Biennial report of the North Carolina State Board of Health

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UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA,
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Form No. 471
SEVENTH BIENNIAL REPORT
OF THE
NORTH CAROLINA
lBO/\t^tS OF HH/\LTH
1897-1898
RALEIGH :
Edwards & Broughton, Printers and Binders.
1899.
MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
ELECTED BY THE MEDICAL SOCIETY OF THE STATE OF
NORTH CAROLINA.
George Gillett Thomas, M. D., President Wilmington.
Term Expires 1899.
S. Westray Battle, M. D. Asheville.
Term Expires 1899.
W, H. Harrell, M. D Williamston.
Term Expires 1899.
John Whitehead, M. D _ Salisbury.
Term Expires 1899.
APPOINTED BY THE GOVERNOR.
C. J. O'Hagan, M. D - Greenville.
Term Expires 1899.
J. D. Spicer, M. D. * Goldsboro.
Term Expires 1899.
J. L. Nicholson, M. D. Richlands.
Term Expires 1899.
A. W. Shaffer, Sanitary Engineer Raleigh.
Term Expires 1899.
Richard H. Lewis, M. D., Secretary. ...Raleigh.
Term Expires 1899.
* Resigned.
7f ^X
LIST OF COUNTY SUPERINTENDENTS OF HEALTH IN THE
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA DECEMBER 31, 1898.
Alamance—Dr. W. R. Goley, Graham.
Alexander—Dr. T. F. Stevenson, Taylorsville.
Alleghany—
Anson—Dr. E. S. Ashe, Wadesboro.
Ashe—Dr. L. C. Gentry, Grumpier.
Beaufort—Dr. Joshua Tayloe, Washington.
Bertie—Dr. H. V. Dunstan, Windsor.
Bladen—Dr. Newton Robinson, Elizabethtown.
Brunswick—Dr. D. B. McNeill, Supply.
Buncombe—Dr. I. A. Harris, Jupiter.
Burke—Dr. J. L. Laxton, Morganton.
Cabarrus—Dr. J. S. Laflferty, Concord.
Caldwell—Dr. A. A. Kent, Lenoir.
Camden-
Carteret—Dr. F. M. Clarke, Beaufort.
,Caswell—
Catawba—Dr. D. M. Moser, Conover.
Chatham—Dr. H. T. Chapin, Pittsboro.
Cherokee—Dr. S. C. Heighway, Murphy.
Chowan—
Clay—Dr. W. E. Sanderson, Haysville.
Cleveland—Dr. R. C. Ellis, Shelby.
Columbus—Dr. J. F. Harrell, Whiteville.
Craven—Dr. L. Duffy, Newbern.
Cumberland—Dr. J. Vance McGougan, Fayetteville.
Currituck—Dr. H. M. Shaw, Shawboro.
Dare—
Davidson—Dr. John Thames, Lexington.
DAViE^Dr. James McGuire, Mocksville.
Duplin—Dr. F. H. Arthur, Magnolia.
Durham—Dr. John M. Manning, Durham.
Edgecombe—Dr. L. L. Staton, Tarboro.
Forsyth—Dr. John Bynum. Winston.
Franklin—Dr. E. S. Foster, Louisburg.
Gaston—Dr. J. H. Jenkins, Dallas. '
;
Gates—Dr. R. C. Smith, Gatesville.
Graham—
Granville—Dr. G. A. Coggeshall, Oxford.
LIST OF SUPERINTENDENTS OF HEALTH.
Greene—Dr. Joseph'E. Grimsle}% Snow Hill.
Guilford—Dr. A. E. Ledlietter. Greensboro.
Halifax—Dr. I. E. Green, Weldou.
Harnett—Dr. 0.|;L. Denning, Dunn.
Haywood—Dr. J. Howell Way. Waynesville.
Henderson—Dr.'J. G. Waldrop, Hendersonville.
Hertford—Dr. John W. Tayloe, Union.
Hyde—
Iredell—Dr. Henry F. Long, Statesville.
Jackson—Dr. J. H. Wolff. Sylva.
Johnston—Dr. L. D. Wharton, Smithfield.
Jones—Dr. S. E. Koonce, PoUocksville.
Lenoir-
Lincoln—Dr. L. A. Crowell. Crimsic.
McDowell—Dr.'B. A. Cheek, Marion.
Macon—Dr. F. L. Siler. Franklin.
Madison—Dr. Jas. K. Hardwicke, Marshall.
Martin—Dr. W. H. Harrell. Williamston.
Mecklenburg—Dr. M. C. Strong, Charlotte.
Mitchell—Dr. C. E. Smith, Bakersville.
Montgomery-
Moore—Dr. Gilbert McLeod. Carthage.
Nash—Dr. H. Brantley, Spring Hope.
New Hanover—Dr. W. D. McMillan, Wilmington.
Northampton—Dr. H. W. Lewis. Jackson.
Onslow—Dr. E. L. Cox, Jacksonville.
Orange—Dr. C. D. Jones, Hillsboro.
Pamlico-
Pasquotank—Dr. I. Fearing, Elizabeth City.
Pender—Dr. George F. Lucas, Currie.
Perquimans—Dr. C.^C.Winslow, Winfall.
Person—Dr. J. A. Wise, Roxboro.
Pitt—Dr. E. A. Moye, Greenville.
Polk—Dr. W. S. Green, Mill Spring.
Randolph—Dr. Dr. T. T. Ferree, Ashboro.
Richmond—Dr. W. M. Fowlkes, Rockingham.
Robeson—Dr. H. T. Pope, Lumberton.
Rockingham—Dr. Sam Ellington, W^entworth.
Rowan—Dr. W. L. Crump, Salisbury.
Rutherford—Dr. W. A. Thompson. Rutherfordton.
Sampson—Dr. R. E. Lee, Clinton.
Stanly—
Stokes—Dr. W. L. McCanless, Danbury.
Surry—Dr. John R. Woltz, Dobson.
Swain—Dr. A. M. Bennett, Brvson Citv.
LIST OF SUPERINTENDENTS OF HEALTH.
Transylvania—Dr. M. M. King. Brevard.
Tyrrell—
Union—Dr. J. E. Ashcraft, Monroe.
Vance—Dr. W. J. Judd, Henderson.
Wake—Dr. R. B. Ellis. Raleigh.
Warren—Dr. T. B. Williams, Ridgeway.
Washington—Dr. W. H. Ward, Plymouth.
Watauga—Dr. W. B. Council, Boone.
Wayne—Dr. Jas. H. Powell. Goldsboro.
Wilkes—Dr. J. W. White. Wilkesboro.
Wilson—Dr. C. B. Walton, Wilson.
Yadkin—Dr. M. A. Royall. Yadkinville.
Yancey—Dr. J. L. Ray, Burnsville.
LETTER OF TRANSMISSION.
North Carolina Board of Health,
Office of the Secretary,
Raleigh, January 3, 1899.
His Excellency, Daniel L. Russell,
Governor of North Carolina.
Sir:—In compliance with Section 3, Chapter 214,
Laws of 1893, I have the honor to present this, the
Seventh Biennial Report of the North Carolina Board
of Health.
Very respectfully yours,
RICH'D H. LEWIS, M. D.,
Secretary and Treasurer.
SEVENTH BIENNIAL REPORT
NORTH CAROLINA BOARD Of HEALTH.
1897=1898.
The first of the past two years was not marked by
anything out of the usual in sanitary matters, but 1898
unfortunately brought with it small-pox, which has
from time to time appeared iu various sections of the
State, although generally in a very mild form. The
Board in the exercise of its advisory functions has as-sisted
as far as possible the local authorities in its man--
agement. On the whole the management of the Super-intendents
has been good, and the disease has been kept
within comparatively narrow limits. The ijidications,
however, for the coming year are not reassuring, owing
to the general indifference to vaccination—the most im-portant
element always in the contest with this disease,
and peculiarly so in rural communities like our own
where an effective quarantine is extremely difficult and
often practically impossible. But although we move in
a quiet way, we believe that our efforts are slowly, it is
true, but surely making an impression on the minds
and habits of our people. They are unquestionably
more wide-awake to the fact that some diseases are pre-ventable
and more interested in* the work of prevention
than formerly.
A thorough inspection of the w^atersheds and works
8 NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH.
of the public water supplies of the State was made by
the Engineer of the Board, and an analysis, both chemi-cal
and bacteriological, of the waters made. This report
published in the Bulletin was received with much inter-est,
and the knowledge that they were watched doubt-less
had a good effect upon the water companies, for
while "soulless corporations,'' there is a good deal of
ordinary human nature in their managers.
The Monthly Bulletin has appeared regularly and
promptly during the past twenty-four months, and be-comes
more aud moreuseiul^s a.medium of communi-cation
with all the physicians in the State and, in a
limited way, of instruction to the people.
This modest publication of the Board seems to be
read, both at home and abroad, it appears, as in a letter
from the sanitary editor of one of the great papers of the
country asking to be put on the mailing list, the state-ment
was made that the writer had been told that it
was the best in the United States. We make no such
claim, but merely refer to the matter in order that your
Excellency and the General Assembly may know that
the work of your agents for the protection of the peo-ple's
health meets with approval.
For lack of money the publication and distribution of
literature in the form of pamphlets of a popular char-acter
on the more important subjects in sanitation have
been kept in abeyance. This we have found probably
our most effective agency in educating the people in hy-giene,
and trust that it can be resumed in the near future.
For the work of the Board in detail the reader is re-ferred
to the following pages.
MEETINGS OF THE BOARD.
MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL MEETING AT MORE-HEAD
CITY IN 1897.
Atlantic 'Hotel,
MoREHEAD City, N. C, June 8, 1897.
The Board met in annual session at -t.SO p. m., with
President Thomas in the chair. Present: Drs. C. J.
O'Hagan, J. D. Spicer, Geo. G. Thomas. W. H. Har-rell.
Col. A. W. Shaffer and Dr. Richard H. Lewis.
On motion of Dr. C. J. O'Hagan, Drs. Thomas and
Lewis were unanimously reelected President aud Sec-retary,
respectively.
On motion of Dr. Harrell it was ordered that the mu-nicipal
water supplies of the State be examined chemi-cally
and bacteriologically during the current year ; and,
that the Engineer of the Board at his convenience collect,
pack, and ship samples of the same ; and at the same
time make an inspection of, and report on the various
water works and watersheds. Also that the Treasurer
purchase necessary books for the Engineer.
Upon a statement by the Secretary that the issue of
the 20, 000 Health Pamphlets, ordered at the last annual
meeting at Winston, had not been made for various
reasons, Dr. O'Hagan moved that in view of the pres-ent
embarassed condition of the State Treasury, their
publication be postponed to a more favorable time.
Carried.
At the suggestion of the Secretary, the ^200 a year
heretofore allowed him for clerical help, in view of the
suspension of the distribution of Health Pamphlets,
was, on motion, discontinued.
lO NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH.
Col. Shaffei^ called attention to the fact that members
of the Board being State officers were required by law
to take the statutory oath of office, and it was there-upon
agreed that each member should make this oath
before his Superior Court Clerk and forward it to the
Secretary of the Board, to be filed with the proper State
official.
Adjourned to meet again at 10 p. m.
RICH'D H. LEWIS,
Secretary.
Night Session.
The Board reconvened with the same members pres-ent
as at the afternoon session.
Col. Shaffer was duly appointed to audit the accounts
of the Treasurer at his convenience after his return to
Raleigh.
The continuance of the publication of the Bulletin
was discussed, and, upon motion, it was ordered con-tinued
in a form to be juodified by the Secretary.
On motion of Dr. Nicholson, the issue of the Bulletin
was ordered increased to a number sufficient to allow
one copy for every registered physician in the State.
On motion, Goldsboro was selected as the place for
the next Health Conference, the time to be fixed by the
President and Secretary after consultation with the local
health officials.
On motion of Col. Shaffer, the Secretary was desig-nated
to attend the next meeting of the National Con-ference
of State and Provincial Boards of Health at
Nashville, Tenn.
On motion of Dr. Nicholson, Col. Shaffer was desig-nated
to attend meeting of Sanitary Engineers.
On motion, the Board adjourned to meet at Goldsboro.
RICH'D H. LEWIS,
Secretary.
CONJOINT SESSION
WITH THE
MEDICAL SOCIETY OF THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA.
MOREHEAD CITY, JUNE 9, 1897.
The conjoint session was called to order by the Presi-dent,
Dr. G. G. Thomas, who said:
The State Board of Health is so thoroughly in the hands of the
Secretary that an address from your President seems an imposition
on your time. I wish that the entire membership would stay, for
the questions of sanitation are certainly as interesting and as im-portant
as surgery or medicine. This Board, you know, works un-der
great diflBculties, often against the adverse criticism of politi-cians.
It looks now to those of us who are studying the signs of the
times that we are now getting nearer the promised land. Several
years ago, as you are aware, the Health Conference was instituted,
and only a lack of means has made the conferences so few in num-ber.
We believe that they have accomplished a great deal. If they
haven't taught any great lesson to the people, they have made them
think. In every community we have entered, we feel sure that we
have left some seeds which will grow into a harvest of indefinite
size. I have only one thing I wish to say, and that is in regard to
the extension of the State Law in regard to communicable diseases.
Last year at a meeting of the Board at Winston, I took occasion to
remark that it would be a good thing to add measles to the list of
quarantinable diseases. This is not a move that will commend itself
to the general practitioner, and more especially to the elders in the
profession. I say it with all becoming respect and reverence for these
gentlemen. They generally agree with what I have heard said of a
surgeon in one of the Confederate camps who went into the hospital
and found a great number of country lads who had never been ex
posed to the poison of measles, and they were very sick. Another
day brought an increase, and another day still more, and the sur-geon
wanted to know what in the world their mothers meant when
they did not see that they had had measles in their childhood. That
i2 NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH.
expression. I am sorry to say. is coininon among the profession, not-withstanding
the fact that the death rate is large. I do not know
the statistics of the last epidemic, but I know that there are many
saddened households left by that last march through the country.
