USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Arlington > Town of Arlington annual report 1904-1906 > Part 75
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SUCKER BROOK. The bed of the culvert under Park Avenue has been lowered two feet and Sucker Brook, which flows through this culvert, has been cleaned and widened both above and below Park Avenue. It is expected that the conditions at this point have been greatly improved by this work.
NEW PLUMBING AND DRAINAGE REGULATIONS. A new set of plumbing and drainage regulations has been adopted. They have been prepared by the Board under advice of the best obtainable authorities on these subjects and were adopted after having been submitted to the Secretary of the State Board of Health. Copies are at the Clerk's office for distribution to all persons interested.
CONTAGIOUS DISEASES. During the past year we have had an unusual number of cases of contagious diseases. In the early part of the year whooping cough and measles were very prevalent, and in
147
BOARD OF HEALTH.
the late summer typhoid fever made its appearance. The latter disease was at the time breaking out in many towns throughout the · state. Of the nineteen cases reported in Arlington, many were con- tracted outside the Town, and no common source of infection could be found for the cases arising at home. Scarlet fever was much less prevalent than in the past two years, and was largely confined to the western part of the town. As was the case last year consider- ably more than half the total number of contagious diseases were reported in the western section.
In this connection the Board desires to impress on our town's people in the strongest manner the necessity for careful isolation of every case of contagious disease. The very mild cases are just as capable of conveying infection as the severe ones, and demand the same care. Parents are often careless about allowing children of the household, or at times the parent himself, to play in the yard or on the street in such a manner that other families are exposed to infection. We ask for a more general compliance with the rules of the Board in this respect.
The number of deaths reported this year is greater than last year, but is not excessive and the health of our town compares favorably with other sections of the state.
CIRCULARS OF INFORMATION. Circulars of instruction for the general care of patients, suggesting means for preventing the spread of diptheria, scarlet fever, typhoid fever, measles and consumption or tuberculosis have been printed, to be sent to families in which any of said diseases occur.
FUMIGATION. A more thorough system of fumigation has been adopted, and on the recovery or death of each case of diptheria, scarlet fever, and tuberculosis the Board attends immediately to the fumigation of the premises. The expense is met by the Town, except where extra fumigation is requested.
REPORTABLE DISEASES. The Board has adjudged the diseases known as scarlet fever, measles, typhoid fever, diphtheria, small-pox, membraneous croup, cholera, yellow fever, typhus fever, cerebro- spinal meningitis, hydrophobia, malignant pustule, leprosy, trichi- nosis, tuberculosis and opthalmia of the newly born as infectious or contagious, and dangerous to the public health and safety within the meaning of the Statutes. Physicians are required to report immediately to the Board every case of either of these diseases coming under their care, and postal cards conveniently printed and addressed are supplied to them for this purpose. On receipt of a card from a physician the Superintendent of Schools, Principal of High School, Trustees of Robbins Library, and Medical Inspector of Schools are notified. Mr. Charles T. Hartwell acts as fumigator in behalf of the Board.
148
BOARD OF HEALTH.
CULTURE STATIONS. Culture tubes for diphtheria, sputum bottles, for suspected tuberculosis, and anti-toxin are provided by the State Board of Health and placed by this Board with H. A. Perham, druggist, for the use of physicians.
MISCELLANEOUS.
BOARD OF INFANTS. The Board has given its approval to appli- cations for licenses to board infants or children as follows : - Mrs. Helen Hatfields, 47 Massachusetts Avenue; Rosa Simmonds, 32 Appleton St. ; Miss Annie C. Sullivan, 60 Mystic St.
HOSPITAL CASES. A bill of $52.23 has been paid for care and nursing a case af diphtheria in the Waltham Hospital, the patient being a state charge, but residing in Arlington. Of this bill the state allows $45 for reimbursement.
Aid rendered by the Town to paupers usually comes under the jurisdiction of the Overseers of the Poor, but in cases of contagious diseases the Statutes place authority with the Boards of Health.
