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OCEANA, W. VA
August 28th, 1888.

DR. N. D. BAKER,

Martinsburg, W. Va.

DEAR DR.:-Your letter citing me to the duties of local boards of health duly received, and would have been answered sooner but for my absence from home.

As to contagious and infectious diseases I have two cases of diptheria under treatment at this time, I have heard of several other cases in the county, but have not received any official report of them. We have had a great many cases of dysentery in the county. There have been several death from it, but none in my own practice. Our county has not fixed the salary of the local health officer as required by law.

Yours very truly,

O. J. WOODS,

Secretary Local Board of Health.

PHILLIPI, W. Va.,
June 15, 1888.

DR. T. A. HARRIS,

Parkersburg, W. Va.

DEAR SIR:-I very much regret my inability to make an acceptable and satisfactory report of the sanitary condition of Barbour county, by the time fixed in your request, and for the reason that, first, your letter was not received until the middle of May, when I was very busy professionally, furthermore, at that time I was called from home on account of the sickness and death of a sister, taking up the intervening time, from the reception of your letter to the present time.

But so far as my knowledge of the general sanitary condition of the county goes for the past year, it has been very good. During the latter part of last Summer and Fall, we had a number of cases of typhoid malaria fever, scarcely a case however proving fatal. During the winter months measels prevailed in the eastern part of the county, from which there were several deaths, but they were the result of such complications as bronchitis and pneumonia, within some instances ignorance on the part of attendants as to the proper modes of nursing; with these exceptions the county has been particularily healthy.

The sanitary condition of our jail has not been good but soon will be, the county court having ordered the changes necessary to effect it. Our school houses will compare favorably with those of any county in the State; an eye has been kept in their erection to proper ventilation, &c.

Very Respectfully,

J. W. BASWORTH, M. D., President Local Board of Health.

DR. T. A. HARRIS,

Parkersburg, W., Va.,

LOGAN C. H.
June 15, 1888.

DEAR DR.:-The sanitary condition of Logan county is proba bly in a better condition than it ever was. The prevailing diseases during the past year have been Intermittent and Remittent feavers. Pneumonia and an occasional case of typhoid fever, quite unusual in this valley. We had several cases of acute articular rheumatism during the past winter. The above are the prevailing acute diseases. We have at the same time the usual amount of chronic troubles.

At this writing there is less sickness here than at any time in the last ten years. The sanitary condition of our jail is bad to say the least, there is no ventilation beneath, and the floor is built. on the ground. The base of the windows is four feet above the floor, and the cells are so planned as to prevent a free circulation of air between the windows, the result is that all the foul air generated in the jail must remain. We have no poor house. Our county commissioners sell the privilege of supplying the poor to the lowest bidder and they submit. Therefore they are scattered almost all over the county, wherever they will be kept.

We have ninety-three school houses in the county built of hewn logs, about one half heated by stoves, the other half heated by open fire places, stone chimneys and wood fires. The floors are almost on the ground, and the ceilings are quite low just sufficient for a tall man to stand erect, the windows are small and few in number, ventilation very bad.

Very respectfully,

C. L. HUDGINS, President County Board of Health.

CLARKSBURG, W. Va..)
May 20, 1888.

DEAR DR.:-In answer to yours of May 12th I can only say that we have had no epidemic in the county during the last year. A few scattering cases of typhoid fever, diphtheria, pneumonia, measles, etc., catarrhal troubles being the most frequent, from which we are never free. There is, however, one locality in the county extending along a small creek for a distance of four miles near the village of Mt. Clare, on the Clarksburg and Weston Railroad, six miles south of Clarksburg, that has not been free from one or more cases of typhoid fever in a mild form for several years.

The sanitary condition of jail and school houses in town is good and from what I see of the county school houses I think their sanitation is fair. The gentleman in charge of the county almshouse assures me that the sanitary condition is good, Sickness less than for years past. Respectfully, J. W. BowcOCK.

GASTON, W. VA.,
May 29th, 1888.

DEAR DR. HARRIS:-In compliance with your request, I have the honor to submit the following report. It is imperfect from the fact that I have been compelled to rely upon my own knowledge of the sanitary condition of the county, and of the prevalent diseases. Have not received a formal report from a single physician in the county. The sanitary condition of the county is good, quite up the average of other counties in the State. In and around Weston the Asylum sewer is a cause of complaint and I think justly so, do you not think something should be done to correct the evil?

The prevalent diseases through the winter were pneumonia and catarrhal troubles, with a few cases of typhoid fever, the winding up of an epidemic which existed last fall in that part of the county along Freeman's and Kinchelor's creeks, the latter divides Lewis and Harrison counties.

There have been two cases of scarlet fever recently in Weston, with one death. The local board of health acted promptly, had the bed and clothing of the fatal case burned, and the premises thoroughly disinfected. The case was that of a child attending the public school, the school was immediately closed; the other case was next door to the first, a woman married and without children. This case recovered.