According to Stevenson and Murphy, mortality in Gfreat Britain
and "Wales amounted to the lai^e number of from six to ten thou
sand deaths in different epidemics. This does not take into account
the number of people who were left with serious pulmonary trouble,
and otherwise disabled. I believe in towns of any size it is possible
to quarantine measles as easily as scarlet fever. It does not require
so much care to quarantine from scarlet fever, now that it is recog-nized
that the law is fixed. I know that the ravages of measles were
marked by a great deal of disaster, coming as it did at a very inoppor-tune
season—in winter. I think it would be wise for the conjoint
session to consider whether measles should not be added tc the list
of diseases that must be quarantined. So far as other diseases,
whcoping-cough, mumps, chicken pox. etc.. are concerned, they
might wait later. People wall have to be educated up to this, and
present education will not allow stringent measures to be adopted,
but I think it will be a i^rogressive stej) if the Board of Health adds
measles to the list of quarantinable diseases. I believe that the
time is coming when we will have to take this step.
Dr. O'Haga^'^.—I think my friend mu.st have meant something
personal when he mentioned the Confederate surgeon. I think the
first step that ought to be taken should be to make it compulsory
with every family to see that they had measles. Such, I have no
doubt, is directly antagonistic with your views on the subject. If
my friend Dr. Thomas had had to go through with the terrible or-deal
of bringing three regiments through in 1861, and didnt agree
with me in this, he would at least sympathize with me. This is pre-liminary
to my idea of putting measles on the black list. I do not
think it will do. The prevailing feeling is that it is not a very for
midable disease. The popular \aew will not support it; and I do
not think it is best to i^ush things too far, for there is danger of kick-ing.
There is a wholesome di-ead of scarlet fever in 1 he popular
mind, and they don't object to any restrictions on that, and also on
diphtheria. Typhoid fever can be quarantined, but we must not
interfere with measles and whooping cough ; they belong to the do-mestic
faculty, and we must not intrude ui>on the premises of their
rights.
There is a matter of great importance for discussion now and that
is the utter inefficiency of the County Superintendents of Health,
and the carelessness and indifference to making monthly reports
even remotely or approximately correct. I am tolerably well ac-quainted
with the work of the County Superintendent of Health in
SEVENTH BIENNIAL REPORT. I 3
our county, and I think you will ^gree with the statement I am
about to mak?. I regret to say that politics enters too much in the
choice of these Superintendents; they go into it for what they can
make out of the office, and that is not a great deal. As to getting
reliable statistics, their labors are utterly useless., Those from my
county are not worth one cent, and I have no doubt that you gen-tlemen
from the other counties will corroborate my statement. I do
not know how it is to be remedied. It is almost impossible to get
any reliable information. However, ve are just at the beginning of
this work, and I hope we will improve, but I have no suggestions to
make in I'egard to the improvement. Young men are optimistic and
old men are pessimistic. I think the first step toward getting any
correct data or any legislation upon it, would be to urge upon the
County Superintendent of Health the imjDortance of absolute accu-racy
in the monthly reports. I know that those from my own
county are utterly worthless, and I have no doubt that it is true
from all others, with the exception, perhaps, of Wilmington.
Dr. Btrroughs.—I have listened to the remarks in regard to the
quarantining of measles, and I have listened to what Dr. O'Hagan
has said. I think that measles is a disease of more gravity than
most physicians regard it, and it is the duty of the Board of Health
to ([uarantine measles wlienever practicable. Measles gets into a
community; it prostrates the majority of the inhabitants, and I
know of no better way of illustrating the use of quarantine than by
giving you an instance of two schools of which I have the honor to
be tlie physician. One has about one hundred and forty to one hun-dred
and sixty girls, and the other two hundred tc two hundred and
twenty five young ladies. Measles last year got into this school of
older girls, and 63 of them had it and were kept from their studies. ^
Several developed pneumonia in connection with catarrhal bron-chitis.
It kept them from their classes, and some of them had to be
sent home, and it demoralized the whole .school. The other .school
quarantined against the Normal and Collegiate Institute, in which
the measles appeared, and I visited first the school that had no
measles. As a result the smaller school, though only 89 yards away
and with 150 girls, developed not a single case. They were allowed
to go on with their work. I think something of this kind could be
done in keeping it from household to household. It is carelessness
on the part of the health officers to allow measles to become scat-tered
over a town. If you have a thorough quarantine at first, the
disease will be easy to control. Unless you come in contact with it.
you don't get it. If you would quarantine it just as you do scarlet
fever v.e would not have .«o many constitutions undermined and so
many ca.-;es of catarrh and pneumonia, laying the way for invasion
by tubercular bacilli. I am in favor of quarantining measles.
14 NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH.
Dr. Murphy.—I am inclined to agree with both gentlemen. I
have had pretty much the sanfe experience that Dr. O'Hagan has
had. I have gone through with two epidemics of it in the hospital
for the insane. I had the irajDression that measles was contagious,
and that all would have it, so I made no effort to quarantine.
About that time, I visited the Georgia hosi^ital, where they have
about two thousand patients. The doctor told me that some of his
nurses had measles and they were trying to keep it from spreading.
I said that that was useless. He said he was going to do it anyway,
and sometime afterwards I asked him the result, and he said they
had not had another case. So it seems to be of some use. In that
hospital there are qui^ a number of buildings and they are all
miired up, and I don't even now understand how he did it, but he
is a truthful man.
Dr. Munroe.—While I think that measles should be quaran-tined,
and that inside of five years we will quarantine measles, I
doubt whether the public mind is educated up to that point yet.
In regard to the mortuary statistics, the trouble is to get competent
men, In our section of the State, notwithstanding the registered
physicians elect them, there is always a political scramble for the
place. No reputable physician is going to try for it, and I believe
that the people in the jail and in the poor house ought to have the
best medical attention from the best medical talent in North Caro-lina.
^Dr. McDowell.—There are only half a dozen physicians in a
county that report to these County Superintendents of Health, and
how are they going to make any report that way '? They don't make
any reports of contagious diseases or any mortuary statistics to
health officer. I want to know if that is not our fault, I mean that
' we don't have better statistics. I know I have done very little re-porting.
If there is a case of scarlet fever, we telegraph him, and
the quai'antine takes place immediately. I think we ought to have
a better organized county medical society in every county, and the
work that came before them would be worth a great deal to the
State Board of Health. It is with the physicians at large that this
lies. I don't think the Superintendent of Health does anything now
except attend to the poor house and jail. It seems to me that we as
individual physicians could uphold the State Board of Health if we
would pay the proper attention to our duties along this line. In
these counties, it is a right hard matter to visit all parts of it and
get the statistics and the number of cases of various diseases, and
all this and the regulation of health matters, including the water
supply, will rest with the physicians in the various localities. It
might be easy to quarantine measles in a town, but if you try it in
a country town the difficulties will increase. You never know any-
SEVENTH BIENNIAL REPORT. 1
5
body has measles until the eruption appears. All the other children
are- in school with this child, and who is going to be quarantined ?
All his playmates and associates in school have flocked around him
to sympathize with him because he is not feeling well, and have all
become poisoned. Every child there has come in contact with him.
You do not see but about one in ten who has measles, and it is
almost impossible to quarantine. In a family where the daily bread
is dependent on the labor of the father or the mother or some of the
larger children, none of whom have had measles, what are you
going to do ? In factory towns where most of the children work in
factories, suppose you have them quarantined, how are you going
to feed all these people ? How are you going to take care of them ?
With the mother and larger children working for their daily bread,
it seems to me that in a town of one hundred families of this kind,
with two or three thousand inhabitants, you will have a hard time
to support these people, and it seems to me to be almost impossible
to quarantine in small towns.
Dr. Burroughs.—It is no more trouble to quarantine a small
town than it is any other. If you quarantine the first' cases, you can
get hold of the others pretty soon. As soon as the people realize
that measles is a contagious disease and that the children who have
it will be stopped from school, they will recognize it as such and
send for a doctor at once, and the thing will be easily put under
control. In regard to mortuary and vital statistics. There is no
way of getting them without further legislation. You must have
township cemeteries, and a man in charge of each who would give
a certificate of death for each one buried. There is no other way of
reaching the mortuary statistics but by having township and not
church and private burying grounds.
Dr. Thomas.—I want to say a little more about this quarantine.
If you didn't quarantine in diphtheria and scarlet fever, you would
have just as wide spread an epidemic as you would in measles.
The public mind has more dread of these two because they are more
mortal. I still believe a great deal could be done in the counties if
the physician^ who by law constitute the County Board of Health
would have readings and discussions of these questions and urge the
Superintendents to more work. Your mortuary statistics will be
more thoroughly quoted. In our organization the thing had to be
done in years and years; it is not a thing which can be done in
months. I believe that now the work of this Society and the Board
of Health is being appreciated by the people of North Carolina. I
would like for the question to be still further agitated.
The reading of the Annual Report of the Secretary
was then called for, and was as follows
:
l6 NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH.
REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF THE NORTH
CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH FOR THE
YEAR 189f>-'9T.
Richard H. Lewis, M. D., Raleigh, N. C.
Since our last annual meeting the Board has accom-plished
rather more work than during any period of the
same length in its history. A statement of most of this
in detail will be found in the Sixth Biennial Report cov-ering
the part of 1896 belonging to our society year, and
therefore it would be a work of supererogation to do
more now than simply recapitulate what was done.
Owing to the extent of this work the appropriation for
1896, together with the balance on hand from 1895, was
more than exhausted, so that a good deal of the ex-pense
had to be met out of the appropriation for the
current year. In consequence of that fact w^e have not
been able to undertake, since the first of January last,
anything outside the usual routine. Practically, there-fore,
a full statement of all the work for our past fiscal
year will be found in the Biennial Report.
With the exception of the convict camps which had
to be omitted for want of money to pay the necessary
expenses incident thereto, all the State Institutions were
visited and inspected by Committees from the Board ap-'
pointed by the President for the purpose, viz t The North
Carolina Asylum for the Insane, the Institution for the
Deaf. Dumb and the Blind at Raleigh, the Penitentiary,
the State Capitol, the University, the College of Agri-culture
and the Mechanic Arts, the State Normal and
Industrial College—twice, once to specifically advise as
to the best method of sewage disposal and once to
make a general inspection—the Agricultural and
SEVENTH BIENNIAL REPORT. 1
7
Mechanical College for the Colored Race, the School for
the Deaf and Dumb and the State Hospital, at Morgan-ton,
the Eastern Hospital at Goldsboro and the Oxford
Orphan Asylum. In addition, upon request, the Board
advised the proper authorities as to the best method of
sewage disposal for a new building recently erected for
the medical department at Davidson College; and the
County Commissioners of Johnston County in regard
to the removal of the jail to another site.
Believing the purity of all drinking water, and espe-cially
of the public water supplies, to be of paramount
importance to the public health, and realizing that many
of the municipal supplies* in our State, owing to the
source of supply, were peculiarly liable to contami-nation,
the Board at the last annual meeting ordered an
examination made of them. This was done, not with
the expectation of doing anythiag like thorough work
(our limited appropriation forbidding that) but for the
moral effect upon the water companies that would be
produced by the simple knowledge of the fact that the
State, having more regard for the lives and health of
its citizens, their consumers, than for the size of their
dividends, had an eye upon them. In obedience to this
order a bacteriological examination was made of all the
municipal supplies in the State. Of the fifteen, four
were found to contain intestinal bacilli, and four to be
suspicious, and were so reported by the Secretary to the
Board at a meeting held in Charlotte on October 15,
•96, at the time of the Health Conference there. As the
result of this report, the Secretary was instructed to
have made immediately another bacteriological and
a chemical analysis of all the infected and suspicious
waters; and he was further ordered, in those cases
where the water was shown to be still bad, to notify
the Superintendent of Health, the Mayor and the man-
1
8
NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HKALTH.
ager of the water works of the fact, and call upon them
in the interest of the public health to remedy the trou-ble,
and, if he did not receive satisfactory assurance
within thirty days that this had been done, to have the
analyses published in the local papers for the informa-tion
of the people using said waters. While seven or
eight sent samples for the bacteriological examination
—
the Board furnishing the sterilized bottle—only two sent
samples for the chemical examination. This second ex-amination
revealed the gratifying fact that the intesti-nal
bacilli had disappeared in every instance, and the
condition of the various waters was much improved.
In view of the difficulties of one kind and another en -
countered by your Secretary in obtaining samples rightly
packed and shipped in the investigations referred to, he
would respectfully suggest that in case of another such
examination that the samples be collected, packed and
shipped by a member of the Board. Although this
would add materially to the expense, it would, in his
opinion, be money well spent as the works, including
watershed, could at the same time be inspected.
Besides these examinations of municipal water sup-plies,
bacteriological analyses were made of three seri-ously
suspected wells, one at the Oxford Orphan Asy-lum,
one in Asheville, and one in Burlington, and the
water of each was found to be unfit for use.
Samples of water from a well in Oxford, one in Rowan
County, and one in Winston, containing insects and
worms visible to the naked eye were sent to the Secretary
for an opinion. He being no entomologist, requested
Dr. H. V. Wilson, the able Professor of Biology in the
University, to make the identification for him. This
he courteously and cheerfully did without charge, and
deserves the thanks of the Board.
In order to take stock and strike some kind of balance,
SEVENTH BIENNIAL REPORT. 1
9
SO to speak, your Secretary addressed a circular letter
to several hundred physicians residing in the eastern
section of the State, asking their opinion as to what
effect in the matter of improving the drinking water
and preventing sickness and death had been produced
by the pamphlet on Drinking Water in its Relation to
Malarial Diseases which, together with other Health
pamphlets, had been widely distributed in 1895. Only
fifty-six replies were received up to the end of the year
and the evidence was, in the nature of the case, far from
ideal in quality, but it nevertheless plainly showed that
in a great many instances a better domestic water sup-ply
had been provided, and that much good had been
accomplished in the saving of health and life.
