisoners are
given soft well-water and sufficient food. The
poor-house is in good sanitary condition, not a
death having occurred in two months.
Washington.—Dr. VV. H. Ward, Plymouth.
No report received from this county this year.
Watauga.—Dr. W. B. Council, Boone. No
report received for April.
Wayne.—Dr. James Spicer, Goldsboro.
The general sanitary condition of the county
is good, but measles and mumps have prevailed
in all portions. There has been no epidemic
among domestic animals. The general sanitary
condition of the public buildings is as good as
could be desired. The six prisoners confined
in jail, and the sixteen inmates of the poor-house,
are given good food and water; of the
BULLETIN OF THE NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH. 35
former, four give evidence of successful vac- general health of the county is good. The
cination, while of the latter, seven; three of public buildings are in fine sanitary condition,
the former and two of the latter can read and Yadkin.—No Board of Health organized.
^"'^- Yancey.—Yyx. John L. Ray, Burnsville.
Wilkes.—No Board of Health organized. No report received for April.
Wilson.—Dr. N. Anderson, Wilson. The
36 BULLETIN OF THE NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH.
Condition of Jails and Poor-houses by Counties for April, 1889.
COUNTIES.
Alamance..,
Alexander..
Ashe
Alleghany..
Anson
Beaufort
Bertie
Bladen
Brunswick.
Buncombe..
Burke
Cabarrus.
Caldwell...
Camden ...
Carteret..
.
Caswell ....
Catawba...
Chatham
.
Cherokee.
Chowan....
Clay.
Cleveland
Columbus
Craven
Cumberland.
Currituck
Dare
Davidson
Davie
Duplin
Durham
Edgecombe...
Forsyth
JAIL. POOR-HOUSE.
t.
a- a.
o — c
~ a: ^
Cu -
•a -:
QJ *S
O ^
— O
c: -2
900
749
749
SCO
a
.2 O g .-. J c ~ —
6t
z-
3
a
1
.a "
'/^
22
O O O
« S r-x.
S
700
838
628
1,000
.500
t)40
832 a
11
8
10
700
896
1,100
2,8
2
1
11
4
4
860
500
600
1,952
a
15
7
10
364
2,376
800
1,562
1
a
3
2
a
1
4
2
a
a
a
22
31
21
2
630
44
6
14
a
1,000
7.50
1,394
a
856
729
1,0<J0
22 720
9
9
10
a
a
a
2
8
11
a
1,000
1,922
2 I
I
23
14
29
a
a
2,041
a
I
a
a I 1
4 I 2
a. No data given.
BULLETIN OF THE NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH. 37
Couditiou of Jails and Poor-houses by Counties for April, 1889. (continued.)
38 BULLETIN OF THE NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH.
Coudltiou of Jails and Poor-houses by Counties for A^pril, 1S89. (continued.)
BULLETIN OF THE NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH. 39
meteorolosical Report for April, 1889.
40 BULLETIN OF THE NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH.
ELL SCIENTIFIC SOCIEH,
NORTH CAROLINA BOAflD OF HEA
n
Jj 1 il
Published Monthly at the Office of the Secretary of the Board, at Wilmington, N. C.
i SUBSCRIPTION FIFTY CENTS A YEAR.
H. T. Bahnson, M. D., Fres.,. 'SaXem.
R. H. Lewis, M. D.,..., Raleigh.
J. M. Baker, M. D., Tarboio.
J. A. Hodges, M. D., Fayeiteville.
W. D. Milliard, M. D., . . Asheville.
J. H. Tucker, M. D., Henderson.
Prof. F. P. Venable, Chapel Hill.
J. L. Ludlow, C. E., . Winston.
Thomas F. Wood, i\L D., Secretary and Treasurer, Wilmington.
Entered at the post-office at Wilmington, N. C, as second-class mail matter.
Vol. IV. JUNE, 1S89. No.
Dr. H. T. Bahnson Elected President.
Dr. H. T. Bahnson, of Salem, has been
elected President of the North Carolina Board
of Health, succeeding Dr. J. W. Jones, of
Tarboro.
A Disinfectant for Family Use.
There is no better or cheaper disinfectant for
general use in and about the premises than
chloride of lime, although it is occasionally
objectionable in some places and to some per-sons
on account of its odor. This quality
should not lead any one to believe that the lib-erated
chlorine, which has such a pungent
smelii is in itself of any value as a disinfectant.
