identical causes of the same miseries and burdens of the people would reappear if the sanitary and moral resources of knowledge are not interposed. Even the unworthy and wantonly perverse classes of society have to be reached by the beneficence of hygiene in order to protect the community at large.

The spreading infections which destroy children are domestic and neighborhood pestilences of rich and poor alike, and they strike down the fairest and most promising of the young lives; while malaria and the fever-poisons, which afflict the humblest laborers and their families, also vex and prostrate any other persons who inhale or drink the same unseen and unsuspected causes of these diseases. The public care of health is for the benefit and protection of all classes and ages alike. Its preventive, watchful and humane provisions and advice. among the needy and the reckless, its ceaseless inspections and searching for causes of disease and untimely deaths, its faithful enumeration and registry of the dead, and its timely inquiries and instructions, must extend to all ranks, ages and places in the State. This view controls the policy and incites the efforts of this Board in all the relations it sustains to the people.

Respectfully submitted,

EDWARD M. MOORE, President.
ERASTUS BROOKS.

J. SAVAGE DELAVAN.

Wм. M. SMITH.

JAMES T. GARDINER.

JAMES G. HUNT.
C. F. CHANDLER.

HAMILTON WARD.

ELISHA HARRIS, Secretary.

AN ABSTRACT OF THE MINUTES AND TRANS

ACTIONS OF THE BOARD.

FIRST QUARTERLY MEETING OF THE BOARD IN 1881.

ALBANY, February, 9th.

All members in attendance except Prof. Gardiner, who was absent from the State.

The chairman of the sanitary committee submitted the papers which had been referred to that committee relating to effluvium nuisances in the Metropolitan District, and upon his motion it was

Resolved: That a special committee be appointed by the chair to proceed to New York city to take testimony with regard to the nuisances alleged to exist there in the petition of citizens referred to this Board for examination by the Governor, under date of January 5th, 1881, and that this committee be authorized to employ a stenographer, and such experts and agents as may be necessary to complete the investigation.

That the memorial of citizens with the reference to the Governor, be referred to this committee, and that such special committee report to this Board the evidence taken with their conclusions thereon, with all convenient speed.

The following commissioners were appointed to be such committee for this investigation: Dr. J. Savage Delavan, Hon. Erastus Brooks and Dr. Elisha Harris.

The subject of town and village Boards of Health was discussed and the views of the attorney general were elicited. Mr. Brooks submitted a communication from ex-District Attorney Rawson, of Richmond county, concerning the necessity for better definitions and distinctions of the jurisdiction and duties of town and village Boards of Health.

A communication was presented from city authorities and physicians of Hudson inviting the Board's attention to the South Bay nuisance of that city. The physicians separately reported as follows: "We, physicians of the City of Hudson, consider that any closing of the present opening in the Hudson River Rail Road embankment crossing the South Bay will be productive of malarial disease and injurious to the health of the citizens, and urge upon the Board of Health to at least maintain our present opening." (Signed) John P. Wheeler, M. D.,

LANE LI

Geo. E. Benson, M. D., Geo. P. Salmon, M. D., A. P. Cook, M. D., C. P. Cook, M. D., F. F. Cochren, M. D., H. Lyle Smith, M. D.

The secretary was directed to reply and to state that the subject had been brought to the attention of the Board.

Communications were submitted from Hon. Dr. M. M. Fenner, chairman of assembly committee on public health, relating to explosive oils and to vivisection. It was

Resolved, That the sanitary committee be directed to report as soon as convenient upon the cause and prevention of accidents from kerosene and similar oils.

Hon. M. Phillips, of Orleans county appeared before the board to ask what action could be taken for abating a nuisance caused by the Erie canal near the village of Holly, in that region of the town of Murray. Malarial fever and its associated evils are attributed to the obstruction of drainage. In reply the Board advised Mr. Phillips that a statement of the case should be made directly by the town authorities, to the State Engineer, and also to the Governor of the State. The Secretary was advised by the president and members to obtain medical facts directly from the physicians in that region. He said that he would do so. On motion of Mr. Brooks it was

Resolved: That the State Board of Health shall offer to supply the towns and counties with blank forms for the registry of births, marriages, deaths, burials, at net cost, and that the proper local authorities be notified of this action.

The president submitted communications from citizens of Auburn asking advice upon practical questions of sewerage in that city, and, on his motion, the following resolution was adopted:

WHEREAS, Citizens of Auburn have requested the opinion of the State Board of Health in relation to the proper location for public sewers in that city, therefore

Resolved:-That the secretary of this Board be authorized to express to such citizens and others whom it may concern, that, in the opinion of the State Board of Health, no public sewer should be constructed beneath private dwellings, manufactories, or public buildings, or where avoidable, through private grounds; but in every instance along streets or public throughfares.

Resolved:-That the committee on Registration and Vital Statistics is hereby authorized to have three registers made for immediately commencing the registration of deaths, births and marriages, in the State Bureau of Vital Statistics.