In October last Dr. R. H. Whitehead, of the Medical
Department of the University, kindly offered through
the Board to make for any physician desiring it, free of
charge, the serum diagnosis test for typhoid fever and
'
' to make the laboratory useful in any other way so far
as my (his) time will permit." His generous offer was
accepted with thanks, and notice thereof with directions
was given through the Bulletin, a copy of which is
mailed monthly to every member of the State Medical
Society. Very few, however, we regret to learn, availed
themselves of the offer.
With the beginning of 1896 a new departure in the
collection of vital statistics was made for the purpose of
securing more trustworthy reports, by requesting report-ers
to sign at the bottom of each monthly report a certi-ficate
to the effect that the report included "the whole
number of deaths occurring in the corporate limits dur-ing
the above month." Since that time twenty-four
of the twenty-seven towns making mortuary reports
have certified to the accuracy of their reports. A con-sideration
of these more reliable statistics has confirmed
20 NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH.
thp fact to which attention was called in the Fifth Bien-nial
Eeport, that the death rate from tuberculosis was
very much higher among the negroes than among the
whites—to be exact the proportion in 1896 was 3.33 to 1.
The statement made in the same report that the negro
seemed to be much less susceptible to diphtheria than
the white man, the number of deaths from that disease
recorded in the two years 1893- '94 being whites 22, col-ored
0, was also confirmed by the figures of 1896, the
deaths from diphtheria during that year being, respec-tively,
13 and 1.
As has been the case every two years since the Board
was organized, the meeting of the Legislature was an-ticipated
with more or less uneasiness. Subsequent
events, however, did not justify the feeling, for no hos-tility
to the Board and its work materialized. It is true
that the law was so amended- as to take the election of
the County Superintendent of Health out of the hands
of the County Board of Health and give it to the County
Commissioners, and at the same time give them abso-lute
control of the salary of the Superintendent, but
while, looking at the matter from every point of view
the change, in our best judgment, was inadvisable, still
the reasonableness of the contention that the body pay-ing
an official should have the selection of that official
and the fixing of his salary, looked at from the point
of view of the business man, can not be denied. \Yith
this exception the Act Relating to the Board of Health
was not interferred with. In the matter of new legis-lation
along sanitary fines an attempt was made to have
laws enacted for the Prevention of Bhndness, for Com-pulsory
Vaccination, and for the Protection of Public
Water Supplies, bills for the two latter being prepared
by your Secretary, at the request of the Hon. Thos. H.
Sutton, one of the Members of the House from Cumber-
SEVENTH BIENNIAL REPORT. 2 1
land. The first named was still-born, the 'second was
promptly defeated, and the last, while it was reported
favorably by the Committee on Public Health, and was
endorsed by every one approached on the subject, could
not be gotten up, owing to the press of other business in
the last month of the session. In this connection we
feel that our acknowledgments ai'e due to many en-lightened
friends of all parties, and to none more than
to Dr. Abner x\lexander, of Tyrrell, who was always
keenly alive to the value and importance of our health
and medical laws.
In conclusion it is due His Excellency, (xoveruor Rus-sell,
that we should express our appreciation of his evi-dent
desire to keep politics out of the Board, as shown
by the truly non-partisan appointments of members to
fill the vacancies caused by the expiration of the pres-ent
incumbents. We trust that this may ever remain
so, whatever the political faith of our Chief Executive,
and that the usefulness of the Board may remain un-impaired.
MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL MEETING AT
CHAELOTTE IN 1898.
BuFORD Hotel,
Charlotte, N. C, May 3, 1898.
Annual meeting of the Board. Present: Drs. O'Ha-gan.
Battle and Nicholson, Col. Shaffer and the Secre-tary.
In the absence of the President, Dr. O'Hagan was
called to the chair.
The minutes of the last annual meeting were read and
approved.
The report of the Engineer of the Board, Col. Shaffer,
22 NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH.
on the public water supjDlies of the State, was read and
discussed.
On motion, the Secretary was instructed, after con-sultation
with the Engineer, to devote one issue of the
Bulletin, or so much thereof as may be necessary, to the
publication of said report, together with the chemical
and bacteriological analyses of the samples of the vari-ous
water supplies; and to send a copy to the Mayor
and Board of Aldermen of the respective towns.
On motion, the President and Secretary were appointed
delegates to the annual meeting of the National Con-ference
of State and Provincial Boards of Health, and
Col. Shaffer as delegate to the American Public Health
Association.
On motion, it was ordered that the public institutions
of the State be inspected, and their sanitary condition
be reported on by committees of two from the Board,
to be appointed by the President.
Col. Shaffer, who was appointed a committee of one
to audit the account of the Treasurer, reported it cor-rect.
On motion, the Board adjourned to meet at the Con-joint
Session to-morrow at 12 m.
RICH'D H. LEWIS,
Secretary.
CONJOINT SESSION ^YITH THE MEDICAL SOCI-ETY
OF THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA AT
CHARLOTTE, MAY 4, 1898.
The special hour having arrived, the Conjoint Session
of the Board of Health was announced, and in the ab-sence
of the President, Dr. S. Westray Battle, of the
Board, was called to the chair.
The Secretary read his report, which, after a full dis-cussion,
was ordered printed.
SEVENTH BIENNIAL REPORT. 23
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF
THE NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH,
1897-'98.
By Richard H. Lewis, M. D., Rai/EI«h, N. C.
The past year has of necessity been less active than
the years immediately preceding. Our work being
largely educational, prosecuted chiefly by the free dis-tribution
among the people of health pamphlets on sani-tary
subjects, has been—temporarily we hope—sus-pended
for want of funds to pay for the printing. To
meet this difficulty, as far as possible, it will be remem-bered
that the Board ordered at its last annual meeting
at Morehead in June last, that the character of the
Monthly Bulletin be somewhat changed by omitting
certain statistical tables and inserting in lieu thereof
reading matter that might be of more interest and
profit. Not being able to mail a copy to everybody, it
was thought best—as the physicians, especially those liv-ing
in the country, largely control public sentiment in
all medical and kindred matters—to send it free of
charge to every registered physician in the State. Owing
to the inability, in spite of earnest efforts, to secure a
complete list of the physicians, the execution of this or-der
was postponed until the September issue. Since
that time the Bulletin has been mailed regularly to
every doctor whose name was on the register a year
ago. In this connection it would be proper to allude to
the complaints generally made by County Superintend-ents
of the failure on the part of the physicians to re-port
to them, and the plan adopted to overcome this ap-parent
indifference. Hoping that the failure to report
was more the result of thoughtlessness or forgetfulness
rather than actual indifference, and that a monthly re-minder
might help matters, I have since the November
24 NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH.
issue printed on the last page of the Bulletin the usual
blank, with the request to the reader to fill it out and
mail it to his County Superintendent by the 3d of the
month for use in making up his report to me. While
it sometimes happens, owing to press of work with the
State printer, that the Bulletin does not reach its
destination as early as it should, it doubtless generally
does on or before the 3d, but we fear that it has brought
no material improvement.
INSPECTION OF WATER SUPPLIES.
Believing that the mere analysis of the waters of the
public supplies of the State ordered by the Board at the
Winston meeting two years ago had been of benefit by
the intimation it conveyed to the water companies that
some one had an eye on them, it was decided at the
Morehead meeting to repeat the work, but more thor-oughly.
The plan first adopted of having the sample of
water taken and shipped by the local health officer hav-ing
been found in more than one instance unsatisfactory,
and an inspection of the works and watersheds by a re-sponsible
and disinterested person being deemed desira-ble.
Col. A. W. Shaffer, the Engineer of the Board, was
requested to make such inspections, and while doing so
to take and ship in a proper manner samples of the
various waters to the State Experiment Station for a
chemical, and to the bacteriologists of the Board for a
biological analysis. Col. Shaffer did this work in bis
usual thorough and painstaking manner, and I regret
to say, found not a few things deserving of criticism.
In the course of his examinations he made it a point to
learn water rates. He found that they were from iri
to 75 cents per 1,000 gallons to small consumers, with,
in some cases, a required minimum consumption
amounting to not less than Si per month. This, of
course, means prohibition of the use of the public sup-
SEVENTH BIENNIAL REPORT. 25
ply to the poor except where pubhc fountains are pro-vided.
Although these supplies in our State are not as
a rule, first-class, the water in nearly every instance is
safer than that of the wells, and it should be within the
reach of all. If there is anything more than another
except air, to which every man is entitled, it is an
abundance of good water. I doubt if the Board could
do a better work than to inaugurate and prosecute a
crusade for free water—at any rate, water as cheap as
possible—for those of our people in the larger towns
not blessed with an abundance of this world's goods.
YELLOW FEVER.
The epidemic of this disease occurring last summer
and fall on the Gulf while, fortunately, it did not ex-tend
to our borders, was a constant' source of anxiety to
the authorities of our city of Wilmington, which was
liable to infection. During the prevalence of the epi-demic,
the follovv^ing correspondence, which explains it-self,
occurred:
Raleigh. N. C, September 22, 1897.
Dr. R. H. Lewis, Secretary State Board of Health, Raleigh, N. C.
Dear Sir: I am directed by the Governor to enclose you this letter
from Surgeon-General Williams for j'our consideration and advice in
the matter.
The Governor would suggest that while this invitation, if extended.
might be productive of inducing some men of means to make their
homes in Western Carolina, it might also result in bringing into our
State large numbers of people without the means of subsistence while
here and whose expenses in returning might have to be paid by our
people.
Very truly yours.
J. E. ALEXANDER,
Private Secretary.
AsHEViLLE. N. C, September 18, 1897.
His Excellency, Daniel L. Russell, Governor.
Dear Sir: If it meet with your approbation, I should be pleased to
telegraph United States Marine Surgeon-General Wj'man offering the
26 NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH.
mountain plateau of Western North Carolina as a refuge for tlie
refugees from the fever-stricken districts.
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
JOHN H. WILLIAMS,
Surgeon-Oeneral N. C. S. G.
Raleigh, N. C, September 23, 1897.
His Excellency, D. L. Russell, Governor of North Carolina.
Deak Sir : The letter of Surgeon-General Williams asking your ap-probation
of the extension of an invitation to persons in the fever
infected districts of the South to take refuge on "the mountain
plateau of Western North Carolina," submitted to me for my '• consid-eration
and advice in the matter," was received this p. m.
Having duly considered the svibject, I would respectfully say. in my
opinion it would be unwise to extend the invitation. While I do not
think that at this season of the year and at the elevation of our moun-tain
plateau there would be any appreciable danger of conveying the
disease of yellow fever to the residents, I do believe that it would be
practically impossible to detain the refugees upon the plateau suflBoi-ently
long to prove that they were not infected, and that, therefore,
there would be a distinct risk of some of them going to certain sections
of our State that are susceptible to the disease—notably our city of
Wilmington—and sowing the seeds of a serious epidemic. One section
of the State might have to pay very dearly for the advertisement of
another—to say nothing of the economical suggestion you make that a
number of helpless people might have to be cared for at our expense.
The suggestion of Dr. Williams, looked at from the point of the
whole State, is, to my mind, clearly unwise.
Very respectfully yours,
RICHARD H. LEWIS,
Secretary.
The principal lesson drawn from the epidemic was the
unsatisfactory character of our present quarantine ar-rangements.
The friction developed between the United
Marine Hospital Service and the State quarantine officials
was such as to satisfy nearly every one except some of the
said State officials that National supervision and control
of our maritime and interstate quarantine is greatly to
be desired. This being an extremely important matter
and the President of the Board, a resident of our prin-cipal
seaport, and for maay years on the Quarantine
SEVENTH BIENNIAL REPORT. 27
Board of the same, holding identical views with myself
on the subject, I thought it well in two numbers of the
Bulletin to advocate those views, viz: National quaran-tine
by the Marine Hospital Service. The past winter
having been a very mild one—not sufficiently cold per-haps
to kill the germs—it is to be feared that the dis-ease
may reappear with hot weather. Then, too, the
communication with Cuba, that may be brought about
by the war, is not reassuring. But, if, as a result of
the war, the city of Havana can be put under the con-trol
of those who will enforce the proper sanitary regu-lations,
its present menacing character as the breeding
ground par-excellence of this disease, may be abolished.
SMALL-POX.
In the December Bulletin attention was called to the
prevalence of small-pox in South Carolina and Georgia
near our border, and Superintendents of those coun-ties
near the infected districts were exhorted to make
the most of any scare that might exist among their peo-ple
and vaccinate as many of them as possible.
The first case occurring in our State w^as reported in
Wilmington on February 12th, in the person of a negro
coming from South Carolina. In a few days another
case, also a negro from South Carolina, occurred. Both
recovered. In Charlotte there have been four cases —all
negroes—with two deaths, origin of the disease also
South Carolina. A young man from Georgia introduced
the disease into his family in Clay County. Every
member of the family, to the number of ten including
himself, had it but none died. On March 2, a case in
the person of a negro child from Alabama was reported
near Gibsonville, in Alamance. On March 30th I was
notified by the Superintendent of Health of a case in
Salisbury ; origin, Knoxville, Tenn. On April Ittth the
28 NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH.
Health Officer of Asheville notified me of a case there
in a negro man ten days from Jacksonville, Fla. As
there seems to have been no small-pox in that city, he
probably contracted it en route through South Carolina.
A few days later another case was reported from Ashe-ville—
a negro woman who, in the eruptive stage of the
disease, had fled from South Carolina for fear of the
pest house, and had been in hiding several days before
being discovered. There have been, altogether, 21 cases
of small-pox in North Carolina since February 12th—10
white and 11 colored, with two deaths among the latter.