REPORTS OF OFFICERS OF THE BOARD. The reports of the several officers of the Board are appended, to which attention is called.
FINANCIAL. For detail as to expenditures reference is made to the report of the Auditor.
LICENSES.
Licenses have been granted as follows :
STABLES George Clark, 30 Mystic St .; John Lyons, Bucknam Court; Mary A. Law, Mill St.
UNDERTAKERS. J. Henry Hartwell & Son, Medford St. ; Daniel W. Grannan, and William D. Grannan, 378 Mass. Ave .; James P. Daley, 20 Franklin St.
SLAUGHTERING. Frank Borman, 27 Broadway ; Henry R. Bor- man, rear 27 Broadway ; William Borman, rear 27 Broadway.
PLUMBING. Joseph A. Tole, 30 Lewis Ave .; Andrew Bain, 49 Lowell St. ; John L. Hibbit, 1 Park Terrace.
EDWARD S. FRESSENDEN, JOHN S. LAMSON, DR. CHAS. F. ATWOOD,
Board of Health.
149
BOARD OF HEALTH.
REGULATION OF THE BOARD OF HEALTH.
Adopted May 14, 1906.
No person shall permit any wagon, cart or other vehicle containing night soil, offal, manure, or other material injuriously affecting the health or comfort of citizens, to stand in or on any street, lane, alley or place within the limits of the town after the person in charge has been requested to remove the same by any member or agent of the Board of Health, or by an officer of the Town.
Whoever violates this regulation shall pay a sum not exceeding $100 for each offence.
Attention is called to the following regulations of the Board of Health and extracts from the Revised Laws :
DISEASES DANGEROUS TO THE PUBLIC HEALTH.
From Regulation of Board of Healthı.
Voted: That in addition to small-pox, the following diseases shall be considered as dangerous to the public health and that a report be required from physicians of each case, according to the law, - cards being furnished for that purpose, namely : scarlet fever, measles, typhoid fever, diphtheria, membraneous croup, cholera, yellow fever, typhus fever, cerebro-spinal meningitis, hydrophobia, malignant pustule, leprosy, trichinosis, tuberculosis and ophthalmia of a newly-born child.
SECT. 3. Upon the outside of every house in which there is a person sick with small-pox, diphtheria, membraneous croup, measles or scarlet fever shall be placed a suitable placard with the name of the disease. The Board of Health may in special cases permit the placard to be placed upon interior apartments only. This placard shall not be defaced or removed by any per- son without authority of the Board of Health.
SECT. 4. No person shall remove or permit to be removed from any house or apartment upon which a placard has been placed, as provided in Section 3, any clothing, books or other property without a permit from the Board of Health ; nor after a house is established as a hospital, under pro- visions of Chapter 80 of the Public Statutes, shall any occupant of suchr house take up a residence elsewliere without such permit No public or circulating library book shall be taken into any house or apartment whereon a placard has been placed, as provided in Secton 3, before the authorized removal of said placard. All books, papers, toys and other articles in a room where there is a person sick with scarlet fever or diphtheria which cannot be thoroughly disinfected must be destroyed.
SECT. 5. No person living in a house or interior apartment upon which & placard has been placed, as provided in Section 3, shall attend or visit any school in the town without a permit from the Board of Health
SECT 6 No person who has visited a house in which there was at the time a case of small-pox, diphtheria, membraneous croup, or scarlet fever, shall attend school until the expiration of two weeks from such visit.
SECT. 7. Danger of conveying small-pox, diphtheria and scarlet fever shall not be considerd to have passed until two weeks have expired after the rooms occupied by a person who has been sick with either of said diseases, and the articles used by him have been disinfected to the satisfaction of the Board of Health.
SECT. 8. In case of the removal of a child from the house where a person is sick with any of the diseases mentioned in Section 11 of Chapter 496 of the Acts of the year 1898, two weeks must elapse before such child is allowed to attend school.
150
BOARD OF HEALTH.
