USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Newton > Town of Newton annual report 1891 > Part 12
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During the year four cases of glanders have been re- ported to the Board, two of them from one stable. All of the horses were immediately killed and removed and the stables disinfected. One other suspected case was reported near the close of the year, but after careful examination and treatment by a competent veterinary, the animal was declared sound by both surgeon and State Cattle Commission and the quarentine removed. Had the results of these examinations been otherwise, the consequences would have been serious, for several stables would have been infected, and evidence enough could have been secured to have caused several prosecutions.
House Offal.
The disposal of kitchen refuse, or swill, as it is more commonly called, is one of the most perplexing questions of the day. Already has this question become a serious one with us. As long as the contractor was enabled to use the "Island" so called, there were scarcely any complaints. Indeed, we have recently understood that it was perhaps more of an annoyance to our neighbors than to ourselves. But the taking of the "Island " for other purposes obliged the contractor to secure another place. He accordingly pur- chased an estate on Lexington street where the length of haul is about the same as before. This estate has a large, level tract of land extending back from Lexington street
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some three or four hundred feet to the brow of a sharp hill, leading down to a large, heavy swamp. Near the brow of this hill is set the box to receive the swill collected, from which the farmers cart it away to farms in the interior to be fed to hogs. Just under the brow of the hill, the contractor has a piggery of his own. There has been considerable complaint of the piggery as well as of the whole plant, but the majority of it has seemed to emanate from one particular source and to have the appearance of personal spite. Un- doubtedly there are times when it is an annoyance but much more has evidently been laid at its door than should be. The piggery and the sale of the swill to the farmers furnish much of the revenue received by the contractor. The re- moval of these sources of revenue means a greatly increased cost to the city for the collecting alone. There is no question that the abolishment of the plant on Lexington street, either in whole or in part would give great satisfaction to a con- siderable number of our citizens. But after its abolishment the question of disposal still remains. The swill cannot be buried, neither can it be dumped into the ocean. There are great objections to selling it for feeding purposes. Only one resource is left, viz: to burn it. The establishment of crematories for the disposal of swill is looked upon with satisfaction by all progressive health authorities, and is the true solution of the problem. This Board most decidedly recommends the establishing of such a plant, even though it should mean an increased appropriation, and collections by the city teams.
Judging from the number of complaints received, the work of collecting during the past year has been an improve- ment over those preceding, and has given better satisfaction. The work is necessarily enlarging every year, and the time is not far distant when it will be advisable to have not only the house-offal, but the night-soil and ashes collected and taken care of by the city through its Health Department.
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Malaria.
Apparently there has been no diminution in this disease since our last report. The Charles River has evidently been the trunk line whereby the disease has reached us, and as every brook but one that we have in Newton empties into this river, we do not have to look far to find the branches which have conveyed this very disagreeable miasm to all parts of the city. Its appearance on Chestnut Hill some years ago would seem to be due to its being brought down through the aqueducts to the reservoir, as at that time it was very prevalent in Framingham.
Probably no place in the state has become so popular for boating purposes as the Charles River between Moody street bridge in Waltham, and Newton Lower Falls, yet the shores of this beautiful stream are becoming so obnoxious in the extreme warm weather, when the water is low, that unless something can be done to improve their condition this health- giving recreation will be driven away in the near future. In addition to this, many of those intending to become citi- zens have been deterred from doing so by the reports that come to them. Much of the trouble is undoubtedly caused by the alternate raising and lowering each day, of the water in the river by the Boston Manufacturing Co., in Waltham.
In the fall a strong petition was presented to this Board describing the condition of the river and attibuting much of the existing malaria to this cause. The remedy suggested for the present was the lessening of the use of the water in dry times by the Boston Manufacturing Co., through the in- troduction of steam into their works. A careful study of the legal, as well as the physical, aspects of the case have led to the following conclusions : - That not only Newton but all the other towns affected along the river are interested in this question; that no one local board can handle it alone, nor can the State Board of Health, and it is doubtful if all the Boards combined can do so under existing laws; that in
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consequence it is not only desirable, but essential that ad- ditional legislation be obtained.
Bullough's Pond and vicinity has been the source of much malaria, and the Board would be only too glad to improve the district if the means were placed at its disposal.
Night-soil.
The work of removing night-soil or contents of cess- pools has been more promptly and efficiently done than ever before. But few complaints have been received relative to this work, and all requests from this Board for immediate attention to work have been complied with. The greatest trouble has been that our citizens have frequently put off emptying their cess-pools until they began to overflow, and were then disappointed if they could not get the teams there at an hour's notice.
The contract which existed with Mr. Mague expired in June, and as the conditions of the old one were satisfactory to both parties it was renewed for another three years.
