Transportation of Corpses.

thing else equal, the carbonic acid is practically the same at the ceiling as at the floor. You must substitute a system of heating and ventilation that will overcome the pressure as you pass though the air. When the car is in motion you have a strong air pressure in front of the car, consequently, when it is standing still, it changes the currents of air inside. If you desire to heat and ventilate cars properly, you must take into consideration all these facts. You have got to produce a current of warm, fresh air that will come in at the floor and exhaust the foul air at the floor, in order to get the car heated and ventilated equally all over. If you do that, there is no necessity of having your windows or transoms open, and you would not have ten degrees difference between your feet and the ceiling of the car; there would be an equal distribution of heat all over the car from one end to the other, and you would not have an increase of carbonic acid over the ordinary amount. There are fifteen millions of people moving on wheels or boats every twentyfour hours in this great country, and considering this fact it is worth our while to pay attention to this subject. It is worth while to endeavor to remedy these defects, and to give better accommodations than are given at present, especially when it can be done without any material additional expense to the railway companies."

TRANSPORTATION OF CORPSES.

With the hearty co-operation of general baggage agents of the various railroad companies, the transportation of corpses is now subject to very satisfactory regulations, uniform over a large number of States. During the past two years practical experience has dictated modifications and changes in the rules, which have been made, the most important of which was the transfer of diphtheria corpses from the permissible to the prohibited. This change was necessitated by the frequent shipment of bodies, especially of children, under a permit giving "heart failure" as the cause of death.

In many instances investigation showed that the term "heart failure" was given as the cause of death in behalf of the friends and

Transportation of Corpses.

relatives of the deceased in order to secure the transportation. The term heart failure" is meaningless and signifies nothing. Its use as a cause of death evidences gross ignorance, or deception. Hence as a measure of protection, it was deemed prudent to prohibit the transportation of persons dead from diphtheria, and the use of the term “heart failure," as a cause of death, by physicians.

The following are the rules and regulations now in force.

RULES OF THE IOWA STATE BOARD OF HEALTH, AND NATIONAL
ASSOCIATION OF GENERAL BAGGAGE AGENTS,

FOR THE TRANSPORTATION OF THE DEAD.

These Rules having been duly adopted and properly published, have the force of the Law.

RULE 1. The transportation of bodies of persons dead of small pox, diphtheria, Asiatic cholera, leprosy, typhus fever or yellow fever is absolutely fordidden.

RULE 2. The bodies of those who have died of anthrax, scarlet fever, puerperal fever typhoid fever, erysipelas, measles, and other contagious, infectious or communicable diseases, must be wrapped in a sheet thoroughly saturated with a strong solution of bi-chloride of mercury, in the proportion of one ounce of bi-chloride of mercury to a gallon of water; and encased in an air tight zine, tin, copper or lead (lined) coffin, or in an air tight (iron) casket, hermetically sealed, and all enclosed in a strong, tight wooden box; or the body must be prepared for shipment by being wrapped in a sheet and disinfected by solution of bi-chloride of mercury as above, and placed in a strong coffin or casket, and said coffin or casket encased in a (soldered) zinc, copper or tin case, and all enclosed in a strong outside wooden box of material not less than one inch and a half thick.

RULE 3. In cases of contagious, infectious or communicable diseases, the body must not be accompanied by articles which have been exposed to infection of the disease. And in addition to a permit from a board of health or proper health authority, station agents will require an affidavit from the shipping undertaker, stating how the body has been prepared, and kind of coffin or casket used, which must be in conformity with Rule 2.

RULE 4. The bodies of persons dead of diseases that are not contagious, infectious nor communicable, may be received for transportation to local points in same State, when encased in a sound coffin or metallic case, and enclosed in a strong wooden box, securely fastened so it may be safely handled. But when it is proposed to transport them out of the State, (unless the time required for transportation from the initial point to destination does not exceed eighteen hours) they must be encased in an air-tight zine, tin, copper or lead-lined coffin, or an air-tight iron casket, or a strong coffin or casket encased in a (soldered) zinc, copper or tin case, and all

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Transportation of Corpses.

enclosed in a strong outside wooden box of material not less than one inch thick. In all cases the outside box must be provided with four iron chest handles.

RULE 5. Every dead body must be accompanied by a person in charge who must be provided with a ticket, and also present a full first-class ticket marked " corpse," and a transit permit from a board of health, or proper health authority, giving permission for the removal, and showing the name of deceased; age; place of death; cause of death; (whether of a contagious or infectious nature) the point to which it is to be shipped; medical attendant, and name of undertaker.

RULE 6. It is intended that no dead body shall be moved which may be the means of spreading disease, therefore all disinterred bodies, dead from any disease or cause, will be treated as infectious and dangerous to the public health, and will not be accepted for transportation, unless said removal has been approved by the State Board of Health, and the local health authority, and the disinterred remains enclosed in a (soldered) zinc, tin or copper-lined coffin or box, or box encased in (soldered) zinc, tin or copper case.