Our county recently built a jail at a cost of $6,000. There has been no complaint, although I think the construction was more with a view to security than sanitation. The poor of the county are kept on a farm. The buildings are log cabins with open fireplaces. They are often overcrowded.

The school houses of our county are substantial frame buildings heated by stoves, ventilation accompli hed by lowering or raising of windows. The light is admitted from both sides of the house and the windows are guiltless of blinds. There is much complaint of headache among the children.

Yours, truly,

C. W. SMITH,

Secretary Local Board of Health.

DR. T. A. HARRIS,

KEYSER, W. Va..)
May 30, 1888.

Parkersburg, W. Va.:

DEAR SIR:-During the past summer months typhoid fever was more prevalent than usual. I think a number of cases were caused by well-water contaminated by surface drainage. There have been no cases since the first of the present year.

Diphtheria has been unusually prevalent. We had a large number of cases in this town and along the Potomac river, but the most malignant cases were met with on the summit of the Alleganies. In the months of August, September, October and

November it was generally prevalent. There have been but few cases since December. An epidemic of measles prevailed throughout the county during the fall, winter and spring.

Yours, truly,

T. H. WEST.

BEVERLY, W. Va.,
VA.,
June, 1, 1888.

DEAR DR.:-The sanitary condition of our county in general is good. There is no system of sewage in this town, getting rid of fecol excrument gives us a great deal of trouble. There was an epidemic of typhoid fever in and around Beverly last September and October, the death rate was light in proportion to the number of cases. Measles have prevailed in epidemic form all over the county since December, 1887.

The sanitary condition of our jail and county houses is good. School houses as a general thing are badly ventilated.

Very truly yours,

H. YOKUM,

President Local Board of Health.

GRAFTON, W. VA.,
June 1, 1888.

DEAR DR.:-As execution officer of local board of health for Taylor county, I herewith send my report as indicated in your communication, I had hoped to receive blanks for this purpose.

I have pleasure in having to report the prevalence of no endemic or epidemic in this county, except measles to some extent in Knottsville district, where some few deaths occurred.

The sanitary condition of the county is fair, though not firstclass. The condition of all our public buildings is as good as their faulty construction will permit.

I felt not a little disappointed in that our last Legislature failed to amend the most important feature of the health law, viz: The indirect and futile way of prosecuting violations of the law. Why did they not make these violations of law cognizable before a Justice of the Peace.

HON. N. D. BAKER,

Respectfully,

W. L. GRANT.

SISTERSVILLE, W. Va.)
October 2, 1888.

Secretary State Board of Health.

DEAR SIR:-In reply to your request asking for a full report, concerning the two cases of small pox, of recent date at Stringtown, opposite Sistersville, West Virginia, I have the honor to make the following report:

On the 31st day of July 1888, John A. Davenport, President of the County Court of Tyler county West Virginia, came to my

house and informed me that he understood that there was a suspicious case of sickness at the house of one Cain, a saloon-keeper in Stringtown, and suggested the propriety of my making an examination, and if the disease should prove to be of an infectious nature to do whatever would seem to be proper under the circumstances to protect our citizens from contagion. I went over the river, examined the patient, and being of the opinion that it was a case of small pox, I immediately ordered quarantine against the Chio side for a space of two miles up and down the river, opposite our place, and to better enforce said quarantine I employed four guards at night, and four by day, to watch and prohibit intercourse, and I also stopped the U. S. Mail between our place and Stringtown. The authorities at the City of Washington, promptly complied with the terms of said quarantine, and so instructed the mail carrier and P. M., but when I first examined the case over the river, the family had a man in attendance by the name of Stewart, who although a doctor in active practice, denied the fact of the patient having small pox, and insisted that it was a case of erysipelas, and some of the neighbors pronounced it a case of rash brought about by eating too many blackberries.

So much diversity of opinion caused a good deal of opposition to the quarantine, and made the enforcement of it up hill work for me, but nevertheless, I went ahead and did my duty regardless of consequences.

I made repeated attempts to get the Ohio authorities to take cognizauce of the case, but not until a second case had happened and nearly got well, did they notice the matter, and their delay in the matter was the means of costing our county some unnecessary expense, but which, considering the danger to which our citizens were exposed, I think was a very judicious investment. The second case took place some time later and after the first quarantine had been removed a few days, and as the second case was confluent from head to foot, it soon removed any difference of opinion about the nature of the disease, and I had no further trouble on that score. I was also very cordially sustained in my official duties in the matter, not only by the State Board of Health, but also by our local board of health of Tyler county. Quarantine has been raised some weeks ago, and everything is now quiet.

With high respect,

WM. H. GILLESPIE, M. D. Health Officer, Tyler county, W. Va.

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