It may do to cover up other odors, but that is
not disinfection. A disinfectant must have the
power to destroy minute forms of life, like the
germs of disease, and to arrest certain organic
and chemical processes, to be of any value.
Many of the so-called disinfectants are simply
deodorants, that is, preparations which destroy
or cover up odors, but do nothing more: hence,
applied as a disinfectant, they are of little or
no value.
Chloride of lime ought to be obtainable at
any drug store at ten cents a pound, and in
some places it can be bought for five cents.
The best way to use it is in a solution, as fol-lows:
Chlo'ride of lime, one pound; water, three
gallons. Mix.
1 his mixture makes a perfectly safe and
eflicieni disinfectant, and may be freely used
in vaults, sink-drains, cesspools, or wherever
theie is filth requiring a disinfectant. It is
also equally valuable for use in disease, to dis-infect
all matters coming from the sick-room.
The cheapness of this valuable disinfectant
should bring it into very general use. Disin-fection
should not for a moment be regarded as
a substitute for cleanliness, but only as one
means of securing greater cleanliness than,
could be obtained without it. Its use in the.
42 BULLETIN OF THE NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH.
sick-room is to destroy immediately all the
disease-bearing material that is eliminated by
the infected person. For use among the peo-ple
generally, the chloride of lime solution is
probably the best disinfectant that can be em-p4oyed.—
The Sanitary Volunteer.
Weather and Epidemics.
Occasionally epidemics are reported from
many locations, and different causes are named
as being responsible for them. We also note
that in the report of scarlet and typhoid fevers,
and other contagious diseases, the condition of
the weather is frequently mentioned as the
principal cause of the epidemic. In many of
these cases tliose reporting the sickness and
defining the cause fail to suggest any reason
why neighboring communities in which the
very same conditions of weather prevail are
free from the prevalence of the diseases re-ported.
Superstitions have always prevailed
regarding the relation of the state of the
weather to health, and to many other interests
related to the fortunes of man. It is very
probable that these superstitions, like many
others, have followed down the generations and
yet exert some influence, however unconscious
we may be of any trace of their existence. If,
however, a close investigation were made, it
would probably be found that the weather has
not so much to do with these epidemics as do
the local conditions which may only await cer-tain
states of the weather for the development
of the virulence from which diseases result.
Frost may pi event the decay of matter from
which poisons emanate in milder weather.
Poison vapors may be solidified and made
harmless until warmth liberates them and sup-plies
the conditions under which they cause
.disease. Dampness may. under a certain con-dition
of things, be instrumental in producing
results favorable to the production of disease.
The state of the weather will be found often,
in its relation to health, to depend on condi-itjons
that are removable to a sufficient extent to
make disease avoidable. There is need for
some agency that will reader all conditions
naturally existing, or existing by negligence,
harmless of the kind of weather. The more
carefully should this agency be employed when
the state of the weather is known to be such
as to demand the most strict sanitary precau-tions.
While health officers cannot regulate
the weather, it is their business to preserve
such sanitary conditions that the most unfa-vorable
and unseasonable weather will produce
the least possible harm. They cannot reckon
on seasonable weather at all times, and should
be prepared for the worst. It is not sufficient
to state that, under certain states of the
weather, this or that town or community would
be free from epidemics ; but the point of inter-est
is the maintenance of such conditions as
will promote health in all seasons. If sanitary
knowledge and the science of preventive medi-cine
are to be upset at every whim of the sea-sons,
and the idle winds are to coquet with
health, there is something wrong somewhere,
and our boasted progress in this direction must
be an illusion. It should not become popular
to ascribe the cause of sickness to the weather,
for such an excuse would be too convenient.
—
Sanitary A^ews.
The Necessity of Thorough Ventilation.