NOTE.-Local boards should refuse to grant a permit where the cause of death is given as "heart failure," unless the physican states that it was not the result of diphtheria. In case of disinterment, the permit from the State Board of Health must be attached to the transit permit, and delivered to the person in charge of the corpse. If more than one body is shipped at one time, a separate permit must be issued for each body.

TRANSPORTATION OF DECEASED PERSONS IN BAGGAGE CARS. To Railroad Agents, Station and Train Baggagemen :

You will in no case receive a corpse for transportation unless accompanied by a physician's, coroner's or board of health certificate, also an undertaker's certificate that the body has been prepared for burial and shipment in accordance with the rules of the State Board of Health, nor will you receive it even with such certificates if fluids are escaping from the case, or it has become offensive in any degree. One full first class limited or unlimited ticket will be required for the transportation of a corpse without regard to the age of the deceased, and a corpse will not be taken for transportation except there is a passenger with it in charge, and the word "corpse" be plainly written on the face of a local, and on each coupon of a coupon ticket. A record must be made of all bodies shipped and carried, on the back of your station and trip reports, giving name of deceased, and destination.

It will be the duty of agents and baggage agents to see that each burial case is properly marked on the "paster," giving date and at what station shipped, point of destination, "State," number and form of ticket, name of passenger in charge and place of residence, with name of agent. If the corpse is destined to a point beyond the initial line, the initials of each road over which it passes must be written on the paster; also the terminal point

Transportation of Corpses.

of each road at which transfer is made with the connecting line, as shown on the coupons of the ticket.

You will see that the "certificate of undertaker" is properly filled out by him, and the paster is properly filled out by yourself and is securely pasted to the coffin box before it is put into the car, and the permit remaining, you will hand to the passenger in charge of the corpse.

The whole form must be made in duplicate, either with a pen, carbon paper or simplex paper, and the signatures of the physician or coroner and undertaker must be on both the original and the duplicate copies.

The undertaker's certificate and paster of the original, will be detached from the physician's certificate and permit and pasted to the coffin box. The physician's certificate and the permit will be handed to the passenger. The whole duplicate copy will be sent to the general baggage agent of the initial road by first passenger train.

All this information is necessary to insure the prompt and correct transportation of the corpse.

The following is the form of the Permit required:

HEALTH DEPARTMENT.

No...... Give your Station Baggage Number.

STATE OF IOWA.

TRANSPORTATION OF CORPSES.

TRANSIT PERMIT

This certificate must be presented to the Local Board of Health for approval. PHYSICIAN'S OR CORONER'S CERTIFICATE.

.189....Name of deceased (if minor, give parents' name also)..... date of death..........age..... ..years..... .months.......days. Place of death......cause of death...

I hereby certify that the above is true to the best of my knowledge and belief.

.M. D. or Coroner.

Residence..

...county of..

.State of..

PERMIT OF LOCAL BOARD OF HEALTH.

.....on

This permit must be properly signed, and with Physician's certificate presented to the railroad or express agent before a body can be shipped. In the (city or township)........of.......county of......State of.... the......day of..... 189 Permission is hereby given to remove for burial at.. .in the county of..... ..State of......the body of...... ....who died at...... .county of......on the......day of.. .18.....aged. ..years ....months....days. The cause of death being. ...........which is a (contagious or non-contagious) .......disease.

[If City or Town affix corporate seal]

Signed:

.President, . Clerk,

Local Board of Health.

This permit and preceding certificate must be detached and delivered to the person in charge of the corpse.

Transportation of Corpses.

This Certificate and the Paster below must be detached at this perforation and pasted to the coffin box.

Transit Permit No.......

PASTER.

CERTIFICATE OF UNDERTAKER.

.State of.......

I, (or we) hereby certify that the accompanying dead body of.. (If a minor, give the parents' name also.)............ Consigned to... Address. has been prepared by me (or us) strictly in accordance with the rules of the Iowa State Board of Health for transportation by railway, and in conformity with said rules, as printed on the back of this permit.

Residence,

Shipping Undertaker.

Station Baggagemen must enter hereon a description of the ticket, the exact route via what Junctional Points the Ticket Reads which is held by the passenger in charge of corpse.

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS.-A burial case containing a corpse will not be received for transportation, nor this paster be used, without the person in charge of the remains presents a certificate of the attending physician or coroner, or a permit from the board of health, and an undertaker's certificate, that the body has been prepared for burial according to the law of the State. Neither will it be received if any fluids are escaping from the case or in any degree offensive. Agents will detach the undertakers' certificate and this paster at the perforation, and paste them securely on the cover of the case before shipping.