Meeting held in BRATTLEBORO, May 15, 1906. Present, Drs. Caverly, Stiles and Holton. The Secretary presented a program for the School for the Instruction of Health Officers. It was discussed and adopted. Dr. Caverly was instructed to invite the Directors of the Vermont Sanitorium to be present. Dr. Holton to invite the members of the Tuberculosis Commission. Motion by Dr. Caverly that Health Officers who failed to make an annual report, as required by law, be removed. Request from Swanton was presented, asking for an extension of time to procure a pure water supply. This was granted, provided that they post on every and all faucets a card recommending the boiling of the present water supply before using, and warning the public that the water was dangerous. Secretary instructed to ask the other towns warned in May, 1905, what, if anything, they had to say why an order prohibiting the use of their present water supply should not be issued under authority of Act No. 115, of 1902. Adjourned. Attest: HENRY D. HOLTON, Secretary. Meeting held in BELLOWS FALLS, June 29, 1906. Present, Drs. Caverly, Stiles and Holton. Regarding the water supply of the village of St. Johnsbury from the Passumpsic River, the following motion was made by Dr. Caverly: The State Board of Health finds, and is of the opinion that water taken from the Passumpsic River at the point where the village of St. Johnsbury now takes water therefrom, and as supplied to the inhabitants of St. Johnsbury, by the water system of the village of St. Johnsbury, is so contaminated, unwholesome and impure that the use thereof for domestic purposes endangers the public health. Therefore, under the authority of Section 1, of Act No. 115, of the Acts of the Legislature of Vermont, of 1902, as amended by Section 1, of Act No. 139, of the Acts of 1904, you are hereby prohibited from using any water taken from the above described water source, for domestic purposes in any way, until such a time when, in the opinion of the Board of Health, such danger has ceased; and further, during such time and until such danger has ceased, you are prohibited from permitting water from that source to be drawn from any faucet at any set bowl, sink, kitchen or pantry faucet in the house or tenement now occupied by you in said St. Johnsbury, but this shall not prohibit such water to be drawn and used for laundry purposes, nor prohibit such water to be used through the medium of closet tanks for flushing water closets, nor prohibit the drawing and using of such water from sill-cocks and garden faucets for the purpose of sprinkling lawns and streets, watering gardens and for stable purposes. By order of the State Board of Health. The above motion was unanimously adopted. The Secretary was directed to secure the Hon. Robert Lawrence to present to the School of Instruction for Health Officers a paper on Sanitary Laws, and to answer such questions as might be presented by the Local Health Officers. The letter of J. B. Thompson, regarding the pollution of the waters of Joe's Pond, was given to Dr. Stiles to ascertain the facts and report. The Secretary was directed to take up the matter of scarlatina in Springfield and Chester and, if necessary, to place the facts in the hands of the State's Attorney. Secretary to call attention of Dr. Darling, Health Officer of Ryegate, to the necessity of strict quarantine in cases of communicable diseases. Adjourned. Attest: HENRY D. HOLTON, Secretary. Meeting held in BURLINGTON, August 29, 1906. Present, Drs. Caverly, Stiles and Holton. The conditions relative to water supplied to Enosburg Falls and Burlington were discussed. Voted to enforce order for prohibiting use of water as supplied by village and city to the inhabitants thereof. Methods to be pursued in the examinations under Pure Food Laws were discussed. Adjourned. Attest: HENRY D. HOLTON, Secretary. Meeting held in BURLINGTON, September 13, 1906. The Laboratory was inspected and bills audited. It was expected that a committee from the Burlington City Government would meet the Board for the purpose of reaching a definite plan of action for the city to secure pure water. This committee did not appear. Adjourned. Attest: HENRY D. HOLTON, Secretary. Meeting held in BELLOWS FALLS, September 27, 1906. Present, Drs. Caverly, Stiles, Holton and the Attorney General, C. C. Fitts. The necessity of amendments to the code of Sanitary Laws at present in force in this state was carefully considered. The Board requested the Attorney General to draw such amendments; this he consented to do. The Secretary was directed to have a notice served prohibiting the use of the water as now furnished by the city of Burlington to its citizens; this notice to be same as served on officials of St. Johnsbury. Copies of this order were prepared for service upon all city officials and persons in authority in any public place or building. At the same time the following notice was to be published in the Daily