If a single ounce of cotton be burned in a
room, it will so completely saturate the cham-ber
with smoke that one can hardly breathe,
although there is but a single ounce of foreign
matter in the air. Should an ounce of cotton
be burned every half hour during the night,
the air would be kept continually saturated
with smoke, unless there should be an open
door or window for it to escape. But the six-teen
ounces of smoke thus formed by the cot-ton
burning are far less poisonous than the
sixteen ounces of exhalations from the lungs
and bodies of two persons who have each lost a
pound in weight during the eight hours of
sleeping; for while the dry smoke is mainly
taken into the lungs, the damp odors from the
body are again absorbed into the lungs as wel
BULLETIN OF THE NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH. 43
as into the pores of the skin. A little more
thoughtfulness would impress upon every one
the importance and necessity of having sleep-ing-
rooms well ventilated. Air should be
admitted not only during the day, but whilst
we are asleep. Another very important item
of the health of our beds is, that every morn-ing
after getting up, the sheets, blankets and
other coverings should not be rearranged with-out
being left aboui for a few hours. It would
be a great advantage if they could be aired for
that space of time. This may seem a trifle,
but tiifles make up the sum of our health, com-fort
and existence.
—
Herald of Health.
How to Distinguish Good Meat.
Prof. V, C. Vaughan, of the Michigan State
Board of Health, says: Good beef has a reddish-brown
color and contains no clots of blood.
Well nourished beeves furnish a flesh which
while raw is marked with spots of white fat ;
it is firm and compact. Old, lean animals
furnish a flesh which. is tough, dry and dark;
the fat is yellow. Veal is slightly reddish and
has tender white fibers. The fat is not distrib-uted
through the lean as in beef. The same
is true of mutton. In well nourished animals
white fat accumulates along the borders of the
muscles. Pork is lose-red and has fat distrib-uted
through the muscle. The lard is white
and lies in heavy deposits under the skm.
Good beef is not of a pale pink color, and such
a color indicates that the animal was diseased.
Good beef does not have a dark purple hue,
for this color is evidence that the animal has
not been slaughtered, but died with the blood
in its body, or has suffered from acute febrile
affection. Good beef has no, or but little,
odor ; or, if any odor is perceptible, it is not
disagreeable. In judging as to the odor of
meat pass a clean knife, which has been dipped
in hot water, through it and examine subse-quently
as to the odor of the knife. Tainted
meat often gives off a plainly perceptible and
disagreeable odor while being cooked. Good
meat is elastic to the touch. Meat that is wet
and flabby should be discarded. It should not
become gelatinous after being kept in a coo
place for two days, but should remain dry on
the surface and firm tothetouch.—The Monthly
Bulletin, R. I. Board of Health.
Delinquent Superintendents.
We would respectfully call the attention of
delinquent superintendents of health to sec-tion
8 of The Code, relating to the State Board
of Health, and request their earnest considera-tion
of the same:
" Sec. 8. Monthly returns of vital statistics
upon a plan to be made by the county superin-
'tendent of health, and a failure to report by
the tenth of the month of the preceding month
shall subject the delinqent to a fine of one dol-lar
for each day of delinquency, and this
amount shall be deducted from the salary of
the superintendent by the board of county
commissioners, on authenticated statement of
such delinquency by the Secretary of the State
Board of Health."
The Necessity for Vaccination.
There appears to have been but little done
lately by the county superintendents of health,
and physicians generally, in the matter of vac-cination.
We would remind the profession
that it h before the actual outbreak of small-pox
that vaccination can be best performed. Do
not wait until it becomes epidemic, and then
hurriedly try to make up for lost opportunities.
It is tolerably sure that small-pox will become
wide-spread this season. There are two widely
separated foci of the disease already known,
and the rapidity of inter-communication in
this country is so great that we cannot rea-ronably
expect long exemption. Vaccination
should be urged at once. W^e have been ap-plied
to for free vaccine virus, but as there
is no appropriation by the State for vaccine,
we cannot supply any gratis, but a supply of
reliable virus can be obtained promptly from
44 BULLETIN OF THE NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH.
this office, at the lowest rates, upon the appli-cation
of superintendents of health and others.
The Secretary would impress upon the su-perintendents
of health the necessity of
promptly reporting all cases of small-pox at
the eailiest practical moment, not waiting for
the regular monthly report.
Summary of Mortuary Statistics from 21 towns
for the Month of May, 1889.
White. CoVd. Total.
Total population e6,05i 55.049 I2I,000
Total deaths 66 8l 147
Temporary annual death-rate
per 1,000 12.0 16.8 14.4
Deaths under 5 years .-- 14 27 41
Cause of Death. While. Col'd. Total.