With the exception of its extension to members of the
immediate family of one case in Charlotte and of the
Clay County case, there was no spread of the disease
whatever. This speaks well for the faithfulness and
efficiency of those having the responsibility of its pre-vention,
and is very gratifying. But at the same time
we should return thanks to the kind Providence that
rules the affairs of men, for in some instances the au-thorities,
owing to the determined, not to say violent,
resistance of the people—the ignorant classes—were not
able, or at any rate failed, to carry out the precaution-ary
measures required; as, for example, in Wilmington,
where the compulsory vaccination ordered was so vio-lently
resisted by the negroes as to cause the abandon-ment
of the attempt. In Charlotte, however, the au-thorities
were more successful. Acting Mayor Brevard
sent a man who refused to be vaccinated to jail, and in
consequence, and for other reasons, 17,000 it is estimated,
were vaccinated. The unreasoning prejudice of iguo-
, ranee is extremely difficult to meet, and sometimes re-quires
a resort to methods that are very obnoxious to
Americans. So we should make all due allowances for
such failures.
SEVENTH BIENNIAL REPORT. 29
HEALTH CONFERENCE.
The usual Annual Health Conference with the People
was held in Goldsboro on October 14tli. An excellent
programme was prepared, but owing to the unavoidable
absence of several of those who had promised papers, it
was not as full as usual. Notwithstanding this and the
rivalry of a popular theatrical troupe, the attendance
aud interest shown were gratifying, and we were as-sured
that it had done good. Our former associate, Dr.
Venabie, kindly helped us out most materially with a
valuable and interesting illustrated talk on ''Bread."
FORMALDEHYDE DISINFECTION.
The importance of disinfection, thorough disinfection,
in sanitation being so overwhelming, and believing dis-infection
by formaldehyde gas to be practically the best
method, I devoted the November issue of the Bulletin
to that subject. Every physician in the State received
a copy in regular course, and I hope the interest of
many was quickened; but knov/ing how often we are
prevented from doing what we like for want of the nec-essary
materials, I thought it well to send a copy to all
the druggists in the State whose address could be ob-tained—
more than 300—together with a letter request-ing
them to keep in stock the necessary apparatus for
this method of disinfection, and asking tliem to let the
jDublic, and especially physicians, know that they had
the apparatus.
PURE FOOD AND DRUG CONGRESS.
In obedience to orders from the President of the Board,
I attended the meeting of the above in Washington,
March 2-4. A large number of delegates representing
practically every interest involved were present, and
30 NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH.
seemed to be much in earnest. The Pure Food bill,
which had already been introduced in the House by Mr.
Brosius, of Pennsylvania, was amended by the Con-gress.
A Committee was appointed to work for it, and,
but for tlie war with Spain, some much-needed legisla-tion
on this line might have been obtained.
COUNTY SUPERINTENDENTS OF HEALTH.
It is with much regret that I have to announce the
failure of ten counties to elect Superintendents since
the power to elect was transferred by the last Legisla-ture
from the County Board of Health to the Board of
County Commissioners. This is very discouraging. It is
a retrogression that it is to be deplored. As the election,
under the amended law, takes place annually on the first
Monday in May, I mailed to the Boards of Commission-ers
referred to the following letter:
Raleigh, April 27, 1898.
Board of County Commissioners—
CrEXTLEMEX : Not having any reports from your County Superintend-ent
of Health for some time, I fear that j^ou overlooked his election. I
would respectfully call your attention to the fact tliat the law (chap-ter
214, Laws 1893,) is mandatory on the subject. As amended by tlie
Legislature of 1897 the Superintendent •'shall be chosen by the boai-d
of county commissioners of each county annually, on the first I\Ion-day
in May of each year, and the said board of commissioners shall fix
the compensation of said county superintendent of health."
It is very important to the health interests of the people that tliere
should be such an oflicial in each county (it being another name for
county physician), and inasmuch as your honorable Board has abso-lute
control of the selection of the ofiicer and of his remuneration, I
hope you will comply with the law and elect a Superintendent on Mon-day
nest. Please have your Secretary send me his name and address,
and oblige.
Yours truly, RICHARD H. LEWIS, M. D.,
Secretary.
In conclusion, I feel it my dutv once more, to call upon
the members of the Society and of the profession of the
State in general, to lend us their invaluable aid in advanc-
SEVENTH BIENNIAL REPORT. 3
1
ing our work. That work is, and must be for many years
to come, chiefly educational. As intimated in the begin-ning
of this report, in all medical and sanitary matters
there is no influence comparable to that of the family
physician. If every physician would make it his busi-ness
to insist on his patients carrying out the ordinary
sanitary precautions, the result in one year's time
would be very great. Gentlemen, we count on your
help in this glorious work of preventing disease and
saving life.
DISCUSSION.
Dr. Lewis.—I would be glad to have any expressions
of opinion in regard to the management of this health
business, or suggestions as to what I might do to ad-vance
the cause of sanitation. Our hands are tied
largely by the want of money in the State Treasury,
which prevents the printing and distribution of the
health pamphlets, which has been one most effective
mode.
Dr. Fletcher.—I do not know that this is the time
to do it, but I would like very much to see one thing in
force, and that is some sort of compulsory vaccination
law in North Carolina. Most of our towns have com-pulsory
laws, but it is difficult to get them enforced. If
we had a law similar to that in effect in some other
States requiring every child before entering school to be
successfully vaccinated, I think it would be a step in
the right direction, and in a few years we would get
everybody vaccinated. I don't know whether it is wise
or expedient to burden Dr. Lewis with this.
Dr. Lewis.—I would like to say that I prepared a bill
on that subject and had it introduced in the last Legis-lature,
and that it was treated with absolute contempt.
The only lever we would have upon the people would be
to prevent the children from going to school if they
T,2 NORTH -CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH.
were not vaccinated, dne practical difficulty on educa-tional
lines now is to get the children to go to school
at all.
Dr. Haigh.—T requested our representative, Judge
Sutton, before he left for Raleigh, to introduce such a
bill, and he told me that he had gone to the Secretary
and asked him to write it. There is one point about
this matter that I think we might strike at right now.
Why is it that the people are refusing to have their chil-dren
vaccinated? Formerly there was no objection to it
at all, and the virus we used was human virus and passed
from the animal through the human system. The re-sult
of that was a modified ^condition. We got a virus
that did not produce such violent results as the bovine
virus does now. The point I want to make is this:
The great fear has been all this year, especially from the
violent results of the vaccination, that they will lose
their arms and that the children will die. What is the
cause of it ? I do not know that I am right, but I do
know this to be a fact. In using the virus, I have as
far as I could selected those points having no color stain,
and where I have done that, I have gotten a fuil vac-cine
result, and very little erysipelas and inflammation.
I believe that you can go back to the origin of this.
There has been such a demand for virus that they have
been dipping too many points into one pock, and in that
way, instead of getting pure virus, they have got pus
mixed with it, the result of inflammation. If some-thing
could be done along that line, we would not pro-duce
this condition and set up such inflammation. Some
of the points I sent back and asked to have them ex-changed
for pure ones, where not so many points had
been dipped into the same pock. I think it has had a
great deal to do with it. I do not think I vaccinated
over a hundred people. I could not do anything with
SEVKNTH BIENNIAL REPORT.
them. I think if the matter could be taken entirely
under control of the Board of Health, and have our
Secretary get all the virus for the State from some one
point where he was perfectly sure that it was good, and
then send it out to the counties, w^ would get better
results than we do now. I am quite sure as long as the
results are as they are now, that the people will object
to it.
Dr. Le^^s.—In regard to the State Board furnishing
the virus, I wish to say that some years ago we had a
scare in a supposed case at Wadesboro. I "whooped
it up" and tried to scare everybody to death, advertised
that I had reliable virus on hand, and invested the
Board's money in 100 points. I could work off only
about thirty.
Dr. Minor.—One point I would like to mention, and
that is the tendency to advocate humanized virus. In
my experience, the patients have always refused to be
vaccinated unless I assured them that I had bovine
virus.
Dr. Haigh.—I was not advocating the humanized
virus. I was saying that there was no objection to that
but that it was in a modified form as compared to bo-vine
virus.
Dr. Burroughs.—A great deal of prejudice lingering
in the mind of the public is from using humanized virus.
Poisoned arms gave our people a great deal of trouble
during the Civil war.
I will just say for the benefit of the Society that they
have had small-pox in South Carolina in close proximity
to Asheville, and we strongly advised the vaccination of
the whole town and quarantining against these places be-fore
Christmas. I went before the local Board of Health
and strongly urged the importance of vaccinating the
34 NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH.
whole town, especially the school children, before the
opening of the schools, but they didn't.
I vaccinated about 3, 800 since the last week in Novem-ber,
and I haven't made but one visit to see one person
in that whole 3,800. Since we got that case of small-pox,
I haven't vaccinated very many, because I already
had them vaccinated. Since the scare came, I have vac-cinated
about 600. 1 used the National vaccine points,
and 90 per cent of them have taken.
Dr. Anderson. —In regard to the vaccine lymph in
tubes. I wanted to be careful, and I wrote to Dr. Gallo-way,
asking what he would advise, and to send me 100
points he could recommend, and he telegraphed to
Chicago for these lymph tubes. We found them satis-factory,
and recommend their use.
Dr. Fletcher.—1 want to say a word just along the
line of Dr. Haigh's remarks. It is only recently that the
tubes have come out, bat I found that many times the
points would not take. Since I began to use the tubes,
in 360 cases of primary vaccination with tubes, every
one of them took. We had a few bad arms with severe
inflammation, and some of them did not get well imme-diately.
Some of them vaccinated in January are not
well yet. We did not have erysipelas, but the arm was
red and swollen to the elbow, and even the muscles be-low
the elbow were swollen. It does not appear to be
safest in every way, but :it takes more effectually than
the points.
Dr. O'Hagan.—It is a little singular that the remark-able
discovery of Jenner, the value of which has been
demonstrated time and time again, should find antago-nists
not only among the ignorant, but often among in-telligent
people ; yet it is unfortunately so. A mode of
overcoming this prejudice is yet to be discovered. You
may talk what you please about virus and ivory points,
SEVENTH BIENNIAL REPORT. 35
neither does it matter what variety of vaccine you use,
you will find some cases where the peculiarity of the in-dividual
makes vaccination undesirable. I never saw a
fiddler vaccinated in my life, and I have vaccinated many
thousands of people. It makes little difference what kind
of vaccine you use, or under what favorable circum-stances
you proffer to the masses of the people such an
invaluable protection as this is, somehow or other, tney
will not accept it. I have been in the habit of preach-ing
vaccination for the last thirty or forty years. Every
year of my life I buy a few vaccine points and inform
my patients that I have them there. I don't propose to
vaccinate gratuitously. I do not propose to go around
peddling these points and try to make the people pay
me a dollar to vaccinate them, but I try to show the in-estimable
value of vaccination. I do not know anything
in the world that will make them be vaccinated except
a good small-pox scare. I do not know which way is
best. I have vaccinated from arm to arm and have had
delightful results, and again I have had very unpleasant
ones. The President tells me he has used the lymph
tubes in Newbern, and has had unpleasant results, and
so here it goes.
In 1854 we had a terrible epidemic in our county, and
I wrote to Wilmington for vaccine, and in reply received
a very ugly little scab, but I vaccinated a grep,t many
and never had a single bad result. I have seen the most
careful vaccination from the most reliable virus fol-lowed
by remarkable consequences. The main question
is to get the people to accept the protection. I know
nothing in the world that will induce them to do so but
a good first-class case of small-pox.
Dr. Duffy.—Dr. O'Hagan refers to the liquid virus,
with which I had some little experience. I can't say, I
am sorry, just where it was put up. I think it was
36 NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH.
somewhere in Chicago. You may be famihar with it.
You will find it in sealed glass tubes ; a rubber tube
comes with them. You break off both ends of the glass
• tube and attach the rubber tube to one end, and then
by gently blowing through the latter, you get out a drop
ot the virus. Be careful to first disinfect the arm with
alcohol. At first I took a razor, and without drawing-blood,
got off the epidermis and put a little drop of the
virus upon one spot. I found that all of it, in almost
every case, would strike in. I had very sore arms, and
no matter how little I put, it seemed to give very sore
arms. After some little experimenting with it as to
how to do it, instead of putting it in one spot, I put
it in three spots. It seemed to me that three small
spots gave me less trouble than one, no matter how
little I used.
One thing I want particularly to refer to, and that is
the manner of dressing the arms. A great deal of the
trouble in vaccination in my experience has come from
the patient's hurting the arm in some way. It is diffi-cult
to avoid. The vaccination shields are not very good,
for they slip around and are about as bad to press on
the arm as anything else. I have tried bandages, going
aroLind under the pit of the arm to get some attach-ment,
and all proved unsatisfactory until I took a piece
of rubber adhesive plaster, about the size and shape of an
ordinary envelope, and having attached tapes to the
edges of it, fastened it to the arm opposite the vesicle.
Then by placing rolls of absorbent cotton under the tapes
next to their points of attachment they were lifted up
and they could be tied over the dressing without exert-ing
too much pressure. You can untie the tapes and
dress the arm as often as may be desired.
Dr. Murphy.—I understood the Secretary to ask for
advice to help him out. I don't know v/hether the Sec-
SEVENTH BIENNIAL REPORT. 37^
retary expects to vaccinate or Dot, but it seems to me
that we have wandered off from the subject of advice.
So far as I am concerned personally, I feel that we have
our health affairs in the best hands in which we could
put them, and I endorse fully what the Board of Health
has done, and I recommend that they continue the
Health Conferences about through the State. I would
be glad to have them up in our part of the State this
vear.
Dr. ,— I appreciate the value of vaccination
as a preventive of small -pox, but whereas the results we
get from vaccination are better than small-pox, I must
confess that the popular prejudice against vaccination
is not wholly without justification. In our experience
during last summer—I speak for myself and my asso-ciate—
we used all the care we knew how to use. Thor-oughly
believing in the aseptic treatment of wounds,
we would prepare the arm aseptically, both scrul)bing
the arm, at the point to be vaccinated, with hot water
and then rinsing with alcohol, and with a sterilized
knife making a slight abrasion, would dip the point into
sterilized water and make the application of the virus.