Free Press and Daily News, warning all persons as to the dangerous character of the water: WARNING NOTICE. Because the water of Lake Champlain, as furnished by the City of Burlington, is so contaminated, unwholesome and impure, that the use thereof endangers the health of persons drinking it, all persons are hereby warned not to use it, until after it has been boiled or otherwise purified. Per order of the State Board of Health, Adjourned. HENRY D. HOLTON, Secretary and Executive Officer. Attest: HENRY D. HOLTON, Secretary. The above orders were delivered to the Sheriff of Chittenden County October 4, for service, and to the newspapers for publication. Between October 8 and 20 he made service and returns were made according to law. HENRY D. HOLTON, Secretary. Meeting held in BARRE, October 11, 1906. Present, Drs. Caverly, Stiles and Holton. A communication relative to the water in Caspian Lake, and the dangers of its pollution from cottages on or near the borders, was received, with a circular issued by the Health Officer of Greensboro, Dr. F. C. Kinney. After a careful consideration it was voted that the action of the Local Health Officer fully met the conditions necessary to be observed and that he be so notified. Having received a request from the business men of Burlington that an early date be made, when the Board would meet them for consultation with reference to the water problem, Dr. Caverly was appointed to make arrangements for such a meeting. Adjourned. Attest: HENRY D. HOLTON, Secretary. Meeting held in MONTPELIER, October 16, 1906. Present, Drs. Caverly, Stiles and Holton. After a discussion of bills prepared to amend the law relative to the appointment of Local Health Officers, and for an appropriation with which to enforce the Pure Food Laws, and empowering the Board to employ another Chemist and Inspector for this purpose, it was decided to recommend their passage by the Legislature. The following communication was adopted, in answer to a request from the Mayor and Chairman of the Burlington School Board, asking that some order of the Board be made by which they could take action toward supplying water for their school buildings: WATER FOR USE BY THE PUPILS OF THE BURLINGTON SCHOOLS. Water for use by the pupils of the schools of Burlington may be provided by boiling the city water (if this is done by trustworthy persons), or taken from artesian wells approved by the Director of the State Laboratory. Adjourned to Burlington for the evening to meet the business men, as requested at the previous meeting. At this conference the whole situation was considered, the Board recommending, as they had previously done, the constructing of a sand filter. Adjourned. Attest: HENRY D. HOLTON, Secretary. Meeting held in MONTPELIER, November 15, 1906. Present, Drs. Caverly, Stiles and Holton. Met joint Committee on Public Health for the consideration of various bills that were before the Legislature relative to public health. Voted that C. P. Moat act as Director of the Laboratory during the absence of Dr. Stone in attendance upon the meeting of the American Public Health Association in the City of Mexico. The City of Burlington having voted to build a filtration plant, it was voted to insert the subjoined warning notice in the Daily Free Press. WARNING NOTICE. Because the water as now furnished by the city of Burlington is so contaminated, unwholesome and impure that the use thereof endangers the health of persons drinking it, all persons are hereby warned not to use it, without first boiling or otherwise purifying it, until the danger is removed by the new filtration plant. Per order of the State Board of Health, Adjourned. HENRY D. HOLTON, Secretary. Attest: HENRY D. HOLTON, Secretary. Meeting held in BURLINGTON, November 30, 1906. This was the closing meeting of the Biennial Term. Present, Drs. Caverly, Stiles and Holton. It was expected that Dr. F. Thomas Kidder, who had been appointed to fill the vacancy caused by the expiration of the term of Dr. T. B. Stiles, would be present, but illness prevented his doing so. Adjourned. Attest: HENRY D. HOLTON, Secretary. Meeting held in BURLINGTON, December 13, 1906. This was the first meeting of the Biennial Period of 1907 and 1908. Present, Drs. Caverly, Kidder and Holton. The Board was organized by the election of Dr. Charles S. Caverly, president; Dr. F. Thomas Kidder, treasurer. Dr. Henry D. Holton was appointed secretary and executive officer, his salary being fixed subject to the approval of the Governor. The following committees were elected: Dr. Caverly, on Communicable Diseases, and Embalmers' Examinations. Dr. Kidder, on Finances and Supplies, and School Houses. Dr. Holton, on Vital Statistics, Laboratory, and School for Instruction of Health Officers. It was voted to hold an examination of persons wishing to engage in embalming human bodies Thursday, January 24, 1907, at the Laboratory of Hygiene, Burlington, at one o'clock p. m. |