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TRANSPORTATION OF THE DEAD.

The law of this State as to the duties of physicians, undertakers or others in relation to the dead is contained in Circular LXVI. of this Board, which anyone can obtain on application by postal to this office. It has been found to be as simple in its working as any such law can be to secure the end for which it is intended. In response to public opinion and in the interest of public conveyance, the various railroad companies, as represented by the National Association of General Baggage Agents, in August, 1889, proposed a series of rules which have been adopted by the various companies, and which, since December 1st, 1889, have been in operation. These in general conform to the method already in practice in this State. It will be observed that Rules 5 and 7 have no relation to Health Boards or State regulation, but are for the convenience of railroad companies, and that Rule 6 determines for itself the use to be made of the permit and the two coupons attached. All rules should give as little trouble as possible, although there must be form enough to secure the proper care and protection of the public health.

The following are the rules as adopted:

RULES FOR TRANSPORTATION OF DEAD BODIES,

ADOPTED BY

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF GENERAL BAGGAGE AGENTS, AUGUST 1889,

Which took effect December 1st, 1889.

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

RULE 2. The bodies of those who have died of diphtheria, 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 bichloride of mercury, in the proportion of one ounce of bichloride of mercury to a gallon of water; and encased in an airtight zinc, 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 bichloride of mercury as above, and placed in a strong coffin or casket, and said coffin or casket encased in a hermetically-sealed (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 the infection of the disease. And in addition to permit from Board of Health or proper health authority, agents will require an affidavit from the shipping undertaker, stating how 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 or communicable, may be received for transportation to local points in same State, when encased in 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 to an interstate point (unless the time required for transportation from the initial point to destination does not exceed 18 hours), they must be encased in an air-tight zinc, tin, copper or leadlined coffin, or an air-tight iron casket, or a strong coffin or casket encased in a hermetically-sealed (soldered) zinc, copper or tin case, and all 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 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 (and if of a contagious or infectious nature), the point to which it is to be shipped, medical attendant and name of undertaker.

RULE 6. The transit permit must be made with a stub, to be retained by the person issuing it; the original permit must accompany the body to destination, and two coupons, the first coupon to be detached by agent at initial point and sent to the general baggage agent, and the second coupon by the last train baggageman. The stub, permit and coupons must be numbered so the one will refer to the other, and on back of permit will be a space for undertaker's affidavit, to be used in cases of contagious and infectious diseases, as required by Rules 2 and 3.

RULE 7. The box containing corpse must be plainly marked with paster, showing name of deceased, place of death, cause of death, the point to which it is to be shipped, number of transit permit issued in connection, and name of person in charge of the remains. There must also be blank spaces at bottom of paster for station agent at initial point, to fill in the form and number of passage ticket, where from, where to, and route to destination of such ticket.

RULE 8. 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 consent of the health authority of the locality to which the corpse is consigned has been first obtained, and the disinterred remains enclosed in a hermetically-sealed (soldered) zinc, tin or copper-lined coffin or box encased in hermetically-sealed (soldered) zinc, tin or copper cases.

CLIMATOLOGY.

In order to afford data by which variation in diseases may be compared with variations in climate, the reports of this Board give the various climatological records in localities chosen as representative. In such a plan it is not needful to survey all the scope of the meteorologist, who studies the science which treats of the atmosphere and its phenomena, but rather deal with climate and causes which modify it in a particular place, or with weather as denoting different degrees of temperature, humidity, winds, cloudiness, rains, snows. While various facts appear in all the reports, attention is particularly called to the division "Climatology," in the fifth report, and to the article on "Comparative Facts in Climatology and Geology," in the sixth report, pages 269-284. It is to be remembered that climate is not the mere expression of atmospheric condition, but has to do with distance from the equator, elevation, the distance from the sea or large bodies of water, prevailing winds, the character and contour of the geological structure and of the soil, the natural or artificial drainage, the amount of forests, the cultivation of the soil, the access of light and heat, &c.

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