Board of Health should be composed of men who have the time to attend to matters concerning the public health, in a thorough and efficient manner. The health of the city is of too much importance to be entrusted to men whose other duties prevent them from giving it proper attention. The health officer, to be sure, is doing all he can; but the city is too large for one person to traverse and see that the streets are kept clear of unhealthy matter.

I am hardly prepared at the present time to state what legislation, if any, is beeded to cover the entire field, as there are many questions to be considered. The inspection of plumbing is an important one. Defective plumbing is often the cause of sickness and death, and too much care cannot be given to the plumbing in all buildings, both public and private.

The abolition of cesspools where it is possible, to connect with street sewers, is another important consideration.

Now it is utterly impossible for the health officer alone to give these matters sufficient attention, and if nothing else be done, he certainly should have at least one person under his charge, whose whole time should be given to the inspection of the streets, lanes and buildings, that all filth be promptly removed, and everything possible done to guard against disease and its spread.

I commend the whole matter to your consideration, and trust the City Solicitor may be requested to examine the laws and see what changes are necessary to be made.

2. Health Officer, George W. Jencks, M. D.

3. There has been more or less prevalence of the following contagious or infectious diseases during 1890:

Scarlet Fever; general over city; uniform through year. As to number of deaths, mortality items are reported to the city clerk. I have no means of determining the number. Measles; general over city; uniform through year. Whooping Cough; centre city. Consumption; general. Pneumonia; general. 4. Isolation was maintained in Scarlet Fever and Diphtheria.

5. All were isolated as far as possible in above named diseases.

Various inspections of premises were made, where sickness prevailed and otherwise as to the sanitary condition of the cellars, sinks, sink-drains, water closets, cesspools, out-house privies, etc.

Personal inspection revealed general unsanitary condition as to cesspools and privy vaults, garbage in yards and filthy damp cellars in very many localities. Sanitary inspections were made during 1890 from my own option by personal visitation.

There are locations in this city that seem to be particularly unhealthy to a considerable number of persons, and the cause can be removed if the passage of proper ordinances by city council can be secured.

I report to the city council nuisances dangerous to the public health.
No serious disease of domestic animals known to have occurred.

WASHINGTON COUNTY.

1.

2.

CHARLESTOWN.

Health Officer, A. A. Saunders, M. D.

3. No epidemic, or any large prevalence of contagious or infectious diseases in town during 1890, except the Influenza; large number affected; all locations; January and February.

7. No sanitary inspections made during 1890 by order of the town council or from my own option.

8. Do not know of any location that seems to be particularly unhealthy to any considerable number of persons.

9. Nuisances dangerous to the public health are reported when known.

10. No serious disease of domestic animals has prevailed.

1. EXETER.

2. Health Officer-None except the town council.

3. Within my knowledge there were no epidemics or any large prevalence of contagious or infectious diseases in town during 1890. Only the usual diseases and few in number.

7. No inspection has been made, but think our sanitary condition as a town fully as good, and superior to many country towns. Have no physicians located within our town that I am aware of, yet there are a good number near,-of nearly all the schools.

8. No location in town that seems to be unhealthy.

9.

I should report to the town council nuisances dangerous to the public health if necessary.

10. No serious disease of domestic animals has largely prevailed in town dur ing the year. But rumor says a few cows of the fancy herd at the "Austin Homestead" have been sick, and one or more died from "cow-pox"" so-called by

some.

G. W. REMINGTON,

Member of Town Council.

1. NORTH KINGSTOWN.

2. Health Officer, Thomas W. Peirce.

3. No epidemic or any large prevalence of contagious or infectious diseases. 4. No isolation maintained of persons sick.

6. Inspections were made where sickness prevailed as to the sanitary condition of the premises. In one case where the premises were inspected it was found that the cesspool and privy were very close to house, and were full to the very top of vault. Two families lived in the house, and the other sink spout entered on the top of the ground, and nothing to prevent it from leaking into the well. There were two cases of typhoid fever at this place of which one died; the condition of the premises supposed to be the cause.

No location that seems to be particularly unhealthy.

I should report to the town council all nuisances dangerous to the public health. Do not know of any serious disease of domestic animals in the town.

1. WESTERLY.

2. Superintendent of Health, Henry W. Rose, M. D. Health Officer, Benj. York.

3. Contagious and infectious diseases prevailed as shown in the superintendent's report appended

4. Numerous nuisances were reported and attended to.

10. No disease of domestic animals claiming unusual attention.

REPORT OF H. W. ROSE, M. D.