SECT. 9. No case of diphtheria shall be considered recovered until a negative culture lias twice been obtained, at not less than three days' interval, from such patient
SECT. 10. No case of scarlet fever shall be considered recovered until desquamation is complete on every part of the body.
SECT. 11. No child having chicken-pox or mumps shall be allowed to attend any school in this town.
EXTRACTS FROM THE REVISED LAWS AS AMENDED.
CONTAGIOUS DISEASES.
Chapter 75-Section 49. A householder who knows that a person in his family or house is sick of small-pox, diphtheria, scarlet fever or any other infectious or contagious disease dangerous to the public health shall forth with give notice thereof to the Board of Health of the city or town in which he dwells Upon the death, recovery or removal of such person, the householder shall disinfect to the satisfaction of the Board such rooms of his house and articles therein as, in the opinion of the Board, have been exposed to infection or contagion. Should one or both eyes of an infant become inflamed, swollen and red, and show an unnatural discharge at any time within two weeks after its birth, it shall be the duty of the nurse, relative or other attendant having charge of such infant to report in writing within six hours thereafter, to the Board of Health of the city or town in which the parents of the infant reside, the fact that such inflammation, swelling and redness of the eyes and unnatural discharge exist. On receipt of such report, or of notice of the same symptoms given by a physician as provided by the following section, the Board of Health shall take such immediate action as it may deem necessary in order that blindness may be prevented. Whoever violates the provisions of this section shall be punished by a fine of not more than one hundred dollars.
Chapter 75-Section 50. If a physician knows that a person whom he is called to visit is infected with small-pox, diphtheria, scarlet fever or any other disease dangerous to the public health, or if one or both eyes of an infant whom or whose mother he is called to visit become inflamed, swollen and red, and show an unnatural discharge within two weeks after the birth of such infant he shall immediately give notice thereof in writing over his own signature to the Selectmen or Board of Health of the town; and if he refuses or neglects to give such notice, he shall forfeit not less than fifty nor more than two hundred dollars for each offence. [Approved March 31, 1905.]
VACCINATION.
CHAP. 75, SECT. 136. A parent or guardian who neglects to cause his child or ward to be vaccinated before the child or ward attains the age of two years, except as provided in section one hundred and thirty-nine,* shall forfeit five dollars for every year during which such neglect continues.
. CHAP. 75, SECT. 137. The Board of health of a city or town if, in its opinion, it is necessary for the public health or safety, shall require and inforce the vaccination and re-vaccination of all the
Note-Section 139, referred to above, exempts children who present a certificate signed by a registered physician that they are unfit subjects for vaccination. Application for free vaccination, by persons who are unable to pay for it, may be made to the Clerk or Agent of the Board of Health.
151
BOARD OF HEALTH.
inhabitants thereof and shall provide them with the means of free vaccination. Whoever, being over twenty-one years of age and not under guardianship, refuses or neglects to comply with such requirement shall forfeit five dollars.
CHAP. 44, SECT. 6. [Revised Laws, as amended by Chap. 371, Acts of 1906.] A child who has not been vaccinated shall not be admitted to a public school except upon presentation of a certificate signed by a regular practicing physician that he is not a fit subject for vaccination. A child who is a member of a household in which a person is ill with small-pox, diphtheria, scarlet fever, measles, or any other infectious or contagious disease, or of a household exposed to such contagion from another household as aforesaid shall not attend any public school during such illness until the teacher of the school has been furnished with a certificate from the Board of Health of the city or town, or from the attending physician of such person, stating that danger of conveying such disease by such child has passed.
NUISANCES.
CHAP. 75, SECT. 65. The Board of Health shall examine into all nuisances, sources of filth, and causes of sickness within its town, which may in its opinion be injurious to the public health, shall destroy, remove, or prevent the same as the case may require and shall make regulations for the public health and safety relative thereto, and relative to articles which are capable of con- taining or conveying infection or contagion or of creating sickness which are brought into or conveyed from its town. Whoever violates any such regulation shall forfeit not more than one hundred dollars.