WHEREAS, Small-pox is now prevailing to a dangerous extent in many towns and cities in the State, and

WHEREAS, Except in New York city, the cases of this disease are not published immediately, but intentionally concealed, therefore

Resolved: That in any amendments which may be made to the law creating this Board, a section should be added making it a misdemeanor for the Health Officer, or Sanitary Superintendent of any city, town or village to neglect to report to the Secretary of this Board any case of small-pox occurring in his district within three days of its coming to his knowledge.

Resolved:-That the law should also provide for requiring the attending physician to report cases to the Health Officer and Sanitary Superintendent. The discussion of the merits of the Pharmacy Bill for the

better regulation of the retail and prescription business in articles used in medicine was taken up, and on motion it was

Resolved: That in the opinion of the State Board of Health it is very desirable that laws for the regulation of the practice of Pharmacy and the sale of poisons should be adopted for the purpose of protecting the public health from incompetent Pharmacists and from the careless sale of poisons.

Resolved: That the form of public notice by School Officers, which was adopted by the School Board, district eight, of Amsterdam, Montgomery county, be printed as a sample by this Board to be issued by the secretary to all school districts in the State as illustrating an easy method of securing public attention to the duty of vaccination in accordance with the statute of 1860.

*

Resolved: That in legislation proposed, the Supervisors of the towns of the State be authorized and required to appoint Boards of Health in their respective towns, and that in towns where there are villages the trustees shall make the appointment of the local Board of Health, whose work shall be confined to the territory known as the village. And in cities (except New York and Brooklyn) the Mayor and Common Council shall make the appointments and that in no case shall a member of the Board of Health be selected from the city, county, town or other local officers; and that in each such Board of Health there shall be at least one physician.

Resolved:-That in all Boards of Health it shall be the duty of the Health Board to appoint and define the work and power of the health officer.

Adjourned.

SPECIAL MEETING. NEW YORK, April 18.

Six members in attendance. Business,—to hear and act upon report of committee on Effluvium Nuisances. Dr. Delavan, chairman of the committee, presented the report.

The report was accepted and adopted. It was

Resolved: That in the opinion of this Board the report of the special committee upon the stench nuisance complained of in the city of New York clearly establishes the fact that the complaints are well founded, that the odors emanate chiefly from the portions of Kings and Queens counties bordering upon Newtown creek, and that they are caused by carelessness in the management of the business of refining petroleum, discharging the refuse from the oil refineries, the handling of sludge acid, the making of cream of tartar, the manufacture of superphosphate fertilizers by means of sulphuric acid, the rendering of fat, the boiling and burning of bones, the manufacture of ammonia and the transportation and storage of manure.

Resolved:-That in the opinion of the Board the managers of the Empire, Standard and Astral oil refineries, and the owners of the cream of tartar factory, have shown themselves to be commendably active in their efforts to control all sources of nuisance, and with the advice of competent experts have introduced improvements which accomplish

* See [No. 41] in series of Sanitary Papers, p. 121 of this report.

that result; therefore the Board urges upon the Governor the importance of requiring the owners of other oil refineries to adopt the same or other equally effective methods of accomplishing the same results.

Resolved: That in the opinion of this Board no treatment or utilization of the sludge of the oil refineries should be permitted in the neighborhood of Newtown creek, nor should any portion of it be discharged into the waters of the creek. It should be removed in closed tanks entirely beyond the populous districts, without dilution or needless exposure to the air.

Resolved: That the manufacture of super-phosphates, from refuse and putrid animal matters, as now conducted, is a source of emanations which should not be endured, nor should such putrid materials be stored or transported in open vessels.

Resolved: That the improper rendering of fat, and the boiling and burning of bones, and the manufacture of ammonia constitute nuisances of great magnitude, which can be easily abated by the adoption of approved apparatus already in use in many establishments.

Resolved: That the removal of manure from the large cities and its transportation to the farms where it is finally utilized without annoyance to the residents of the localities where it is produced, or through which it passes, is a problem involving many serious difficulties, but the Board is unanimous in the opinion that it should not be allowed to accumulate in the neighborhood of crowded localities.

On motion it was

Resolved:-That the report and resolutions thereon be recommitted to the special committee with instructions to lay before the Governor the resolutions and such facts connected with the report as may be deemed expedient.

Mr. Brooks submitted the following statement in regard to the KillVon-Kull nuisances:

"The attention of the board of health having been called to the unhealthy and unsightly condition of things growing out of the factories on the Kill-Von-Kull― the navigable and much used stream of water which separates the north shore of Staten Island from the opposite shore in the State of New Jersey, respectfully asks the Governor of the State of New York to communicate to the authorities of New Jersey the following facts:

especially nui

"Ist:-That along the waters on the New Jersey shore on the shore opposite to New Brighton and West New Brighton,sances and offenses emanate from the oil refineries and factories of very serious injury to the comfort of the whole people, on the New York shore, and at times from the effluvium in the air and the contaminations in the water affecting the health of the people. When the wind is in the direction of the island, the offensive odors extend for two or three miles inland, compelling at times the closing of windows and preventing the proper and necessary ventilation of private dwellings.

"2nd:-The water is often covered with oil flowing from the factories into the river and reaching the opposite shore and destroying all pleasure and cleanliness formerly enjoyed from the use of public and private bathing places.

"3rd:-The smell from the gases and sludge coming from the factories is not only personally offensive and especially affecting the sensi