To the Honorable Town Council of the Town of Westerly:

GENTLEMEN: Herewith is presented the fifth annual report of the Superintendent of Health, for the year ending May 31st, 1890

The health of the town for the last seven months, as compared with previous years, has been very favorable. June and October were the healthiest months during the year. An unusual amount of sickness prevailed during the months of January, February, March, April and May, notably "La Grippe," whooping cough and measles, each prevailing as epidemics, following in the order named. The unusually large prevalence of measles was in a measure due to the concealment of cases in families where no physician was called. I have been informed by the Principal of School District No. 1, Mr. E. C. Willard, that children of these families had persistently attended school, and in some instances until the eruption made its appearance. No little difficulty was experienced in constantly seeking out these cases by the teachers of the various grades, the children artfully resorting to falsehoods as to the nature of the disease of a brother or sister at home sick. A very perplexing feature likewise presenting itself, was that of re-admitting these children to the schools. To meet the emergency I caused the following notice to be printed in the Tribune: "For the benefit of parents whose children are seeking re-entrance to the schools, after having been sick with a contagious or infectious disease, I will state that the statute law of the State of Rhode Island requires that all persons shall give notice to the Town Council (or the Superintendent of Health) of the occurrence of any contagious disease that occurs or is present in the house in which they live, and provides that every person violating such requirement shall forfeit twenty dollars. It also requires of children re-entering school to present to the principal of such school a certificate, stating that complete recovery from such disease of all persons in said house has taken place, said certificate to be given by the attending physician, or the Superintendent of Health, when no physician was in attendance." From the reports received of the physicians, I have been enabled to gather the information that the disease did not prevail in a severe form.

The whole number of deaths during the year was 87-38 males and 49 females, as against 103 during the previous year, making a remarkable low death rate of 13.7 in every 1,000.

RECAPITULATION.

Under 5 years of age, 25; between 5 and 15, 6; between 15 and 25, 8; between 25 and 50, 17; over 50, 31. Of these scarlet fever claimed 2; typhoid fever, 4; diphtheria, 1; measles, 1; la grippe, 1; pneumonia, 4; consumption. 17; other causes, 57. As will be seen, that scourge consumption has again demanded its numerous victims.

Of contagious and infectious diseases, as reported by the physicians, there were 128 cases-scarlet fever, 8 cases; typhoid fever, 10 cases; diphtheria, 4 cases; measles, 98 cases; whooping cough, 8 cases. I have reason to believe that from the small number of cases of whooping cough and measles reported, there still remains a large percentage of unreported cases in the hands of both the physicians and the laity, which necessarily defeats the object in view.

Numerous complaints of nuisances have been reported to this office during the year, all of which have received due attention. I am unable to give a full report of the number of nuisances attended, for the reason stated in a former report, that the Health Officer has failed to record the cases attended by him. I would respectfully call attention to a class of nuisance which is developing in our midst. I refer to the dangerous and overflowing cesspool. My attention was claimed in a case where a more or less constant current of sewage found its way across the sidewalk into the gutter, and flowing down some eighty feet gained access to the middle of the street, there forming a pool. The total quantity of excremen titious, products, solid and fluid, for each individual, including men, women and children, has been estimated by Dr. Parkes as two and a half ounces of the former and forty ounces of the latter discharge daily. This would give for a population of 1,000 persons, 25 tons of feces, and 91,250 gallons of urine per year. If to this is added a minimum allowance of thirty-five gallons of water per day to each individual, a complete sewerage system for a population of 1,000 persons would require provision for the discharge of 35,279 gallons of sewage to be disposed of every day. In this estimate, storm water and accessory feeders are omitted. For this and other reasons, it is important that such measures be adopted as will secure the removal of sewerage matters from the immediate vicinage of houses as quickly as possible. I am indebted to Mr. Everett Barns, Superintendent of the Westerly Water Works, for the following information: "The Water Works are supplying 328 families, 5 hotels and restaurants, 54 stores and places of business, 29 stables, 5 churches, 3 school houses, and 15 manufactories on the Rhode Island side of the river. In regard to the manufactories, they find their drainage to the river. Relative to the quantity of water consumed, aside from the manufactories, there is not far from 80,000 gallons consumed on this side of the river daily." With our present system of cesspools, it is obvious that the impregnation of the soil with sewage produces a contamination of ground, air and ground water, which may become a source of grave danger to health.

Licenses for the keeping of swine have been granted to 10 applicants. There appears to be considerable difficulty to reach all persons keeping swine without a license therefor. I would recommend that some action be taken, in order that the ordinance may be complied with.

All of which is respectfully submitted.

H. W. ROSE, Supt. of Health.

COMPARATIVE PREVALENCE

OF TWELVE IMPORTANT ACUTE DISEASES IN THE TOWNS.

For the purpose of the comparison of any one year with others, the following seven Tables will present the varying degrees of the prevalence of twelve acute diseases of importance, as causes of death during the seven years, 1884-1890.

In these Tables the appearance of the most important of the common contagious diseases, with a few others not contagious, may be traced as they occurred in the different towns, with different degrees of prevalence from year to year.

The mortality from that class of diseases styled zymotic, approximately corresponds, in a majority of instances, with the relative extent of the prevalence or number of such diseases.

A fair estimate, therefore, of the whole number of cases of each of such diseases, occurring in each county and in the whole State during each of the years represented, may be made by reference to the number of deaths of each in the alphabetical classification of diseases, and in the percentage Tables of mortality therefrom, in the Registration Reports for those years.