ACTS OF 1906. [CHAP. 502.]
AN ACT RELATIVE TO THE APPOINTMENT OF SCHOOL PHYSICIANS. Be it enacted, etc., as follows :
SECTION. 1. The school committee of every city and town in the Com- monwealth shall appoint one or more school physicians, shall assign one to - each public school within its city or town, and shall provide them with all proper facilities for the performance of their duties as prescribed in this act : Provided, however, that in cities wherein the board of health is already maintaining or shall hereafter maintain substantiaily such medical inspection as this act requires, the board of health shall appoint and assign the school physician.
SECT. 2. Every school physician shall make a prompt examination and diagnosis of all children referred to him as hereinafter provided, and such further examination of teachers, janitors and school buildings as in his opin - ion the protection of the health of the pupils may require.
SECT. 3. The school committee shall cause to be referred to a school physician for examination and diagnosis every child returning to school with- out a certificate from the board of health after absence on account of illness or from unknown cause; and every child in the schools under its jurisdic-
152
BOARD OF. HEALTH.
tion who shows signs of being in ill health or of suffering from infectious or contagious disease, unless he is at once excluded from school by the teacher ; except that in the case of schools in remote and isolated situations the school committee may make such other arrangements as may best carry out the purpose of this act.
SECT. 4. The school committee shall cause notice of the disease or defects, if any, from which any child is found to be suffering to be sent to his parent or guardian. Whenever a child shows symptoms of small-pox, scarlet fever, measles, chicken-pox, tuberculosis, diphtheria, influenza, tonsilitis, whooping cough, mumps, scabies and trachoma, he shall be sent home immediately, or as soon as safe and proper conveyance can be found, and the board of health shall at once be notified.
SECT. 5. The school committee of every city and town shall cause every child in the public schools to be separately and carefully tested and examined at least once in every school year to ascertain whether he is suffering from de- fective sight or hearing or from any other disability or defect tending to prevent his receiving the full benefit of his school work, or requiring a modification of the school work in order to prevent injury to the child or to secure the bes- educatiol naresults .. The tests of sight and hearing shall be made by teachą ers. The committee shall cause notice of any defect or disability requiring treatment to be sent to the parent or guardian of the child, and shall require a physical record of each child to be kept in such form as the state board of education shall prescribe.
SECT. 6. The state board of health shall prescribe the directions for tests of sight and hearing and the state board of education shall, after consultation with the state board of health, prescribe and furnish to school committees suitable rules of instruction, test-cards, blanks, record books and other useful appliances for carrying out the purposes of this act, and shall provide for pupils in the normal schools instruction and practice in the best methods of testing the sight and hearing of children. The state board of education may expend during the year nineteen hundred and six a sum not greater than fifteen hundred dollars, and annually thereafter a sum not greater than five hundred dollars for the purpose of supplying the material required by this act.
SECT. 7. The expense which a city or town may incur by virtue of the authority herein vested in the school committee or board of health, as the case may be, shall not exceed the amount appropriated for that purpose in cities by the city council and in towns by a town meeting. The appropriation shall precede any expenditure or any indebtedness which may be incurred under this act, and the sum appropriated shall be deemed a sufficient appro- priation in the municipality where it is made. Such appropriation need not specify to what section of the act it shall apply, and may be voted as a total appropriation to be applied in carrying out the purposes of the act.
SECT. 8. This act shall take effect on the first day of September in the year nineteen hundred and six. [Approved June 20, 1906.]
REPORT-OF THE INSPECTOR OF SLAUGHTERING.
To the Board of Health :-
I submit the following report for 1906.
Licenses were granted May 1st for three persons, Frank, Henry and William Bowman to slaughter in Arlington.
I have made two hundred visits to the slaughter houses during the year and have inspected the slaughtering of 2,942 veal, 29 hogs, two lambs and 1 cow.
153
BOARD OF HEALTH.
The slaughter houses have been kept clean and also kept up to license agreements.