The introduction of sewers, however, will render this work much less remunerative, and undoubtedly upon the expiration of the present contract, the city will either be obliged to take charge of the work, or the price per load for removal will have to be increased. Suitable places for de- positing such material are few and far between, and it is a question if it would not be advisable to adopt the first men- tioned plan, and if possible, provide a crematory in conjunc- tion with one for house-offal. Citizens have frequently advocated and even requested the Board to have its own plant and do the work itself, and there certainly would not be much opposition to such a step.
Plumbing.
During the year some two hundred houses have been erected in the city, and the plumbing of these has been ex- amined, in some cases seven or eight visits being made before
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the work was finished. In order to keep up with the ad- vances which have been made in this branch of sanitary science as well as others, it has been found advisable to re- vise the regulations, and a new code will be presented for your consideration early in the year.
Each year the demand for inspections and tests of the plumbing in old houses increases and many more of such inspections have been made during the year than ever before. It is the same history of filthy pan-closets, which ought to be ordered out whenever found, defective traps or no traps at all perhaps, and lead drip trays, and seats saturated with urine and slops. Many people begin to feel indignant when they find an inspector desires to ascertain if their pan-closet is foul or not, and are perfectly astounded when shown its true condition.
Outside of the Cottage Hospital, perhaps the two most important inspections were those made at Lasell Seminary, and the Pine Farm School. At the former institution, several defects were found, although the plumbing was sup- posed to be in first-class condition. Carelessness on the part of the servants had allowed some of the fixtures to get into bad shape. All of these troubles were promptly remedied upon the request of our Agent. Some of the minor improve- ments which he suggested have also been adopted, while others have been laid over to the future. One recommenda- tion of the Agent for the improvement of the sanitary con- dition of the school was a very important one, and if adopted, will place Lasell far beyond any similar institution, that we are aware of, in this country, and that is the erection of a sanitary tower. We hope the officials in charge will see their way clear to adopt the recommendation.
At the Pine Farm School some very disagreeable things were found, and many changes were recommended by the Agent. While some of these have been carried out, yet there are others that ought to be. While some of the Directors
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are alive to the situation, others seem to feel that these boys do not need all the "conveniences" as they are termed, which have been introduced into sanitary matters. These Directors may yet be brought to a change of opinion,"and it is to be hoped before any serious results shall happen.
The report of the Agent recommending improvements at the High School was approved and forwarded to the School Committee for their action.
Rabies -- Hydrophobia.
In January, notice was received from the State Cattle Commission that all laws relative to contagious diseases among domestic animals were to include rabies among dogs. The rules and regulations prepared by them were immediately published as required by law, in the Newton papers. Scarce- ly had this notice been promulgated, when a suspected case was reported to the Board by the owner of the dog. Strict directions were given to keep the dog in close confinement until he could be examined by competent authority. The attendant, however, was careless, and the dog made his escape, being headed towards the Charles River when last seen. As no farther trace of him has ever been found, it is supposed that he ventured out on the thin ice, broke through and was drowned.
Several cases of what is termed street rabies were ob- served by the police department, and were promptly killed, but not reported to the Board. One case, however, was at- tended with fatal results. A boy at Oak Hill was bitten by one of these wandering curs, no particular attention being paid to the fact. Unfortunately, the poison of the rabies was transferred through the wound to the blood of the boy, and rapidly working through the system, caused that most terrible of deaths, hydrophobia.
As one step towards improving the quality of the dogs that may be licensed, and thus diminishing in a slight degree,
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sanitary science. The preliminary work has been done, and they are now in the hands of the City Solicitor for his re- vision. It is hoped that they will be adopted in season to be printed in conjunction with this report.
the liability to rabies, this Board would most respectfully recommend to your honorable body, that the dog tax be in- creased to the utmost limit allowed by statute law.
Rules.
The rules and regulations of this Board have needed some changes, but they had not been such as would warrant the expense of a complete revision. The introduction of sewerage, however, necessitated new rules, and it has been thought advisable in this connection to give the entire set of regulations much time and study so as to bring them into line with the extensive advances that have been made in
Sewerage.
The construction of the sewerage system is being pushed ahead as rapidly as possible. Many difficulties have been encountered, but as soon as the Metropolitan Commissioners have finished the trunk line, many of our sewers can be im- mediately connected therewith, and the work of putting in the house connections carried forward much more rapidly. The old cess-pool can then be thoroughly emptied, disin- fected, and filled up, and many of the troubles to which our citizens are subjected will be done away with. It is thought that the Metropolitan system will be ready about the middle of April, so that we may reasonably expect to have some of our sewers in use by the first of May.
Sterilized Milk.
About the first of March, this Board suggested to the City Council the advisability of establishing a depot for the sale of sterilized milk. The following communication from Dr. D. E. Baker was also sent, setting forth the reasons for this recommendation.
