FIFTH BIENNIAL REPORT Territorial Superintendent of Public Health Governor and Sixth Legislative Assembly
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****! *•* *FATE USRAft FIFTH BIENNIAL REPORT OF THE Territorial Superintendent of Public Health TO THE Governor and Sixth Legislative Assembly OF THE Territory of Oklahoma. For the Years 1899 and 1900. FIFTH BIENNIAL REPORT OF THE Territorial Superintendent of Public Health TO THE Governor and Sixth Legislative Assembly OF THE Territory of Oklahoma. For the Years 1899 and 1900. 1 Territorial Board of Health. HON. S. N. HOPKINS. President, .... Guthrie. B. F. HAMILTON, M. D., Vice-President, - - - Shawnee. L. HAYNES BUXTON, M. D., Oklahoma City. Secretary and Superintendent of Public Health. Office of the Superintendent of Public Health and Secretary of the Terri torial Board of Health. OKLAHOMA CITY, December 1, 1900. To His Excellency, Governor C. M. Barnes, and the Honorable LcgisUttive Assembly of Oklahoma: GENTLEMEN: In accordance with Chapter 8, Statutes of Okla homa Territory, I have the honoT to submit herewith my biennial report for the period ending November 30, 1900. Respectfully, L. HAYNES BUXTON, M. D., Superintendent of Public Health. Introductory. During the past biennial period the Territorial Board of Health has been called upon to perform a larger amount of work and incur greater responsibilities than has been the case in all its combined previous history. This increased work has been due to numerous causes, among which we notice, the rapid development and increase of population of towns and cities, demanding better and more systematic protection from violation of sanitary laws; many towns have become cities and the conditions that have here tofore been tolerated cannot longer exist under the changed con ditions. Again, greatly increased immigration has constantly brought in its train contagious and infectious diseases, many heretofore unknown in some sections of the Territory; new points of infec tion having constantly been started from this increase of travel. To keep control of these new conditions has taken time and money. Under existing laws the Board has been inadequately prepared and equipped to administer the sanitary affairs of the Territory to the greatest safety of our people. In order to keep this report within a volume that shall be of the greatest utility,we have only recorded here the more import ant proceeding of the Superintendent of Public Health and the Territorial Board of Health. As required by Statute, under a seperate head will be found advice as to medical legislation, to meet the large increase in population and changed conditions that have occurred since our present Medical and Sanitary law was enacted in 1890. The correspondence of the Secretary of the Board has re quired the constant employment of a stenographer during the past eighteen months. This correspondence covers a wide field. In quiry comes from all parts of the world—from invalids asking for information as to climate and its effect in specific diseases; from 6 Territorial Board of Health. homeseekers desiring to know of the healthfulness of the country, its sanitary condition, prevailing diseases, etc., etc.; from manu facturing firms inquiring as to food products; from physicians ask ing for medical information and a knowledge of our medical laws; from health boards seeking information as to prevelance of con- tageous diseases and from every town and postoffice of our own Territory comes inquiries concerning all departments of public health-—a demand for the abatement of nuisances, for the quaran tine and protection from contagious diseases, for the enforcement of the Medical Law and for the most advisable methods of pro cedure in handling sanitary questions. All these letters have in the past been carefully answered in most instances on the day of arrival. The correspondence of the Board today will alone cost in postage and service of typewriter at least five hundred dollars per annum. Official Proceedings of the Superintendent of Public Health. INFORMATION AS TO THE GENERAL SANITARY CONDI TIONS OF THE TERRITORY, TOGETHER WITH CHANGES IN THE PRESENT LAWS RECOMMENDED FOR THE BET TER PROTECTION OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND THE PRE VENTION AND CURE OF CONTAGIOUS AND INFECT 10US DISEASES. It cannot but be with some misgivings that I comply with the requirements of our laws, to suggest for your consideration enactments to meet the needs of the Territory along public health lines. Since the enactment of our first medical law in 1890, no legislature has changed or added to that law. Every Superin tendent of Public Health has set forth in his biennial report, sug gestions of sanitary reform measures based' on long experience such as he has believed to be the duty of the legislature to enact, to better