Typhoid fever --- I O I
Malarial fever i 3 4
Whooping-cough O 2 2
Measles - --- 2 i 3
Pneumonia— -- 6 6 12
Consumption 6 I4 20
Brain diseases 325
Heart diseases 268
Neurotic diseases 3 1 4
Diarrhojal diseases 14 9 23
All other diseases 25 30 55
Accident and violence .-. oil
Suicide --- 022
Still-born --- 3 4 7
Under 5 years 14 27 41
Total 66 81 147
Varioloid.
A case of varioloid has been reported from
Galesburg, Illinois. The patient had recently
arrived from Builmgton, Iowa. Every precau-tion
has been taken by the local authorities to
prevent spread.
Review of Diseases reported by Counties for
the Month of May, 1889.
Bilious remittent fever was reported from
Transylvania.
Blind staggers among horses was reported
from Union.
* Chicken cholera prevailed in Alleghany,
Orange and Warren.
*Cerebro-spinal meningitis was reported from
Washington, 6 cases.
Cholera-infantum was reported from Yancey.
Cholera-morbus was reported from Union
and Yancey.
Distemper among horses was reported from
Jones and Orange.
Diarrhoea was prevalent in all sections of
the State, as follows: Beaufort, Caswell,
Chowan, Columbus, Cumberland, Davidson,
Duplin, Edgecombe, Forsyth, Guilford. Lin-coln,
McDowell, Macon, Martin, Nash, New
Hanover, Robeson, Rowan, Sanrpson, Swain,
Vance and Yancey.
Diphtheria was reported from Richmond and
Rockingham.
Dysentery was by far the leading disease, as
usual in this season, 40 counties reporting it as
prevalent, to-wit: Alamance, Alexander, Alle-ghany,
Brunswick, Bertie, Caswell, Catawba,
Cherokee, Chowan, Cleveland, Craven, David-son,
Duplin, Franklin, Edgecombe, Forsyth,
Gaston, Greene. Guilford, Granville, Jones,
McDowell, Macon, Martin, Nash, New Han-over,
Northampton, Onslow, Pender, Ran-dolph,
Richmond. Rockingham, Rowan, Ruth-erford,
Sampson, Union, Vance, Washington,
Wake and Wilson.
Dropsy was reported from Cherokee and
Caswell.
^Erysipelas was reported from Onslow.
Flux was reported from Montgomery.
*Hog cholera was reported from Columbus,
Pender and Sampson.
Intermittent fever was prevalent in Chowan,
Duplin, Forsyth, Jones, Nash and Orange.
Mumps was reported from Alamance, Chat-ham,
Cumberland, Henderson, Nash, Rowan
and Sampson.
Malarial fever was prevalent in Beaufort,
Caswell, Greene, Johnston, Granville, Orange
and Sampson.
* Measles was reported from Buncombe,
Caswell, Cumberland, Forsyth, Guilford, Ran-dolph,
Richmond, Robeson, Unionand Yancey.
^Pneumonia was prevalent in Alleghany,
BULLETIN OF THE NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH. 45
Caswell, Henderson, Madison, Pender, Tran-sylvania
and Yancey.
Remittent fever was reported from Duplin,
Nash and Orange.
*Scarlatina was reported from Franklin,
2 cases, but reported as not having spread or
infected others, and 5 cases from Wayne.
*Typhoid fever was prevalent in the western
counties. The number of cases reported are
as follows: Cabarrus, 13; Henderson, 2; Jack-son,
20; Lincoln, could not give number; Mc-
Dowell, i; Rowan, 2; and Watauga, 2. The
central counties reporting this disease were:
Chatham, 3; Johnston, 2; Randolph. 6; Gran-ville,
a few isolated cases, and Vance, 2; and
one eastern county, namely, Columbus, 2 cases.
Last month only four counties reported typhoid
fever. The above shows typhoid to be on the
increase.
Whooping-cough was prevalent in Beaufort,
Duplin, Jackson, Macon, Onslow, Orange,
Rockingham and Union.
Note.—All diseases marked thus * are considered as
dangerous to the public health and should be reported
promptly.
^
Summary of Reports Received from 64 Coun-ties
for the Month of May. 1889.
Alamance.—Dr. George W. Long, Graham.
