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HAYS, ISAAC. 



HEALTH, NATIONAL BOAKD OF. 



in 1877, and in 1878 was one of the Austrian 

 delegates to the Congress of Berlin. When 

 Count Andrassy retired from his office, it was 

 thought desirable that one of the delegates to 

 the Congress of Berlin should succeed him. 

 As Count Karolyi, the second delegate, de- 

 clined, Freiherr von Haymerle was appointed. 

 He is regarded as one of the ablest men of the 

 empire, and is described as very pleasant in 

 company. He is the first Austrian who has 

 held the office of Minister for Foreign Affairs 

 since the establishment of the dual monarchy, 

 Count Beust being a Saxon and Count An- 

 drassy a Hungarian. 



HAYS, ISAAC, a scientist and eminent phy- 

 sician, born in Philadelphia in 1796, died there, 

 April 18, 1879. He graduated from the de- 

 partment of arts in the Pennsylvania Univer- 

 sity in 1817, and from that of medicine in 

 1821. His literary labors were very extensive 

 and valuable. He edited Hall's edition of 

 Wilson's " American Ornithology " (Philadel- 

 phia, 1828); Hoblyn's " Dictionary of Medical 

 Terms," etc. (1846) ; a new edition of the same, 

 from the last London edition (1855); Law- 

 rence's "Treatise on Diseases of the Eye" 

 (1847), and successive editions; and Arnott's 

 "Elements of Physics" (1848). He was the 

 editor of the " American Journal of the Medi- 

 cal Sciences," which is still published. It was 

 originally started in 1820 as the " Philadelphia 

 Journal of the Medical and Physical Sciences," 

 and was edited by the late Professor Nathaniel 

 Chapman. In 1826 Dr. Hays joined the edi- 

 torial staff, and in 1827 it was converted into 

 the "American Journal of the Medical Sci- 

 ences," of which he was thenceforth sole editor 

 until 1869, when his son was associated with 

 him. He was elected a member of the Acad- 

 emy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia in 

 1818, and was its president from 1865 to 1869. 

 He was an active member of the American 

 Philosophical Society, and for a number of 

 years a member of its Council. He was one 

 of the founders of the Franklin Institute, and 

 in early years its secretary, and at the time ot 

 his death was the oldest living member. He 

 was one of the oldest members of the College 

 of Physicians of Philadelphia, and for a num- 

 ber of years one of the censors. He was one of 

 the founders of the American Medical Associa- 

 tion, and author of its code of ethics, which 

 has since been adopted by every State and 

 county medical society in the Union. Many 

 other honorary positions were held by him in 

 scientific bodies in this country and abroad. 



HEALTH, NATIONAL BOARD OF. The 

 evil results of quarantines, established at every 

 country town or even cross-roads by irre- 

 sponsible boards, wholly inefficient to pro- 

 tect the public health, but destructive of trade 

 and prosperity, plainly pointed out the neces- 

 sity for a National Board of Health. The 

 Constitution gives no specific power to the 

 General Government to make sanitary regu- 

 lations. The "power to regulate commerce 



with foreign nations," however, implies the 

 control of that which interferes most mate- 

 rially with it. Epidemics destroy commerce ; 

 it may be conceded, then, that their preven- 

 tion should be intrusted to the long purse 

 and strong arm of the central Government, 

 which alone can enforce obedience to its 

 mandates. The act constituting the Nation- 

 al Board of Health was approved on March 

 8d. The Board consists of eleven members, 

 viz., seven civilian physicians, one army sur- 

 geon, one navy surgeon, one medical officer 

 of the Marine Hospital service, and one officer 

 from the Department of Justice. The duties 

 prescribed are, that they should obtain in- 

 formation upon all matters affecting the pub- 

 lic health, and advise the several departments 

 of the Government, the executives of the sev- 

 eral States, and the Commissioners of the Dis- 

 trict of Columbia, on all questions submitted 

 by them, whenever in the opinion of the Board 

 such advice may tend to the preservation and 

 improvement of the public health. They are 

 to cooperate with the Academy of Sciences, 

 and to collect the views of leading sanitary 

 organizations and scientists in order to perfect 

 a plan, to be submitted to Congress at its next 

 session, for a permanent health organization. 

 This is explicit, and the Board has clearly un- 

 derstood and complied with these injunctions. 



On June 3d the national quarantine law 

 was passed. This is vague in terms, and gives 

 little or no authority to do any specific work. 

 The Board may request the President to ap- 

 point medical officers to assist consuls in for- 

 eign ports from which infection may be im- 

 ported. To prevent the introduction of infec- 

 tious diseases from foreign ports, or from one 

 State to another, the National Board is to 

 cooperate with State and municipal boards. 

 The extent of this cooperation and the means 

 by which it is to be carried out are not pro- 

 vided for. Should local provisions appear in- 

 adequate, the National Board is to report to 

 the President, who may order it to make rules 

 and regulations to meet the case. If the Presi- 

 dent approve these, the Board is to promul- 

 gate and the State authorities to enforce them. 

 Should the State authorities fail in this duty, 

 it is discretionary with the President to detail 

 an officer to see to their enforcement. 



In regard to the rules and regulations to be 

 observed by vessels coming from infected ports, 

 the Board has no more definite authority. It 

 has power to obtain from consuls, and medical 

 officers assisting them, weekly bulletins of the 

 sanitary condition of foreign ports from which 

 danger is apprehended. These warnings are 

 invaluable. It is authorized to collect and 

 publish weekly reports of the health of towns 

 and cities throughout the United States. It is 

 expected to procure information relating to 

 the climatic and other conditions affecting the 

 public health. It is to supply information and 

 suggest rules and regulations concerning ves- 

 sels, railroad trains, and other modes of in- 