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To the Honorable City Council of the City of Newton :
Gentlemen :- The composition of milk peculiarly adapts it to the development of the micro-organisms of putrefaction and disease. Cholera Infantum and the various summer diarrheas are largely disseminated in this way.
It has been shown by scientists that milk may be preserved a long time and rendered innocuous by destroying the contained germs by heat and then hermetically sealing the flasks so steril- ized. Many cities and towns have given this matter attention, and in Hamburg, Germany, a station for the production and sale of sterilized milk has been for some time in successful operation.
Investigations as to the best and most economical methods of securing germ-free milk are in progress at the New Zealand Kitchen on Pleasant Street, Boston, and also at the Mass. Insti- tute of Technology.
The summer diseases of children may be largely prevented and also successfully treated by the use of such milk.
It is hoped that your honorable body will give the subject careful consideration with a view to the establishment of a station in connection with some first-class dairy, for the securing of such an article. It is as a preventative measure that the Board of Health recommends this measure, but there are other aspects of the question apparent to anyone, that equally make it desirable to secure such a station.
This milk is now for sale at Theodore Metcalf's pharmacy in Boston, at the price of thirty cents a pint, which price excludes it from poor families. The Orange County Milk Association of New York furnish an evaporated milk which costs less, and it is hoped that the product may soon be secured at a price but slightly in advance of that for the crude article. The outlay for the necessary appliances varies somewhat with the method adopted, but in any case will be small in comparison to the re- sulting benefits.
Respectfully submitted,
(SIGNED)
DAVID E. BAKER, Physician of the Board of Health.
P. S. Dr. S. W. Abbott, Secretary of the State Board of Health, writes me that this is a practical and needed reform. (SIGNED) D. E. BAKER.
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Unsterilized milk is rarely less than thirty hours old before reaching the consumer, and when the conditions which govern the care of that milk, from the time of production to its use are considered, it is easy to understand one cause of the necessity existing for an improvement in the supply. In warm weather, the decomposition and putrefaction of the micro-organisms are much more rapid unless retarded by the milk being kept constantly on ice. In many of our poorer families, the use of ice cannot be afforded, and it is here where the greatest mortality from cholera-infantum occurs. Cholera-infantum alone causes nearly four per cent. of the entire mortality of the city, there having been thirteen deaths from this cause last year. Knowing that this mortality can be greatly diminished by the general use of sterilized milk, this Board most respectfully renews its recommendations to the City Council of last year for the establishment of a depot for the sale of milk that has been sterilized.
Ventilation.
No greater question than the proper ventilation of our school-houses and public buildings could be brought to the attention of this Board. The Legislature of 1890 so amended the law of 1888 which required the Inspectors of factories and public buildings to enforce its provisions, as to give to any person or corporation aggrieved by the orders of such inspectors, the right to appeal to the Local Board of Health. Due consideration ought to be given to the opinions of the State Inspectors as they are really experts on such questions, and if the right to appeal is to lie anywhere, it should be to the State Board of Health, rather than to the local. We trust this Board will never be called upon to decide in such a matter between the city and the State.
Several complaints having been made about the ventila- tion of the Rice School, an examination was made by our Agent who submitted the following report :-
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To the Board of Health, Newton :
Gentlemen .- Complaints have been made to me by various parties at Newton Centre relative to bad ventilation at the Rice School, Newton Centre. It has been noticed to the largest ex- tent, if not entirely, in Miss Martin's room and in the entries. Miss Martin tells me that at times the warm air delivered into her room has a bad odor, and the air of the room becomes badly vitiated.
I have made several investigations and each time I have been firmly convinced that the trouble originates in the cellar. Friday afternoon, November 6, I obtained the services of the janitor after the close of school, and made an experiment to demonstrate if possible the correctness of my belief.
He sprinkled a small amount of peppermint around on the floor of the cellar and also on the walls, none of it being nearer than seven or eight feet to the box containing the heater for the air passing into Miss Martin's room. In not over three minutes, Miss Martin, without knowing what had been done, readily de- tected the odor of peppermint coming through her hot air register, and in five minutes the peppermint could be detected all over the room and in the entry. I think that this clearly shows that the cellar air is constantly being drawn into the fresh air supply, and as the boys urinal and water-closets are situated in the cellar by the side of this heater, it is easy to understand what the cause of the bad odor has been.
What is true of Miss Martin's system of heating in a large degree, is also true of the other rooms in a much less degree.
The boxes supplying fresh air to the heating coils are made of matched boards, but these are subject to shrinkage, and as a matter of fact, many of the joints have large openings in them. The boxes around the heating coils also have large augur holes in them left open. A strong suction of foul cellar air is thus con- stantly being drawn into the supply of fresh air and delivered into the school-rooms.