When through, we dressed the arm with a little steril-ized
gauze, this dressing to be removed again when the
sore began to manifest itself. While we could not al-ways
follow up the after treatment of these cases, in
quite a good per cent we did follow it. True, we did
not lose any lives or any arms, but it must be confessed
we did have quite a number of very bad arms. I know
in the person of my own little daughter, whose case I
watched carefully, she was for three days violently ill.
She was carefully educated and trained as to the neces-sity
of not scratching the place and thereby infecting it,
and in spite of the care which had been taken, she had
a high temperature and suffered a great deal of pain.
38 NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH.
had constitutional disturbances and extensive eruption
and was, in other words, quite sick. In one or two
cases we were for a while really in great fear for their
lives. Now I say this, that while I believe in vaccina-tion
and think it ought to be done and urge it, it seems
to me that something ought to be done and some steps
taken to secure a virus which is less active, and which
will not produce such violent constitutional and local
symptoms. When we can do that, I believe the public
prejudice will to a great extent rapidly fade away. I
am glad to hear what my friend Dr. Haigh said in
regard to the selection of points, and I shall bear it in
mind. I hope he will solve the difficulty. We thought
possibly the trouble was that the virus was not suffi-ciently
attenuated, had not passed through a large
enough number of animals, but that was purely hypo-thetical
with us, but certainly something was the mat-ter.
We used the National points. I would not vacci-nate
one of my children with an Alexander point,
though others may be as bad.
Dr. Kent.—When the doctor called out this discussion,
I had hoped it would take a different turn. I have list-ened
with a great deal of pleasure to the discussion of
vaccination for small-pox, and yet I feel, as County Su-perintendent,
that it has not been of as much value to
me as if it had taken that turn. I am disposed yet to
call out a different line of discussion, and endeavor as
County Superintendent to derive some benefit from it.
We meet around us far more evils that we know than
those that we know not of. We know typhoid fever,
we kuow measles, we all know consumption. We have
them to do battle with almost continually, and if from
our discussion here I can be better able to prevent a sin-gle
case of typhoid fever in my county during the com-ing
season, I believe I would be more benefitted by the
SEVENTH BIENNIAL REPORT. 39
knowledge of how to do that, than I would by any
knowledge of better vaccine virus, and for that reason,
I desire to give the discussion that kind of a turn. Some
weeks ago I had a gathering of the physicians in my
count}'" for the purpose of discussing what we might do
to prevent the prevalence of typhoid fever in my county
during the coming season. We discussed various means
that we knew of, and resolved that we would appoint
ourselves each a committee of one to do what he might
in his especial community among his patrons to teach
them how to live, and how to clean up the hot-beds of
this disease around their houses, and how to obtain pure
drinking water. And if any of the members here can
make any suggestions to me that will enable me to more
practically teach the people what to do to prevent the
spread of typhoid fever during the coming season, I will
certainly be greatly obliged.
Dr. Reynolds.—I do not rise to discuss typhoid fever,
but I have a few words to say about vaccination, and
with your permission, I will return to that topic of dis-cussion
for a few minutes. It seems to me that a man
when he is vaccinated has to have some constitutional
disturbance, a sore arm, and be made sick, before he is
successfully vaccinated. You might put the vaccine on
a man's arm and have a little scar and a little irritation,
and 1 would not call that man successfully vaccinated.
I would not think he would be.
I remember having vaccinated one child in Novem-ber,
and it failed to take. I vaccinated it again in De-cember,
and it failed to take. I got that point from Dr.
Burroughs, I vaccinated again in April with lymph,
all in different places, and that took, and it set up a fire
in all three places. I had three scars on that child's
arm. I can state positively that I did not get any lymph
in the other scars on that child's arm. I think Dr.
40 NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH.
Glenn, who has gone around with me considerably, has
witnessed a case similar to this one.
Dr. Glenn.—I have seen a case like this where the
scars would light up. It seems to be latent virus. I
saw it in my own family. My brother was vaccinated
more than a mouth ago. It did not take, and about six
or eight days ago, I vaccinated him again with a lymph
tube. Wheu I left Asheville, that vaccination, which
was more than an inch distant, and I am sure I did not
touch it, was worse than the last place. I remember
another case, that Dr. Reynolds called attention to first.
Before this case of my brother's, I remember one vacci-nated
in December that lit up like that, and I am sure
that it never came in contact with the virus the second
time. It seems to be latent virus. There is not enough
to cause successful vaccination, but when a little more
is added, it makes all the places light up anew.
Dr. Lewis.—When I was in Washington, I availed
myself of the opportunity to visit the National Vaccine
Establishment. I was very much gratified with the con-dition
of affairs. Everything is in first-class order, and
precautions are all carried out.
Dr. Burroughs.—In my business I have not used the
tubes, but I am very favorably impressed with the re-ports.
It seems to be more certain than the points,
though I am satisfied with the points of the National
Vaccine Company. I never heard of previous vaccina-tion
being set up a second time. These cases the Ashe-ville
gentlemen report are entirely new to me.
In regard to what Dr. Kent says, my impression is
that he will get pure drinking water if he will filter it.
If he will destroy all the fecal matter from the typhoid
patients, he will greatly lessen the disease in his county.
In every case you have, destroy all the excreta, and look
after the water supply. Therein is the key to health,
therein is protection. That is all of it in a nut shell.
SEVKNTH BIENNIAL REPORT. 4I
Dr. Minor.—Wc all know that typhoid fever is en-demic
to many regions of the countr}^ I think where
the most trouble comes in is with the jDOor, uneducated
classes. You ought to teach them first, if nothing else,
that the well should be done away with. Where the
well can not be done away with, you must teach them
that it ought to have a sacred meaning, and have no
close connection with the water-closet. You must teach
them that the water-closet, or privy rather, must be
water tight. Most of these privies have in them
nothing but leaky tubs which are a constant source of
contamination. The water supply, the well, and the
privy are some of the things that must be looked after.
Impress upon them the necessity of keeping these
places clean. Scare them, tell them they are liable to
die at any minute if they don't look out.
Don't wait until typhoid fever comes into the house,
but try to make them take cure. Keep on, and after
awhile you will see the barrels water-tight instead of
open, and they will set to work and clean up around
the wells and their premises generally.
Dr. Albert Anderson.—To accomplish these results,
we have been talking in Wilson about how to introduce
water into our houses. Our medical society formulated
plans and advised our Board of Aldermen to adopt them.
Dr. W. S. Anderson.—It is simply this: We had the
water and sewerage system introduced about two years
ago, and up to the present time, only about 200 families
use them. The plan was to leave the putting in of the
fixtures to private enterprise. The result was that
plumbers charged the people so much that they
would not take the water. I thought they charged tt)0
much, and I sent and got a catalogue and price list and
found my suspicions were true, that they were charging
an enormous per cent. So we got our local society to
42 NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH.
appoiDt a committee to investigate the sanitary condi-tions
of our town, and that committee reported to the
society that the water was doing no good at all as a sani-tary
measure.
We recommended that the town investigate as to the
cost of the material, and that the town buy the mate-rial
in large quantities in order to secure the cheapest
rates, and put it in to the people at cost, and let the
people pay cash for the material. They haven't de-cided
yet what they will do, but we think they will get
with this uew Board that is just coming in, and that
we will get the people of the town to do that, and in
not a great while hence we will have the public water
taken by all the people Then there will be a large
number of people who can not take it even at cost. We
proposed to the town that they go forward and put it
in to these people on credit and take their notes for it.
because at the present water rent it would pay for it-self
in three years, if the poor fellow never pays it back.
The town is not in the monej'^-making business on the
people of the town. We think that in that way we can
get the full benefit for which the water supply was in-tended
originally, and make it so cheap that all the peo-ple
of the town will take it.
Dr. Lewis.—I think it would be well for the session
to pass a resolution endorsing the Caffery Bill. I do
not know what the sentiment is, but so far as I am con-cerned,
and so far as anyone I have talked with is con-cerned,
I think our opinion is that the JSIational control
of maritime quarantine had better be placed under the
Marine Hospital Service, where the men are selected by
c(5mpetitive examination and not for political reasons,
instead of under a National Department of Health,
where the President appoints a Commissioner of Health
with a salary of $6,000, who has the power of appoint-
SEVENTH BIENNIAL REPORT. 43
ing an assistant Commissioner. The practical difficulty
with this plan in the first place is that politics would
surely come into it, and the Commissioner of Health
would be selected, not as an expert, but as a man po-litically
desirable, who would probably, even if he
should prove competent, have to give place to a new
and inexperienced successor just about the time he had
thoroughly learned the business.
The Caffery Bill, which was introduced by Senator
Caffery, from Louisiana, and chiefly advocated by Sen-ator
Vest, from Missouri, is a bill that enlarges the pow-ers
of the Marine Hospital Service, and confides to them
this National supervision.
Dr. Carr.—I think if the Secretary would offer a reso-lution
the Society would adopt it. We wish to carry
out his wishes, for we know he is right.
Dr. Minor.—I realize fully that Dr. Lewis under-stands
it, but I do not. l have seen lately in the press,
and in the medical press, too, such conflicting opinions
that it would seem to nie until a full statement of both
bills could be presented to us, we might be acting im-properly
in proceeding to recommend what we do not
fully understand. I can not vote on a thing till I know
more about it.
Dr. Long.—I do not think any of us can go wrong
when we know that one bill proposes to put the control
under competent scientific men. I think we must have
some National legislation in regard to this. If we can
get it and keep it under scientific control and get Uncle
Sam's help, too, I am in favor of it, but if it is to be
changed every four years, I am not, and we can not go *
wrong if we take a stand against it.
Dr. Lewis.—I would like to call attention to the fact
that this bill is introduced by Senator Caffery, of Louis-iana.
The quarantine of New Orleans is superior to any
44 NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH.
in America or anywhere, and notwithstanding that fact
and that the Senator from Louisiana is a Democrat and
a States' Kights man, he has introduced this bill. The
most ardent advocate of the bill is Senator Vest, who
yields to none in his jealous watch over the reserved
rights of the States.
The following resolution was then adopted without
a dissenting voice
:
Resolved. That the North Carolina Board of Health and the Medical
Society of the State of North Carolina in conjoint session assembled
endorse the Caffery Bill, enlarging the powers of the United States
Marine Hospital Service, and respectfully request our Senators and
Representatives to support the same.
The session was then adjourned.
THE PUBLIC WATER SUPPLIES OF THE STATE.
At the annual meeting of the Board at Morehead in
June, 1897, "it was ordered that the municipal water
supplies of the State be examined chemically and bac-teriologically
during the current year : and that the En
gineer of the Board be requested at his convenience to
collect, pack and ship samples for the same, and at the
same time to make an inspection and report on the vari-ous
water works and watersheds.'* Colonel Shaffer
having carried out the above instructions, submitted his
report to the recent meeting of the Board in Charlotte
—
the first since the completion of the work—and the Sec-retary
was ordered to publish it in the Bulletin. '
It may be remembered by some of our readers that
this. work of systematically investigating all the public
water supphes of the State was first undertaken in ] 896,
and was limited to simply an analysis of the water.
SEVENTH BIENNIAL REPORT. 45
While that examination was very incomplete, owing to
the extremely small appropriation by the State, it un-doubtedly
had a good effect on the water companies.
We are all more particular if we know we are watclied.
Realizing this, the Board felt that some of its little
money could not be put to a better use, and so the ac-tion
indicated above was taken.
The reader will understand, of course, that we do not
suppose that an annual inspection and analysis will
make puie water, but it Vvill make far parer water by
causing the water companies themselves to take a more
active interest in the matter. Neither would any num-ber
of analyses insure pure water, for the reason that it
must be already infected before the pathogenic bacteria
can he found. Frequent inspections of the watershed,
however, and thorough filtration would be much more
effective. It is far safer and easier to prevent disease
germs from getting into the water than to get them out
after they have taken possession. And inasmuch as a
number of our supplies are taken from small streams
whose restricted watersheds are inhabited, the danger
of infection is much greater than vrhere the origin of
the supply is different. After a careful consideration
of the matter, we have come to the conclusion that the
best thing water companies obtaining their supply from
such watersheds can do to insure the purity of their
water, is to employ some reliable man whose sole duty
it shall be to thoroughly patrol the watershed, going
over it and visiting every residence thereon at least twice
a week, and promptly reporting every case of fever or
diarrhoeal disease, that it may be immediateJy investi-gated
and such precautions taken as may be necessary.
We are glad to say that this suggestion, made in a con-versation
with one of the owners, has already been
adopted by the Charlotte Water Company. If this thor-
46 NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH.
ough and continuous inspection should be supplemented
by approved filtration, we believe that the danger of in-fection
would be reduced to a practical minimum. It is
apparent, we think, that it would be clearly to the in-terest
of the water companies, for- the occurence of
typhoid fever traceable to their water would reduce their
receipts far more than carrying out the above sugges-tion
for a number of years. Besides, the effect of such
careful protection of the water against infection would
give confidence to the people, and would be immediately
and continuously beneficial to their business.
The reader of the report will doubtless be struck with
the high price charged for water, especially to small
consumers, which, of course, includes all the poorer
classes. In several instances a minimum consumption
amounting to S12 per annum is required, which is prac-tically
prohibitory to the poor. While no doubt some of
the companies find it a hard matter to "make buckle
and tongue meet," this should not be. We have no
control over the price charged, but we feel it our duty
to say that high-priced water is not in the interest
of public health. Pure water in abundance, at a
price within the reach of all, is one of the most power-ful
agencies for promoting the health of any commu-nity.
It is for this reason that we believe so strongly in
municipal ownership. We can not expect those who
have invested their money in such enterprises for the
purpose of securing dividends to look at the matter from
the eleemosynary point of view—they have a right both
in law and equity to make such charges as will insure
them a reasonable return on their investment. But
when the water works are owned by the people as a
whole, the object of the management will not be divi-dends
but health, comfort, beauty, and safety from fire.