I would recommend that they be granted licenses for 1907. Respectfully submitted,
FRANK P. WINN, Inspector.
REPORT OF MEDICAL INSPECTOR OF SCHOOLS.
To the Board of Health :-
GENTLEMEN :- During the year 1906 I examined in the schools from January 1st until March 6th, at which time I resigned and the work was taken up by Dr. Atwood.
Work was carried on as in preceding years ; the total number of children examined was one hundred and ninety-five, of which number seven were examined for vaccination.
Out of total number examined fourteen were sent home, four for sore throat, four for whooping cough, two for pediculi, two for ring worm, one for stye, and one for impedigo contagiosa.
Yours respectfully,
ROY D. YOUNG.
REPORT OF INSPECTOR OF PLUMBING.
ARLINGTON, MASS., January 14, 1907.
Board of Health, Town of Arlington :--
GENTLEMEN : - During the year 1906 one hundred and six appli- cations were placed on file and plumbing permits issued therefor ; including dwellings, apartment and tenement houses, churches, school houses, and other public buildings ; also stores, factories, stables, etc., of new construction, or undergoing repairs and altera- tions.
Respectfully submitted,
EDWIN MILLS, Inspector of Plumbing.
154
BOARD OF HEALTH.
REPORT OF THE SANITARY INSPECTOR.
To the Board of Health :-
During the year 1906 a large number of cases of sanitary defects have been discovered by or reported to the Board of Health, and measures taken to abate nuisance therefrom.
Defective drainage, old cesspools and overflowing privy vaults are the most frequent cause of complaint.
Contractor's charge for use of odorless apparatus to empty same involves expense which cause delay by owners.
Whenever practicable, providing sewer connection and discontin- uance of cesspool drainage and privy vaults will effect sanitary improvements of utmost importance.
EDWIN MILLS, Sanitary Inspector.
REPORT OF THE FUMIGATOR.
To the Board of Health : -
Gentlemen : I have the honor to submit my annual report as Fumigator for the year ending December 31, 1906. Whole number of cases fumigated fifty-one (51).
Fourteen (14) cases of scarlet fever requiring the fumigation of twenty-five (25) rooms. Twenty-five (25) cases of diphtheria requiring the fumigation of sixty-nine (69) rooms. Nine(9) cases of tuberculosis requiring the fumigation of fifteen (15) rooms. Halls and stairways included in cases when needed.
Three (3) ambulance cases after two (2) removals of typhoid fever and one (1) of erysipelas.
Respectfully submitted,
CHARLES T. HARTWELL, Fumigator
VITAL STATISTICS.
1906.
Total number of deaths from all causes, exclusive of still-births 158 Number of still-births. 12
170
NOTE-For names of persons dying see report of Town Clerk.
DEATHS BY SEXES.
(Still-births Excluded.)
Number of deaths of males
79
66 66 " females. 79
66
66 unknown.
0
158
155
BOARD OF HEALTH.
DEATHS BY AGES.
Total.
Male.
Female. Unknown.
Deaths of persons under one year ..
20
14
6
. .
4
1
3
. .
2 " 3
66
3 4
6
66
4 5
1
1
66
5 "10
66
66
6
3
3
66
4
3
1
66 20
"30
66
19
8
11
66 30
" 40
66
13
7
6
60
40 " 50
66
11
5
6
66
50 " 60
66
19
7
10
66 60 " 70
66
18
11
7
70 "80
66
22
9
13
Over 80
66
18
6
12
. .
Ages unknown
. .
..
. .
Total
158
77
81
Average age of deaths :
Age of oldest persons : 88 yrs., 5 mo., 23 days
DEATHS BY MONTHS. (Still-births Excluded.)
1906
1905.
1906.
1905.
January .
13
6
July ...
11
12
February.
19
17
August.
20
12
March
13
8 September
15
5
April
15
13 October.
10
11
May
8
8
November
14
2
June
14
13
December.
16
12
Total.
