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MEMBERS OF THE STATE BOARD OF HEALTH AND

THEIR TERM OF OFFICE.

On May 2, 1895, the Board of Appointment met in the office of the Governor to fill the vacancies in the membership of the State Board of Health created by the expiration by limitation of the term of office of Dr. John N. Taylor, of Crawfordsville and Samuel S. Roots, of Greenfield. Dr. J. H. Forrest, of Marion, and Dr. T. Henry Davis, of Richmond, were duly elected to fill the vacancies.

The newly constituted Board met in the office of the Secretary, June 6, 1895, and elected the following officers: President, Douglas C. Ramsey, M. D., Mount Vernon; Vice-President, L. L. Whitesides, M. D., Franklin. The election of a Secretary was indefinitely postponed. Therefore the terms of office are as follows:

Douglas C. Ramsey, M. D., Mount Vernon, President; term expires February 28, 1897.

L. L. Whitesides, M. D., Franklin, Vice-President; term of office expires February 28, 1897.

J. H. Forrest, M. D., Marion; term of office expires February 28, 1899.

T. Henry Davis, M. D., Richmond; term of office expires February 28, 1899.

Charles N. Metcalf, M. D., Indianapolis; term of office expired February 28, 1895. The Board failing to elect a Secretary, he holds the position in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution of the State, until his successor is elected and qualified.

STATE BOARD OF HEALTH REPORT.

HON. CLAUDE MATTHEWS,

Governor of Indiana:

Agreeable to an act passed February 19, 1891, establishing the Indiana State Board of Health, and defining its powers and duties, the Fourteenth Annual Report of this Board for the statistical year ending September 30, 1895, and for the fiscal year ending October 31, 1895, is hereby submitted.

This report contains a financial exhibit, a catalogue of the books in the library, list of pamphlets, circulars and rules and regulations issued by the Board within the year; a general outline of the work of this Department, together with such legislation recommended as the Board deems important and in the interest of public health, series of articles on hygiene and sanitary science, and subjects relating thereto, by professional men and others interested in public health; verbatim reports of contagious and infectious diseases by the Health Officers of the State; statistical tables compiled from the returns of marriages, births, deaths, contagious and infectious diseases arranged so as convey as much information as possible to those interested in the study of preventive medicine.

Much of the executive work performed by this department, questions asked, advice given, results obtained relative to drainage, ventilation and sanitary arrangements of public and private buildings, water supply of cities and towns that required attention and the abatement of various nuisances would be of little importance in a printed report. The water supply of many of the towns and cities of the State demands a scientific examination, work this Board is unable to perform because it has no funds at its command with which to do it; however, the Board has had analysis of water and inspections of localities made to determine the cause of the outbreak of epidemic diseases, a detailed report of which would be of little interest to the public, except to those living in the infected districts.

In another part of this report, under the heading of Letters from County Health Officers, will be found full reports of the epidemic diseases that made their appearance in the various parts of the State for the time embraced within the limits of this report, a history of their origin, duration of each and the means employed to suppress them.

Boards of Health are constantly being organized for work, and asking for information regarding their duties. The people are gradually being educated to understand that a large number of diseases are preventable, and have their origin in filth and unsanitary conditions, and therefore demand of Boards of Health that every possible means of relief be given them. Letters from private individuals, health officers, officers of corporations, superintendents of private and public institutions are received frequently, asking information upon all sorts of subjects relating to public. health and the restriction and prevention of contagious and infectious diseases. All such communications, from whomsoever received, are given careful and respectful attention.

It is a noticeable fact that the more efficient Boards of Health are the more popular they become, as their work, in a large per cent. of instances, is appreciated, and when the laws relating to public health, and the rules issued by this Board, from time to time, are judiciously enforced, very little opposition to them is manifested. In this connection, we wish to say that there is a serious misapprehension in the minds of many health officers and citizens in regard to violations of the law affecting the public health and the punishment of the violators. The impression prevails that it is the duty of the Board to prefer charges, and assist in the prosecution. The statutes. provide means for the punishment of offenders and all the machinery necessary to secure obedience to law. The grand jury, prosecuting attorneys and courts are provided for this special purpose. So far as possible, the health officers should give the regularly constituted authorities all the information possible, but here their duty ends. It too frequently occurs, however, that violators are not brought to justice because of fear or favor of the offending parties; and because of their standing in the community, and the influence they wield in politics, the offense is overlooked. Grand juries should "present no person through malice, hatred or ill will, nor leave any

unpresented through fear, favor or affection, or for any reward, or the promise or hope thereof, but present the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth." Within the year it was found necessary to revise the rules and regulations of this Board that had been in force more than three years, because the meaning of many of them was not clearly understood, and were too frequently misunderstood. The revised rules and regulations are written in plain language, and no intelligent person ought to misunderstand them. Some difficulties have been encountered in past years in the enforcement of the rules of this Board because courts have held that before such rules can have any binding force in a county they must be promulgated-made known by publication in a newspaper of general circulation, over the official signature of the county health officer.

Epidemics from communicable diseases are easily prevented at the start, exactly as are conflagrations. From this standpoint health departments are like fire departments, and should always be perfectly equipped.

Following are the revised rules relating to the control of contagious and infectious diseases, and the government of town, city and county Boards of Health, and we believe it can be readily seen from a study of them, that if they are faithfully enforced by the health authorities that much sickness and financial loss to the people can be avoided.

FINANCIAL EXHIBIT.

The following is a correct statement of receipts and expenditures for the fiscal year, commencing November 1, 1894, and ending October 31, 1895: Out of the annual appropriation of $5,000 to conduct and carry on the affairs of this department, the members of this Board have been paid their actual expenses incurred attending regular and special meetings, as well as expenses caused in making sanitary inspections of buildings under control of the State Government, as well as other outside investigations that have been required.

Reports of inspections made by members of the Board will be found in another part of this report. From the fund appropriated we pay the current expenses of the office, the Secretary and Clerks' salaries, printing bills including all publications of the Board, except the annual report, which is paid out of the General Fund.

This Board supplies all the Town, City and County Health Boards, physicians' blanks for the return of births, deaths, contagious and infectious diseases; blank transit permits for the transportation of dead bodies, and blank certificates for undertakers; preventable disease circulars for general distribution among the people; the rules and regulations of the Board for the government of physicians and health officers; programs and all necessary printing for sanitary conventions held in the State; and blanks for sanitary inspection of school houses, poor asylums and jails. After paying all bills contracted during the year, we find that the amount appropriated for this department has been entirely exhausted.

After the regular appropriation was exhausted, it was found necessary by the Board to appeal to the Governor for relief and request him to draw upon the Epidemic Fund in order to enable it to suppress small-pox that was prevailing in the State (full account of its prevalence will be found elsewhere in this report), which he did, to the amount of $125.19.

In face of the fact that ever since the creation of the Epidemic Fund the Governor has found it necessary to draw on it to aid the Board in suppressing contagious diseases; and also in face of the appeals made, not only by the Board, but by the Governors in their annual messages to the Legislature to give

23-Bd. of Health.

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