The general tendency is toward municipal ownership,
SEVENTH BIENNIAL REPORT. 47
and we trust that it will spread in North Carolina. It
pays. Wilson owns its own works and sells water at
ten cents per 1,000 gallons at a profit.
It should be noted in connection with the chemical
analyses that where the albuminoid ammonia is too
high, that it is nearly always due to vegetable matter
in the stream in the form of leaves, etc., and that it is
not dangerous in itself. In regard to the bacteriological
tests, it should be said that while they are not as elabo-rate
and complete as they might be, they are made by
good men, and are carried far enough to show whether
or not there is reason to suspect the water of being in-fected.
In conclusion, we wish to put ourselves on record as
favoring the use of public water supplies as against the
water of wells, provided the companies will conscien-tiously
use every reasonable effort to insure the purity
of their supplies. The water of the public supply may
sometimes be dangerous, but that from wells in closely-built
cities and towns with surface privies, and more
especially cess-pools, is much more apt to be so.
The chemical analyses were all made for us without
charge b^ the North Carolina Agricultural Experiment
Station, and we desire to make our acknowledgments
to Acting-Director Withers for his valuable aid in this
respect.
The comments on all chemical analyses are made by
the chemist.
REPORT OF COL. A. W. SHAFFER, ENGINEER OF THE
BOARD.
GOLDSBORO.
GOLDSBORO, August 3, 1897.
One saini>Je taken from intake on Little River at the power house,
and one from the tap in front of Hotel Kennon, on Railroad street,
4
48 NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH.
both for bacteriological analysis, taken, packed and delivered to Dr.
Anderson, of Wilson, in his presence. Samples for chemical analysis
have been since procured by yourself.
This visit to Goldsboro has been fully reported heretofore.
The following is the report referred to:
"I reached the city about noon, and was glad to find awaiting me
the President, Dr. George G. Thomas, and the Biologist, Dr. Ander-son,
Drs. Spicer and Hill conferring with us cordially.
"We visited the water works on Little River in company with the
mayor, and found the works small, but filter working well, and sup"
ply tinted with the juniper and cypress through which it passes, but
clear, and free from green scum, bad odor or taste, which had been
reported to exist there. We took samples from the intake and re
turned to the city ; took another from the tap in front of Dr. Hill's
drug store, in the hotel building, and Dr. Anderson packed both in
ice and carried them with him that night to Wilson.
"Through the courtesy of the mayor we were enabled to ride over
the town and view its watershed and drainage. We found no sew
ers, but we never saw a town so well adapted by nature for efficient
sewering at a moderate expense—say Waring's system. There is
ample grade and fall in every direction, with no rock or hard sub
soil to penetrate, and would discharge into Neuse River within a
mile of the corj^orate limits, two to three miles below the intake on
Little River.
"The water bearing stratum of Goldsboro lies barely ten feet be-low
the surface, and in wet seasons the water in the wells rises to
within four to slx feet of the surface. The waste water of the town
empties into shallow surface ditches, and is liable to percolate
through the sandy crust to the wells, from which a large majority
of the citizens of Goldsboro obtain their water for all purposes.
"I think that so far as the health of the town is concerned, there
is greater danger than with no water works, because of the lack of
sewerage to carry off the waste.
"Briefly stated, Goldsboro is situated upon a plateau of open,
sandy loam, elevated about twenty feet above, and distant about
one mile from Little River on the northwest, and Neuse River on
the south. The water bearing stratum under the town averages
eight to twelve feet below the surface, and there are localities in
which the well water can be reached from the surface with a long,
handled gourd. Having no sewers, the city is drained by shallow
surface ditches, alternately wet and dry from atmospheric causes;
always more or less charged with the waste and sewage of buildings,
and the use of the street and lawn taps connecting with the river
supply, the shallow wells being the common receptacle and reservoir
of all.
"If typhoid germs breed and multiply under these conditions,
SEVENTH BIENNIAL REPORT. 49
then Goldsboro is an ideal propagating ground, though the waters
at the intake be as pure and hmpid as those of Pison, Gihon or Hid-dekel,
that sprang from the garden of Grod.
"Works belong to private parties, who sell water to small con-sumers
at 40 cents per 1,000 meter gallons."
N. B.—Since the above report was made the people
of Goldsboro have voted bonds for sewering the city.
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS.
Sample from Intake.
Total solid matter in solution 3.3 gr. per U.S. gal.
Hardness .-- 1.4 deg. Clarke's sc.
Equiv. to cal.car , 0.33 gr. per U. S. gal.
Chlorine... 0.33 gr. per U.S. gal.
Free ammonia 0. 106 parts per mil.
Album, ammonia 0. 170 parts per mil.
The chemical analysis indicates that this is not a good water for
drinking purposes.
Sample from Faucet in City.
Total solid matter in solution 3.3 gr. per U.S. gal.
Hardness 1.4 deg. Clarke's sc.
Equiv. to cal.car 3.3 gr. per U. S. gal.
Chlorine 0.33 gr. per U. S.gal.
Free ammonia 0. 043 parts per mil.
Album, ammonia 0. 233 parts per mil.
The chemical analysis indicates that this is not a good water for
di'inking purposes.
BACTERIOLOGICAL EXAMIIfATION BY DR. ANDERSON.
One sample, until fcered, was collected from the intake at the river.
This showed 300 bacteria to the C. C. of benign form. The other
sample, faltered, was collected from a faucet on Railroad street, and
this contained only 53 bacteria to the C. C. The last sample repre
sents the water used by the city, which is good.
WILSON.
Wilson, November 8, 1897.
Two samples taken from tap in drug store adjoining Dr. Anderson
on Main street—one delivered personally to Dr. Anderson and the
other sent to Experiment Station at Raleigh.
50 NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH.
Visited power-house, intake and watershed with Dr. Anderson
These are about a mile from town. The works have no filter and
the town no sewerage. The intake is about one hundred yards from
the works, on the run of Toisnot Swamp, with a flow of water over
the dam 10 inches deep and 12 feet wide, clear, but full of floating:
leaves, and tinted slightly by decaying vegetation. The canal drain
mg the swamp is about one thousand feet in length, and the area of
the swamp about one and a half square miles, with ever recurring
living springs along its margin—a very slight run crossing the road
a mile above the intake. If an open, dry ditch could be maintained
around the margin of the swam^), the banks of the canal and the
run of the swamp cleared—say twelve feet wide on each side—and
the run of the swamp opened and kept clear from dead leaves, fall-ing
branches, trunks of rotten trees and water grasses that obstruct
the flow, they would have as near an ideal reservoir as swamp lands
ever afford.
The works are owned and operated by the town ; sell water to
small consumers at ten (10) cents per 1,000 meter gallons, and reali2e
a profit upon the cost of'plant and its operation.
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS.
Total solid matter in solution 3. 33 gr. per U. S. gal.
Hardne.ss 1.7 deg. Clarke's sc.
Equiv to cal.car ._. 0.58 gr. per U. S. gal
Chlorine 0. 33 gr. per U. S. gal.
Free ammonia 0. 0449 parts per mil.
Album, ammonia 0. 2155 parts per mil.
The high percentage of albuminoid ammonia indicates vegetable
contamination.
BACTERIOLOGICAL EXAMINATION BY DR. ANDERSON.
The bacteriological examination of sample of water collected from
the Wilson public water supply, November 10, 1897, showed 150 bac-teria
to the C. C. All tests used in making the examination showed
the water good.
NEWBERN.
Nbwbern, November 10, 1897.
Took two samples water from the running public hydrant at the
corner of Main street, near the Hotel Chattawka; one sent to Dr.
Anderson at Wilson, the other to Experiment Station at Raleigh.
Water derived from six bored, or artesian wells; no watershed or
SEVENTH BIENNIAL REPORT. 5
1
filter. Works owned and operated by private corporation, and
water sold to .small consumers at 50 cents per 1,000 meter gallons,
with a minimum of 100 gallons per day.
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS. ">
Total solid matter in solution 10. 25 gr. per U. S. gal.
Hardness 10.01 deg. Clarke's sc.
Equiv.to cal.car 7.58 gr. per U.S. gal.
Chlorine 0.5 gr. per U. S.gal.
Free ammonia - 0. 0100 parts per mil.
Album, ammonia .. 0.020 parts per mil.
There is no indication of organic contamination.
BACTERIOLOGICAL EXAMIXATIOA' BY DR. AXDERsOK^.
The sample of vvater received from the Newbern public water sup-ply,
November 10, 1897, showed only 83 bacteria to the C. C. in mak-ing
a bacteriological examination. All tests used show this water
to be very good.
WILMINGTON.
WiLMiJfGTON, November 11, 1897.
Took two samples water from tap in Mr. Munds's drug store on
Main street ; packed, addressed and deposited them in exj^ress oflBce,
and withdrew them after conference with and upon advice of the
President of the Board to be retaken upon the completion of the
artesian well now boring upon the site of the power house, or other
production of acceptable water.
Owing to the liability of infection by the city sewage in the ebb
and flow of the tide, it is earnestly recommended that the intake be
removed above tide water, in the event of the failure of the artesian
well now boring.
The works are owned and operated by private parties, and the
water is sold to small consumers at 20 cents per 1,000 meter gallons.
FAYETTEVILLE.
Fayetteville, November 12, 1897.
Two samples of water taken from the running public hydrant at
the corner of Hotel Lafayette on Main street. One to Dr. W. T.
Pate, at Gibson Station, and the other to the Experiment Station
at Raleigh.
52 NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH.
This water is derived from the great spring on Haymount Hill,
and used for drinking purposes chiefly. Other water is taken from
the run of Cross Creek, used for general purposes, and for drinking
where Haymount water- can not be obtained. No sample taken from
Cross Creek water.
The works are owned and operated by private parties, and the
water sold to small consumers at 25 cents per 1,000 meter gallons,
but not less than §1 per month.
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS.
Total solid matter in solution 2.83 gr. per U. S. gal.
Hardness 1.8 deg. Clarke's sc.
Equiv.to cal.car. 0.67 gr.per U.S.gaL
Chlorine.--- 0.5 gr.per U.S. gal.
Free ammonia 0. J361 parts per mil.
Album, ammonia 0. 0375 parts per mil.
The chemical examination shows no indication of organic con-tamination.
BACTERIOLOGICAL EXAMINATION BY DR. PATE.
The quantitative analysis gave 180 bacteria per cubic centimeter.
The qualitative tests showed no suspicious organisms. Sample good.
ASHEVILLE.
ASHEVILLE, November 19, 1897.
Two samples taken from tap in Asheville hotel. One to Dr. Albert
Anderson at Wilson ; the other to the Experiment Station, Raleigh.
Through courtesy of Dr. Fletcher, visited the filter within the
city, the stand-pipe and reservoir on Beaucatcher Mountain, and
the power house and intake five miles out on the left bank of Swan-nanoa
River. This is the best plant in the State. Four large filters
are enclosed in brick walls ; the reservoir is an abandoned rock
quarry, cleaned out and cemented, safe against the intense cold that
destroyed the stand-pipe a few years ago, and the power house, dam
and forebay are of solid rock masonry. The water is conducted to
the city through two lines of pipes, one 10 and the other 16 inches
in diameter, over two mountain spurs into the stand-pipe and the
reservoir.
This most expensive of the municipal water works of the State is
the property of the city of Asheville, selling its water to small con
sumers at 15 cents per 1,000 meter gallons, and supplying the street
sprinkling, the sewer flushing, the public hydrants and the public
fountains free.
SEVENTH BIENNIAL REPORT. 53
The only settlement on this watershed is at Black Mountain, 16
miles away, and very small.
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS.
Total solid matter in solution 3. 16 gr. per U. S. gal.
Hardness •- ". - - 1.4 deg. Clarke's sc.
Equiv.to cal.car 0.33 gr. per U.S. gal.
Chlorine 0.16 gr.per tj. S.gal.
Free ammonia 0. 013 parts per mil.
Album, ammonia 0. 0335 parts per mil.
A very pure water.
BACTERIOLOGICAL EXAMINATION BY DR. ANDERSON.
The sample from the Asheville public water supply was received
November 30, 1897. In the bacteriological analysis of this water no
harmful bacteria were found.
CHARLOTTE.
Charlotte, November 33, 1897.
Took two samples water from the running tap at Van Ness's gro-cery
on North Tryon Street. One to Dr. W. T. Pate, Gfibson Sta-tion,
the other to Experiment Station, Raleigh.
By courtesy of Dr. Brevard, joint owner with Mr. Eli Springs, I
visited the power- houses, reservoirs and part of the watershed. The
latter consists largely of cultivated land. Not a favorable watershed
for first-class water without thorough filtration. There are how
ever, four filters in use. The supply is derived from two streams.
Both average about one and a half miles from the principal square
in town at the intersection of Trade and Tryon streets. Both are
conducted to a settling basin near the power-house, from, which the
water is conveyed to the filters.
This plant is owned and operated by private parties, and water is
sold to small consumers at 50 cents per 1,000 meter gallons. There
exists an inchoate contract for the sale of the plant to the city.
Note.—The management proposes to reduce the rent to private
consumers.
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS.
Total solid matter in solution 5.91 gr.per U.S. gal.
Hardness 3.8 deg. Clarke's sc.
Equiv. to cal. car 8.33 gr.per U.S. gal.
Chlorine 0.416 gr.per U.S. gal.
Free ammonia - - 0. 36 parts per mil.
Album, ammonia 0. 1877 parts per mil.
54 NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH.
The chemical analysis indicates vegetable organic contamination.
BACTERIOLOGICAL EXAMINATION BY DR. PATE.
The quantitative examination gave 435 bacteria to the C. C. This
sample forms gas in both glucose and lactose bouillon, but 1 did not
succeed in isolating the fermenting bacteria.