158
124
Still-born
12
15
Total
170
139
CAUSES OF DEATH. (Still-birthis Excluded.)
Deaths from phthisis or consump-
tion .
15
66
66 bronchitis ..
5
66
60
scarlet fever
1
66
66
diphtheria and croup.
3
66
66
cancer
7
66
66
erysipelas
0
From suicide
1
66
dysentery
0
From accident.
6
Number of deaths from all other causes not specified above (not including still-births)
76
Total.
158
SOCIAL RELATIONS OF DECEASED. (Still-births Excluded.)
Married ..
49
Single
69
Widow
23
Widower.
15
Divorced.
I
Unknown
1
158
66
66 cerebro-spinal menin- gitis .
1
DEATHS FROM VIOLENCE.
66
cholera infantum.
2
3
2
1
. .
.
. .
. .
10 " 15
15 " 20
.
.
.
.
.
·
.
Deaths from pneumonia. 13
66
66 diseases of heart.
15
66 diseases of kidneys .. 12
82
2
.
2
From 1 to 2 years. 66 66
156
BOARD OF HEALTH.
NATIVITY.
Nativity of Deceased. (Still births excluded.)
Nativity of Parents.
Father.
Mother.
Arlington.
42
10
9
Massachusetts . .
40
31.
32
Other New England States.
21
18
23
Other States.
8
6
5
Canada and the Provinces.
8
9
12
England, Scotland and Wales.
5
14
8
Ireland
24
41
41
Italy.
2
4
4
Norway and Sweden
3
4
5
Russia .
1
1
1
Other countries
3
6
8
Unknown
1
14
10
Total
158
158
158
American parentage
56
Mixed parentage.
17
Foreign parentage.
70
Unknown parentage
15
Number of non-residents dying in Arlington Number of residents dying in other places
.
CONTAGIOUS DISEASES REPORTED.
Diphtheria. 1905. 1906.
Scarlet Fever. 1905.
Typhoid. 1905. 1906.
Measles. 1905. 1906.
Total. 1905. 1906.
January.
1 2
9
2
.
.
. .
3
10
7
February
·
2
5
3
.
1
1
4
14
10
April
.
3
4
1
·
. .
3
1
10
8
14
June
1
3
.
. .
- 1
8
3
12
August
1
2
1
6
September
.
.
. .
·
.
. .
3
November
1
1
1
4
.
. .
. .
2
5
December
2
2
. .
8
1
1
1
1
4
12
Total
11
30
37
22
3
19
4
53
55
124
LOCATION OF CONTAGIOUS DISEASES.
Drawing a line through the Town Hall Building, and extending it north and south, the location of the above contagious diseases would be as follows:
1905. East.
1905. West.
1906. East.
1906. West.
1905. Total.
1906. Total.
Diphtheria
5
6
12
18
11
30
Scarlet Fever
8
29
8
14
37
22
Typhoid Fever.
1
2
12
7
3
19
Measles
1
3
25
28
4
53
Total.
15
40
57
67
55
124
. .
6
12
.
9
4
13
May
3
1
4
2
12
1
17
July
2
2
2
·
. .
·
1
.
17
October
2
· ·
·
2
1
1
·
3
5
8
March
3
6
11
3
11
31
1906.
.
-
-
REPORT OF PARK COMMISSIONERS.
To the Honorable Board of Selectmen of the Town of Arlington :-
The Park Commissioners submit the following report for the year 1906.
A regular monthly meeting of the Park Commissioners has been held during the year and at other times when business required immediate attention.
At Menatomy Rocks Park during the month of May and on Saturday and Sundays during June and July a caretaker was employed to keep the park clean and orderly. During August and September arrangements were made with the Chief of Police to have the Park patroled Saturday afternoons and Sundays. In the spring and fall the trees have been thoroughly cleaned, removing, as far as possible, all traces of gypsy and brown tail moths. The ground has been sprayed with oil and burned to destroy any trace of moths on the rocks or among the dead leaves.
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