protect and preserve the health of the people of this Ter ritory. Notwithstanding all this, no legislature has rendered any aid in this direction by any additions or changes in our health laws. The various health boards and the Territorial Board of Health certainly look with hope to the Sixth Legislature to bring into effect some of the laws we have waited for so patiently. We anticipate that the sanitary needs of the hour will occupy the attention of this body. Adequate Appropriation for the Territorial Board of Health: Although the work of the Territorial Board of Health is ten times greater than it was in 1890, yet for the past ten years the appro priation has been approximately the same per year. If $1,800 for the biennial period ten years ago was deemed a wise amount to be expended by the Territorial Board of Health, then certainly three times that amount at the present time would be relatively 8 Territorial Board of Health. smaller. The amount of work demanded now is ten times greater than that demanded ten years ago. The Bulletin of Health: The means of communication between the many boards of health—The Health Bulletin—was discon tinued in 1899 owing to the want of sufficient appropriation to continue the same. This was a severe blow to all branches of public health service in the Territory as this means of communica tion had been found very valuable. It was with great reluctance that the Board could not grant the petitions that came from nearly all the counties for the continuance of the Bulletin. The preparation of the Bulletin involved a large amount of work by the Superintend ent yet we were only too glad to do a work which had proven so valuable to the health officers and the health boards. The Board's Exhibit at Paris: In 1899 we prepared at our own expense and forwarded to the Paris International Exposition, an exhibit consisting of reports, blanks, certificates of information, Bulletins of Health issued by our Board, together with an outline of our method of work in Sanitation. In November, 1900, we were notified that we had been awarded a silver medal upon our very creditable display. I have recently been requested to furnish a similar exhibit at Buffalo next year for the Pan-American Exposition, and in compliance with the request, have ordered the exhibit at Paris sent to Buffalo. Amendments to Medical Practice Act: Two important changes should be made in Section 14, Chapter 8, of the Statutes of 1893. The first that I would suggest would be to repeal that part of the act allowing the registration of non-graduates of medicine.. After more than ten years have passed away, all persons in the Territory have had ample time to qualify themselves and those who are qualified have received certificates upon examination. I would also recommend that no person be allowed a certificate who has not taken a regular course in some one of the many medi cal colleges of the country, such colleges should not be "diploma mills" but reputable colleges of medicine. Hundreds of excellent physicians who have taken a thorough course are looking to Okla homa for a field of work and every illy prepared charletan who locates here only blocks up the way for some better man who would work at a much lower price and with far greater safety to the peo ple. A certificate to practice medicine in Oklahoma should be evidence that the person holding the same is qualified to prescribe for the sick. The eyes of the world have turned toward Okla homa and the class of "fakes" whose stock in trade consists of their own conceit and whose diplomas are either purchased outright or who have no diploma at all, should certainly find that Oklahoma has no room for them. Recently there have located in this Territory parties who claim to issue diplomas, who are not prepared to teach Territorial Board of Health. 9 a school physiology, to say nothing of higher branches. Schools of Electro-Magnetic healing have sprung up in many of the towns of the Territory. A second amendment should be of such a nature as to prevent the traveling physician from doing business in Oklahoma. Any person who is not willing to locate in the Territory should at least pay a license of considerable amount for the privilege of traveling from town to town and fleecing his victims. The fact is, the diseased class of humanity should be protected from these traveling "hyenas" who prey upon their weaknesses. It is not the doctors of the Territory that need protection, they can take care of themselves*, but it is the weak, diseased class of humanity that should be protected, and such protection should be of as ade quate a nature as the protection extended to human life in other directions. A number of instances have come under my notice in which the work of this disreputable class, has resulted not only in untold misery to their victims but in death itself.