SECOND BACTERIOLOGICAL EXAMINATION MADE FOR WATER
COMPANY BY DR. PATE.
I have the honor to report as follows on sample of water sent me
from the public water supply of Charlotte June 3, 1898:
Sample shipped without ice.
Is is clear ; no sediment.
Contains only 130 bacteria to the C. C. of water. No fermentation
in lactose or glucose bouillon, e\en after several days' growth.
This analvsis indicates a safe drinking water.
CONCORD.
Concord, November 83. 1897.
Two samples of water taken from tap at Marsh's drug store in
presence of Mayor Crowell—one to Dr. W. T. Pate at Gibson Sta
tion, the other to Experiment Station at Raleigh
Visited power-houses (two—both inside city) with Mayor Crowell.
The city is built upon the crest of a long ridge, and the supply of
one station is taken from the Reed Grold Mine shaft on one water-shed,
and the other from surface springs on the opposite side, both
very exactly on the watershed of the town. At the first I found a
pond of perhaps an eighth of an acre, about a hundred feet above
the shaft, the overflow passing the station within ten or twelve feet.
On the other watershed, directly opposite, was the other power-house,
beside a walled and covered spring.
The power-house contained a small Worthington pumping engine,
furnishing power to run the pump and the electric light plant of the
town.
The Concord plant is owned and operated by a private party ; has
a stand-pipe, but no reservoir or filter, and the water is sold to small
consumers at 50 cents per 1,000 meter gallons.
chemical ANALYSIS.
Total soUd matter in solution 9. 66 gr. per U. S. gal.
Hardness 6.1 deg. Clarke's sc.
Equiv. to cal. car 4. 35 gr. per U. S. gal.
Chlorine 1.16 gr. per U. S. gal.
Free ammonia 0. 0449 parts per mil.
Album, ammonia 0. 05 parts per mil.
SEVENTH BIENNIAL REPORT. 55
The chemical analysis dees not show any indications of organic
contamination.
BACTERIOLOGICAL EXAMINATION BY DR. PATE.
The quantitative examination gave 350 bacteria to the C. C. This
water ferments both glucose and lactose at 4'3 degrees in 36 hours.
Quantity of bacteria low—quality suspicious.
CONCORD.
SECOND INSPECTION.
Concord, May 5, 1898.
I have the honor to report that pursuant to the direction of the
Board, made at Charlotte conference on the 4th inst., I visited Con
cord, N. C, and took new samples of the municipal water, one for
the North Carolina Experiment Station, at Raleigh; the other for
Dr. W. T. Pate, Biologist, Gibson, N. C, forwarding same to each
on the 5th inst.
I also visited and carefully inspected the pump houses and water-sheds
of the two stations, from which the water is obtained, in com-pany
with Mayor Crowell and the owner, Mr. Fetzer.
I found the ground about the walled sirring had be^n raised about
the spring and graded off so as to make a watershed of about fifty
(50) feet all around it, and the surface was clear and free from grass
and weeds, but not inclosed. Some additional machinery, of an im-proved
pattern—mostly electrical—had been placed in the power-house,
but no closet or stables had been removed from the water-shed.
Mayor stated, however, that an ordinance removing them,
to go into effect June 1, had been passed.
At the station on the opposite side of the ridge on which the
town stands, known as the Reed Gold Mine Shaft Station, I found
the pump and connecting pipes repaired and the pond freshly drawn
off. Another dam had been con.structed across the run of the spring
about ttvo hundred and fifty (250) feet above the shaft—covering an
area of about three thousand feet—the overflow of which was car
ried by a side-hill ditch to a wooden box receptacle about fifty (50)
feet from the power-house, to be utilized for street sprinkling, the
sprinklers taking it direct from the box.
The watershed of this station is exactly as I found it in November
last—barring the change of the pond. No closets or stables have
been removed. All of the stables, and most of the closets discharge
upon the surface, but others discharge in unwalled and uneemented
pits and "old wells," the latter of which are presumed to connect
56 NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH.
directly with the water-bearing strata within a radius" of three hun-dred
yards of the pumping stations.
Mayor Crowell is deeply interested in a plentiful supply of pure
water and a limited sewerage within the financial capacity of the
town. He afforded me every possible facility for inspection and
.stated that the town council had lately adopted an ordinance for
the removal of the closets and stables from the watershed, and as-sured
me that if not rescinded at a subsequent meeting, he would
see that the pits and vaults, after cleaning, should be well limed
before filling, but the measure had met strong opposition, and there
was danger of a reconsideration and rescinding of the ordinance
before it goes into effect on June 1, 1898. I saw and conversed with
some of the members of the town council, and gathered from their
remarks that while all wanted pure water and plenty of it, they
were disinclined to credit the contamination theory, and feared a
"job," by which oppressive taxes would be inflicted without corre-sponding
benefits. The wells on the dividing ridge are about forty
feet in depth. How they will cleanse and purify those used for
closet vaults, or whether they will fill them up without cleaning, or
continue their use as heretofore, is yet an unsolved problem. I
regret to have to state that the situation at Concord is not greatly
improved from the situation of my November report, and I doubt
whether it will be greatly improved until the water supply is taken
from a source above and beyond the town limits. The Mayor assured
me that such a source existed about two miles out, with ample sup-ply
for many years of rapid annual increase.
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS.
Total solid matter in solution 9. 58 gr. per U. S. gal.
Hardness 3.6 deg. Clarke's sc.
Equiv.to cal.car 3.16 gr. per U.S. gal.
Chlorine .0.79 gr. per U.S. gal.
Free ammonia 0. 0073 parts per mil.
Album, ammonia 0.0175 parts per mil.
A very pure water.
BACTKRIOLOGICAIi EXAMINATIOjN' BY DR. PATE.
Sample of water collected May 5, 1898, by A. W. Shaffer, S. E., from
tap at Johnson's drug store. Concord N. C. This sample contains
only 92 bacteria to the C. C. of water. No fermentation in lactose
or glucose bouillon in 48 hours.
This indicates fair drinking water, and is by far the best sample
that we have had from this supply.
SEVENTH BIENNIAL REPORT. 57
• SALISBURY.
Salisbury, November 24, 1897.
Took two samples water from flowing hydrant of E. K. James, on
Inniss street. One to Dr. Albert Anderson, at Wilson; the other
to Experiment Station, Raleigh.
Water derived from Cane Creek, rising about six miles above town
and flowing along the base of Dunn's Mountain, from which a large
part of its water comes. Watershed, cleared land on one side and
mountain growth on the other. No residential obstructions.
Power house and intake tw^o miles out; stand-pipe in town; no
sewerage; pump run by Worthington engine; no filter; aU in good
condition. E. B. Neave, Superintendent.
Plant owned and operated by private parties, and water sold to
small consumers at 30 cents per 1,000 meter gallons.
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS.
Total solid matter in solution 9.16 gr. per U. S. gal.
Hardness 3.8 deg. Clarke's sc.
Equiv.to cal. car 3.33 gr.per U. S.gal.
Chlorine 1.66 gr. per U. S. gal.
Free ammonia 0. 0566 parts per mil.
Album, ammonia 0. 0725 parts per mil.
The chemical analysis does not give any indications of organic
contamination.
BACTERIOLOGICAL EXAMINATION BY DR. ANDERSON.
In the bacteriological analysis of sample of water sent from Salis-bury,
received on the 26th of November, there were revealed some
bacteria of a suspicious nature. There were 180 bacteria to the C. C.
GREENSBORO.
Greensboro, November 25, 1897.
Took two samples water from running tap at Holton's drug store,
in Hotel McAdoo Building, on Main street. One sent to Dr. Albert
Anderson, at Wilson ; the other to the Experiment Station, Raleigh.
Thanksgiving Day; everybody gone abirding; did not go to plant
or watershed. Couldn't find anybody who knew anything about it.
Plant owned and operated by private parties, and water sold to
the small consumers at 40 cents per 1,000 meter gallons.
58 NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH.
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS.
Total solid matter in solution 5.66 gr. per U. S. gal.
Hardness 3. 4 deg. Clarke's sc.
Equiv. to cal. car 2.0 gr. per U. S. gal.
Chlorine 0. 25 gr. per U. S. gal.
Free ammonia - 0.0126 parts per mil.
Album, ammonia 0. 0737 parts per mil.
The chemical analysis does not give any indication of organic eon
taminalion.
BACTERIOLOGICAL EXAMINATION BY DR. ANDERSON.
On November 26 I received sample of water from the Grreensboro
public water supply. The bacteriological analysis showed 150 bac-teria
to the C. C. This water is good.
WINSTON.
Winston, November 26, 1897.
Took two samples from public hydrant in City Hall. One sent to
Dr. W. T. Pate, Gibson Station ; the other to Experiment Station-
Raleigh.
Supply derived from two springs. No watershed ; no filter and
no sewerage.
Plant owned and operated by private parties and water sold to
small consumers at 40 cents per 1,000 meter gallons. Rained all day.
No ice accessible.
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS.
Total solid matter in solution 4. 08 gr. per U. S. gal.
Hardness . 2. 1 deg. Clarke's sc.
Equiv. to cal. car. 0.91 gr. per U.S. gal.
Chlorine 0.766 gr. per U.S. gal.
Free ammonia 0. 0233 parts per mil.
Album, ammonia 0. 0435 parts per mil.
The chemical analysis gives no indication of contamination.
BACTERIOLOGICAL EXAMINATION BY DR. PATE.
Shipped without ice. The quantitative examination gave 880 bac-teria
to the C. C.
The Qualitative examination reveals no suspicious bacteria.
SEVENTH BIENNIAL REPORT. 59
SALEM.
Salem, November 26, 1897.
Took two samples water frcm tap at Dr. Shaffner's drug store, on
Main street. One for Dr. W. T. Pate, at Gibson ; the other to Ex
periment Station, Raleigh.
Water supply derived from springs in southwest part of town.
No watershed, no filters and no sewerage.
Plant owned and operated by private parties, and water sold to
the small consumers at 50 cents per 1,000 meter gallons. Rained all
day,
No ice accessible for bacteriological specimen.
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS.
Total solid matter in solution. 5. 08 gr. per U. S. gal.
Hardness - . - 1.9 deg. Clarke's so.
Equiv. to cal. car. 0. 78 gr. per U. S. gal.
Chlorine 1.25 gr. per U.S. gal.
Free ammonia 0. 24 parts per mil.
Album, ammonia 0. 1935 parts per mil.
The chemical analysis indicates that this water is very dangerous.
There seems to be contamination from sewage.
BACTERIOLOGICAL EXAMINATION BY DR. PATE.
The quantitative examination gave 1,360 bacteria per C. C. This
sample was sent by express without ice. ^
The qualitative examination gave no indication of the presence of
suspicious organism.
As soon as the attention of the management of the Salem Water
Comjjany was called to the report of the State Chemist on their
water they expressed their inability to explain the apparent condi-tion
of the water, and at once asked that four new analyses, repre-senting
the four sources of supply, be made. This was done, but all
four samples turned out chemically excellent water. The apparent
contamination of the first sample has never been explained. The
following are the supplementary analyses:
Total solid 'matter in solution 2. 92 gr. per U. S. gal.
Hardness 2. 5 deg. Clarke's sc.
Equiv. to cal. car 1.25 gr. per U. S. gal.
Chlorine 0.46 gr. per U. S. gal.
Free ammonia _ . 0. 051 parts per mil.
Album, ammonia 0. 050 parts per mil.
This sample shows no indication of organic contamination.
6o NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH.
Total solid matter in solution 3. 35 gr. per U. S. gal.
Hardness 3.3 deg. Clarke's sc.
Equiv.to cal.car 1.92 gr. per U. S. gal.
Chlorine.... 0.67 gr. per U. S. gal.
Free ammonia 0. 0316 parts per mil.
Album, ammonia 0. 0500 parts per mil.
This sample shows no indication of organic contamination.
Total solid matter in solution 3.17 gr. per U.S. gal.
Hardness 3.3 deg. Clarke's sc.
Equiv. to cal. car 1.O8 gr. per U. S. gal.
Chlorine 0.25 gr. per U. S. gal.
Free ammonia 0.0500 parts per mil.
Album. ammonia 0. 0487 parts per mil.
This sample shows no indication of organic contamination.
Total solid matter in solution 1.17 gr. per U. S. o-al.
Hardness.. 1.8 deg. Clarke's^sc.
Equiv. to cal. car 0.67 gr. per U.S. gal.
Chlorine.-.. 0.308 gr. per U. S. gal.
Free ammonia 0.044 parts per mil.
Album, ammonia 0. 0813 parts per mil.
This sample shows no evidence of organic contamination.
DURHAM.
Durham, December 3, 1897.
Took two samples water from flowing pubhc hydrant, corner
Cochrane and Main streets. One to Dr. Albe-t Anderson, Wilson
;
the other to Experiment Station, Raleigh.
Water supply taken from a stream nine miles out, at its junction
with Eno River. Reservoir five miles out. Filter and sewerage here.
Did not visit watershed, as it would consume another day.
Works owned and operated by private parties, who sell water to
small consumers at 25 cents per 1,000 meter galions, or |3 per quar-ter,
with privilege of 12,000 gallons.
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS.
Total solid matter in solution 3.67 gr. per U. S. gal.
Hardness 1.9 deg. Clarke's sc.
Equiv.to cal.car. 0.75 gr. per U.S. gal.
Chlorine 0.375 gr. per U.S. gal.
Free ammonia 0. 173 parts per mil.
Album, ammonia 0.0505 parts per mil.
SEVENTH BIENNIAL REPORT. 6l
I
While the chemical analysis will not condemn this water, it places
it under suspicion of being contaminated with organic matter.
BACTERIOlrOGICAL EXAMIXATIOX BY DR. ANDERSOIs^.
There were 316 bacteria to the C. C. found in sample of water
from Durham public water supply, received and put in culture De-cember
3, 1897. The water is fairly good.
HENDERSON.
' JEiEj^DBRSOJf, December 3, 1897.