The sanitary condition of the county is good,
but mumps and dysentery have prevailed to a
limited extent. Domestic animals compara-tively
free from disease, so far as I can learn.
The sanitaiy condition of the poor-house is
good. If there were an additional room 01
two erected the inmates could be made more
comfortable. Its 25 inmates are supplied with
good food and water. The sanitary condition
of the jail is as good as the building will per-mit.
Some improvements ought to be made,
however, before winter, especially in the man-ner
of heating. Its four inmates are furnished
with good food and water, but only one can
read and write.
Alexander.—V)x. H. McD. Little, Taylors-ville.
The general sanitary condition of the
county is very good, not very much sickness of
any kind reported, except a few cases of spo-radic
dysentery. There has been no epidemic
of any kind among domestic animals. The
general sanitary condition of the public build-ings
is good. The two new rooms enlarging the
capacity of the poor-house are not completed
as yet. Its seven inmates are supplied with
good food and well-water, but none give evi-dence
of successful vaccination, nor can any
of them either read or write.
Alleghany.—Dr. George Daughton, Sparta.
I have a few cases of pneumonia to report.
Dysentery has prevailed to a considerable ex-tent,
but no deaths have resulted from this
disease, so far as I can learn. There has been
an epidemic of chicken cholera. The sanitary
condition of the jail is only tolerably good; its
two prisoners are given sufficient food and
well-water, and one gives evidence of success-ful
vaccination and one can read and write.
The sanitary condition of the poor-house is
good. Its one inmate is furnished sufficient
food and spring-water.
Ashe.—Y)x. J. W. Colvard, Jefferson. No
report received.
Atisott—Dr. E. F. Ashe, Wadesboro. No
report received.
Beaufort.—Dr W. A. Blount, Washington.
We have some whooping-cough, but it has not
prevailed to any great extent in any portion of
the county. There has been a slight increase
of sickness over the past month, principally
diarrhoeal and malarial diseases. There has
been no epidemic among domestic animals.
The sanitary condition of the jail has not im-proved.
The authorities will probably remodel
the present one, or build a new one m the near
future. Its fourteen inmates are supplied with
good food and water. Two give evidence of
successful vaccination.
Bertie.—Dr. H. V. Dunston, Windsor. Dys-entery
has prevailed in many portions of the
county. There has been no epidemic among
46 BULLETIN OF THE NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH.
domestic animals. All the public buildings
are being improved.
Bladen.—Has no Board of Health.
Brunswick.—Dr. D. B. McNeill, Supply.
The sanitary condition of the county is fair,
but a few cases of dysentery have occurred in
the southern section of the county. There has
been no change in the sanitary condition of the
public buildings since last report.
Btmcombe.—Dr. H. B. Weaver, Asheville.
The sanitary condition of the county is fair.
There has been very little sickness with the
exception of measles. There has been no
epidemic of any kind among domestic animals.
The public buildings are in fair sanitary con-dition,
and efforts are making to improve the
same.
Burke.—Dr. J. L. Laxton, Morganton. No
report received.
Cabarrus.—Dr. R. S. Young, Concord. The
general sanitary condition of the county is
good. There has been no epidemic of any
kind among domestic animals. The sanitary
condition of the public buildings is good. The
five prisoners confined in jail are given good
food and water. None give evidence of suc-cessful
vaccination, nor can any read or write.
The twenty inmates of the poor-house are sup-plied
with good food and water, twelve give
evidence of successful vaccination, and fourteen
of them can read and write.
Caldwell.—Dr. Robert L. Beall, Lenoir.
The county has never been in a healthier con-dition
at this season of the year. There has
been no epidemic among domestic animals.
The general sanitary condition of the public
buildings is good. No improvement at the
poor-house; its eight inmates are furnished
good food and water. None give evidence of
successful vaccination, and two can read and
write. Slight repairs have been made on the
jail; its one occupant is given good food and
water, dees not give evidence of successful vac-cination,
cannot read or write,
Camden.—Dr. Ed. B. Ferebee, Bellcross.
No report received.
Carteret.—Dr. M. F. Arendell, Morehead
City. The general sanitary condition of the
county is good. There has been no epidemic
of any kind among domestic animals. We are
improving the sanitary condition of the public
buildings, though very good at present. There
is but one p