502 BACTEKLV AND SANITATION 



community, however, there are always some people who are 

 careless in this regard, and unless the enforcement of such 

 care be placed in the hands of specific authorities and 

 backed by legal penalties for disobedience the action of one 

 individual may result in great harm to the community. 

 The department of a government, either city, town, or state, 

 which has in charge the care of the public health is called 

 the Sanitary department. In a city the work of sanitation 

 is usually divided among several departments, for example, 

 The Board of Health, The Street Cleaning Department, etc. 

 The extent to Avhich a city board of health looks after the 

 health of its citizens is seen in the following summary of 

 the duties of such a board : 



Summary of duties of a board of health. — The enforce- 

 ment of all laws, ordinances, and regulations relating to 

 the safety of human life and the care and protection of 

 health. 



Exclusive control of the treatment of infectious and 

 contagious diseases and of the public hospitals used for 

 such cases. 



May cause unsafe or unsanitary buildings to be vacated. 



May condemn and destroy buildings that are themselves 

 unfit for habitation or that make adjacent buildings unfit. 



May destroy tainted or dangerous food. 



May prohibit the sale of adulterated milk or other drinks 

 or foods. 



May prescribe and enforce rules concerning the sanitation 

 of tenements, lodging houses, shops, and dwellings. 



May be called upon to deal with sources of disease and 

 infection and to keep the streets and houses free from mat- 

 ter dangerous to health. 



It must insure the purity of the drinking water. 