Took two samples water from running public hydrant on public
square. One sent to Dr. W. T. Pate, Gribson Station; the other to
Experiment Station, Raleigh.
Water taken from wells; no watershed, no filter, and no sewerage.
Plant owned and operated by private parties, and water sold to
small consumers at 40 cents per 1,000 gallons meter measure.
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS.
Total solid matter in solution 3. 25 gr. per U.S. gal.
Hardness 1.5 deg. Clarke's so.
Equiv.to cal.car 0.42 gr. per U. S. gal.
Chlorine _ .
.
0. 25 gr. per U. S. gal.
Free ammonia 0. 067 parts per mil.
Album, ammonia 0. 02037 parts per mil.
BACTERIOLOGICAIi EXAMINATION'^ BY DR. PATE.
The quantitative examination gave 184 bacteria per C. C. The
qualitative tests indicate safe drinking water.
RALEIGH.
Raleigh, December 7, 1897.
Two samples water taken from running public hydrant in front
of Metropolitan Hall on Fayetteville street. One to Dr. Albert
Anderson, at Wilson; the other delivered in person to Experiment
Station, Raleigh.
Water supply taken from Walnut Creek, one mile south of city.
Intake a mile above, and a fourth of a mile above Rhamkatte road.
Stream rises at Gary, eight miles west of city. Watershed visited,
inspected and fully reported on heretofore. Condemned Yates dam
still dominates the waters. The company filter their water, and the
city is sewered.
62 NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH.
Plant owned and operated by private parties who sell water to the
small consumers at 40 cents per 1,000 meter gallons, conditioned that
it amount to $12 per annum, or 30,000 gallons per annum.
DETAILED REPORT ON WATERSHED.
"I have the honor to report upon the watershed of the Raleigh
AVater Company, visited and inspected in company with Dr. .James
McKee, Superintendent of Health of the city; W. M. Russ, Mayor;
and Alexander M. McPheeters on the part of the comiaany, on the
24th inst. Commencing at Cary, we found two open, unboxed
privies on the bank of the main ditch, and a pig pen on another,
the contents of the latter flowing directly into the main ditch at a
distance of about two hundred feet.
"The main ditch contained a very slight run of water, the product
of a heavy shower the previous night. There is no living tributary
at Cary, the ditch carrying no water except surface water during,
and a few hours after, a storm—twenty four hours after which it is
as "dry" as the town ordinance. The first evidence of a living stream
appears about a mile below the town.
"We found all the streams running muddy water from the rains
of the previous night, until we reached the Hugh Campbell Spring
Branch, a bold, crystal stream flowing from two fine springs on the
place.
"The watershed from Cary to Raleigh is largely covered and pro-tected
by a natural growth of forest and hedge, briars, cane and
shrub, and we found little to criticise until we reached the "Little
Yates Mill," of L. D. Castleberry, on the Avent Ferry road in Swift
Creek Township. The dam of this mill backs water over five to six
acres, filled with mud and decomposed vegetation, with a rank
growth of grass, reeds, shrubs and weeds. As the water is very
shallow and the mud very deep the site can be of no considerable
value for mill purposes, and afforded no evidence of late use. Such
a deposit in the main run of the water supply must of necessity con-taminate
the water that flows from that point, creating a nuisance
that ought to be abated if possible.
"I am informed by Dr. McKee that this dam was reported detri-mental
to the health of the people of Raleigh and declared to be a
nuisance in December, 1895. 1 have since found such report and
declaration, bearing date December 21, 1895, and signed by him oflB-eially
as Superintendent of Health of the city of Raleigh, and the
signature of Dr. P. E. Hines. preceded by the following: 'I endorse
the above recommendation.^
"The intake of the company is situated upon the Grimes farm
above the bridge on the Rhamkatte road, about a mile southwest
of the corporate limits of the city. The surplus water flows over a
SEVENTH BIENNIAL REPORT. 63
natural ledge of gneissoid granite brought to a dead level so as to
carry off all floating foreign matter at every point, always provided
it first escape the wide mouth of the intake, set in the current and
facing up stream, like a saurian bobbing for flies. A proper adjust-ment
of this intake would greatly relieve the filter at the pump-house
and remove an ever-present source of adverse criticism."
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS.
Total solid matter in solution 4.58 gr. per U. S. gal.
Hardness 2.1 deg. Clarke's sc.
Equiv. to cal.car 0.92 gr. per U.S. gal.
Chlorine... 0.30 gr. per U.S. gal.
Free ammonia - .
.
0. 031 parts per mil.
Album, ammonia 0. 0787 parts per mil.
The chemical analysis shows no indication of contamination from
organic matter.
BACTERIOLOGICAL EXAMINATION BY DR. ANDERSON.
1 found 240 bacteria to the C. C. in sample from the Raleigh pub-lic
\^ ater supply, some of which were of a suspicious nature.
The order of the State Board of Health is executed.
All which is respectfully submitted,
A. W. SHAFFER, S. E.
As showing the spirit in which the efforts of the Board
to secure purer water for the people were met by the
municipal authorities, we take pleasure in printing the
following from the Mayors of Charlotte and Concord,
respectively.
We are also glad to say that the w^ater companies
seemed disposed to do what they could to insure pure
water to their patrons. But we should add in this con-nection
that there is apt to be a difference of opinion as
to "what they could"' might mean, and that conse-quently,
as pure water is a vital matter, the precautions,
etc., to be taken by operators of public water supplies,
should be defined with reasonable exactness by law. In
view of this we prepared and had introduced in the last
General Assembly the appended bill. It met with favor
5
64 NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH.
from the Committee on Public Health, and all others
to whose attention it was called, but owing to the mul-titude
of other bills of more interest to the Members, it
could never be gotten before the House.
Charlotte, N. C, February 10, 1898.
Dr. Rich'd H. Lewis, Raleigh, N. C.
Dear Sir:—Your letter in regard to the condition of our city
water received and noted. Your instructions are being carried out,
and I also will have the watershed patrolled. Dr. Brevard, who is
President of the Water Company, will be in Raleigh on the 22d of
this month, and will call on you in regard to this matter. Any ad-vice
you can give him in regard to.the jjermanent improvements of
this plant we will be glad to carry out.
Yours very tr\ily, E. B. SPRINGS, Mayor.
Concord, N. C, February 12, 1898.
Br. Richard H. Lewis, Raleigh, iV. C.
Dear Doctor:—Your favor of 3d instant received, inclosing the
chemical and bacteriological analyses of our city drinking water,
and I thank you for Ihe suggestions made about the necessity of
keeping the watersheds as clear as practicable. I assure you I am
exerting myself to keep the watershed free from filth. But when
you remember that the watersheds of our two water supplies are
dotted thickly over with residences, etc., you will see how hard it is
to keep it clean and free from filth {)ol]ution. There is one thing I
desire your opinion on—that is "dry wells," so called, into which
sewerage from water-closets empty. It is reported that there are
three or four on the watersheds here. I am preparing an ordinance
to abolish them, and shall ask the Board of Aldermen at our next
meeting to pass it. I desire, therefore, that you give me your opin-ion
on these "dry-wells" or cess- pools, so I can have it before the
Board who, by the advice you may give, can vote intelligently on
the i3roposed ordinanee.
I will thank you for your opinion about this matter as early as
practicable. I am convinced that these wells or pools should not be
tolerated, and if you agree with me I feel sure our Board will pass
the ordinance.
Mr. Fetzer, the Manager of the Waterworks Company, is having
the spring—one of the^^sources of water supply—drained and im-proved.
SEVENTH BIENNIAL REPORT. 65
The report of your Engineer—about literally landing in human
excrement—Mr. Fetzer thinks might be misunderstood. He says
some thoughtless person had made this deposit—only one—near the
well, and that was all of it.
I will thank you for suggestions at any time, and pledge you my
prompt efforts in carrying them out.
Yours very truly, J. S. CROWELL,
Mayor of Concord.
Answer, February 14, 1898: Cess-pools absolutely
condemned. Change of water supply suggested.
Begged to do all in his power to get his people vacci-nated.
This very important matter will be brought again to
the attention of our law-makers in the hope that it may
meet w^ith favorable action at their hands
:
AN" ACT TO PROTECT PUBLIC WATER SUPPLIES.
The General Assembly of North Carolina do enact
:
Section 1. In the interest of the x>uhlic health, every person or
company selling water to the public °for drinking and household
purposes, shall take every reasonable precaution to protect from
contamination and assure the healthfulness of such water ; and any
provisions in any charters heretofore granted to such persons or
coiii|janies in conflict with the proxisions of this act are hereby re-pealed.
Sec. 2. Those water companies deriving their supply from lakes
or ponds, or from small streams not more than fifteen miles in length,
shall have made a sanitary inspection of the entire watershed, not
less under any circumstances than once in every three calendar
months, and a sanitary inspection of any particular locality on said
watershed at least once in each calendar month, whenever, m the
opinion of the Board of Health of the city or town to which the
water is supplied, or when there is no such local Board of Health,
in the opinion of the County Superintendent of Health, or in the
opinion of the State Board of Health, there is reason to apprehend
the infection of the water by that particular locality'. Said com-panies
shall have made a sanitary inspection of any particular local-ity
on said watershed at least once in each week, whenever, in the
opinion of the Board of Health of the city or town to which the
water is supplied, or when there is no such local Board of Health,
in the opinion of the County Superintendent of Health, or in the
66 NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH.
opinion of the State Board of Health, there is special reason to ap
prehend the infection of the water from that particular locality by
the germs of typhoid fever or cholera.
The inspection of the entire watershed as herein provided for
shall include a particular examination of the premises of every in-habited
house on the watershed, and in passing from house to
house a general inspection for dead bodies of animals or accumula
tions of filth. It is not intended that the term "entire watershed"
shall include uninhabited fields and wooded tracts that are free
from suspicion.
The inspection shall be made by an employee of, and at the ex.
pense of said water company, in accordance with reasonable instruc-tions
as to method to be furnished by the secretary of the State
Board of Health.
The said sanitary inspector shall give in person to the head of
each household on said watershed, or in his absence to some mem
ber of said household, the necessary directions for the proper sani
tary care of his premises. It shall further be the duty of said in
spector to deliver to each family residing on the watershed such lit-erature
on pertinent sanitary subjects as may be supplied him bj'
the municipal health oflQeer, or by the Secretary of the State Board
of Health.
Sec. 3. In case of those companies obtaining their supply of water
from rivers or large creeks, having a minimum daily flow of ten mil
lion gallons, the provisions of section 3 shall be applied to the fifteen
miles of watershed draining into the said river or creek next above
the intake of the water works.
Sec. 4. Failure on the part of any water company to comply with
the requirements of sections 2 and 3 shall be punished by a deduc-tion
from any charges for water against the city or town supplied of
twenty five dollars for each and every such failure: Provided, That
in no one year shall the sum of such forfeitures exceed five hundred
dollars.
Where the water works are owned and operated by the city or
town, failure on the part of the municipal official having in charge
the management of the water works to comply as above, shall be a
misdemeanor, and punishable by a fine of not less than ten nor more
than twenty-five dollars, or by imprisonment for not less than ten
nor more than thirty days: Provided, The said official do not prove
to the satisfaction of the court that in spite of reasonable effort and
diligence on his part he was prevented, directly or indirectly, by his
superiors from doing his duty in this respect, in which ease said su-perior
officer or officers shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor,
and punishable by a fine of not less than fifty nor more than two
hundred dollars, or by imprisonment for not less than one nor more
than six months.
SEVENTH BIENNIAL REPORT. 67
Sec. 5. Every city or town having a public water supply shall, at
its own expense, have made at least once in every three months by
one of its own officials a sanitary inspection of the entire watershed
of its water supply, and it shall be the duty of the said official mak-ing
such inspection to report to the Mayor any violation of this act.
Sec. 6. Every person residing or owning property on the water
shed of a lake, pond or .stream from which a public supply is ob-tained,
shall carry out such reasonable instructions as may be fur-nished
him in the manner set forth in section 2, or directly by the
municipal health officer or by the State Board of Health. Failure
to do so shall be deemed a misdemeanoi', and shall be punishable
by a fine of not less than two dollars and costs, nor more than
twenty- five dollars and costs, or by ir:prisonment for not less than
ten nor more than thirty days.
Sec. 7. The charters of all cities and towns having public water
supplies are hereby amended so as to give said cities and towns the
same police powers on the watersheds of said public water supi^lies
as they now possess within their corj^orate limits: Provided, These
police powers shall apply only to violations of this act.
Sec. 8. The Mayor of each city or town ha^^ng a public water sup
ply shall have jurisdiction of all violations of this act, and the same
shall be reported by the inspector of the city or town and of the
water company to and tried by him, except where the water works
are owned and operated by the city or town, in which case the mat-ter
shall be tried by some other justice of the peace or by the supe-rior
court, according as the penalty imposed fixes the jurisdiction,
upon complaint of the municipal health officer, the Ccunty Superin-tendent
of Health, the Secretary of the State Board of Health, or
any resident of said city or town.
See. 9. Every water company, whether owned by private individ-uals
or corporations, or by the municipality, shall have made, not
less frequently than once in every three monhs, at its own expense,
both a chemical and a bacteriological examination of a sample of its
water drawn from a faucet used for drinking purposes, packed and
shipped in accordance with the instructions to be furnished by the
Secretary of the State Board of Health, and shall transmit a copy
of the same to the Mayor, the municipal health officer and the Sec
retary of the State Board of Health.
Sec. 10. As a check and a guarantee of the faithful performance
cf the requirements laid down in the preceding sections of this act,
the State Board of Health shall make or have made by its author-ized
agents such inspections of the watersheds an4 such chemical
and bacteriological examinations of the public water supplies of the
State as may be deemed necessary to insure their purity.
Should such inspections or examinations show conditions danger-
68 NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF HEALTH.
ous to the public health, the Secretary of the said State Board of
Health shall notify the Mayor,