If I am correctly informed it was in the room occupied by Miss Martin that two of the scholars who have recently been ill with scarlet fever, were taken sick with vomiting while occupy- ing their seats.
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I have therefore felt it my duty to lay these facts before the Board for such action as may seem best.
Very respectfully,
W. S. FRENCH, Agent of Board.
This report was approved and forwarded to the School Committee for appropriate action, and we believe a com- munication from them is now in the hands of the Public Property Committee.
The report of the Agent relative to the High School, also forwarded to the School Committee, embraced some re- commendations for improvements in ventilation of the sani- taries.
The most important work in ventilation during the year was that at the Underwood School. For several years, com- plaints had been made that the ventilation of the rooms was bad, and some attempt had been made to remedy the trouble but without success. Several plans were presented to the committee and the one proving the most acceptable was that presented by Daniel P. Gosline. This plan with modifica- tions suggested by J. H. L. Coon, State Inspector of Public Buildings, Alderman Sheppard of the Public Property Com- mittee, and City Engineer Noyes, was adopted and the contract given to Mr. Gosline. The following description of the work is taken from the report of the Chief of the District Police for the year 1891:
"This structure is of wood, two stories high, having four school-rooms, two staircases and the necessary ward- robes, with a large store-room on each floor. Of all the buildings wherein a system of warming and ventilation has been adopted, none have secured so complete and positive results under any condition of weather as in the Underwood School. The apparatus was designed and put in by D. P. Gosline. The building was formerly warmed by furnace
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heat and ventilated by natural means, which consisted of small tin ducts running from each room to a ventilator in the roof. These were of little use, having no power within to create circulation and remove vitiated air. Heretofore there has been much sickness among the pupils, caused by the defects in the ventilation. All furnaces, every duct and register, including the ventilating pipes, were removed from the building, and an entire new mechanical apparatus, operated by steam, substituted therefor.
In the basement is provided a brick chamber about nine feet square, within which is located the steam radiators, divided in sections with independent valves, so that any part thereof or the whole surface may be heated if necessary. The cold-air ducts, two in number, are of galvanized iron, of sufficient size, and enter the brick chamber at its base. The sectional boiler as shown thereon is estimated at thirty- four horse-power, and thus far has proved to be very economical in the consumption of coal. The warm-air ducts are of gal- vanized iron, each having an area of about five square feet, so that the air can be admitted to each class-room at the inner wall, about eight feet above the floor, in large volume at a moderate velocity. Cold-air mixing valves, with indi- cators on the wall nicely adjusted, are so located that each teacher has control of the temperature of her room.
The exhaust ducts are about the same in area as the air- supply ducts, and are also of galvanized iron. These lead from the base of the room at the inner wall to the attic, where they converge into one chamber, in which and above the ducts is located a forty-eight inch Blackman fan. Below the steam radiators in the heating chamber in the basement is located a forty-two inch fan of the same pattern. Both these fans are operated by a vertical shaft running from the basement to the attic, and propelled by a Tuerk water motor. They are kept in motion during the sessions of the school. The noise of the motor is reduced to a minimum, and in no
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way interferes with the work of the pupils.
The indirect heat can be re-enforced if necessary in ex- treme cold weather by the use of radiators placed at the outer wall of each class-room. It is not expected that they will be needed, but they are provided as a precaution. The corri- dors are heated by direct radiation.
The apparatus, as located and run in this building, will supply, properly circulate and exhaust, without any perceiv- able draft, the maximum volume of air alleged by the best sanitary experts of the world to be necessary for perfect ven- tilation in a school-room, namely, a supply of sixty cubic feet per minute per pupil; and, as now adjusted, is supplying to each pupil over fifty cubic feet of air per minute, allowing fifty persons to a room. The whole arrangement in the building is simple in design, effective in its operation, and stands as a monument of what can be accomplished in the ventilation of a school-house.
The work has proved to be capable of all demands made upon it, and stands as a model in the results obtained.
Mass. Association.
On the 29th of April, some of the most eminent sani- tarians in the state paid our city a visit upon the occasion of the quarterly meeting of the Mass. Association of Boards of Health, that association having been invited to hold its meet- ing here at that time. Previous to the meeting, many of them visited various points of interest, as the new reservoir, the Cottage Hospital, etc., passing through many of the villages. Many encomiums were heard and some criticisms made, especially about our dumps, several of which were noticed.
The topic under discussion was the care and prevention of contagious diseases, the essay for the occasion being pre- pared by Dr. J. H. McCollom, City Physician of Boston, and was a very able presentation of facts obtained from the ex-
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perience of that city. At its close a very general discussion ensued, and many new facts and experiences brought out. It was a very interesting and useful meeting, and the Asso- ciation as it grows is bound to wield a powerful influence in sanitary matters throughout the state.
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