POWER OF HEALTH OFFICERS 
519 
we find that 31,897 carcasses of meat were passed on during 
this same year; while sanitary officers inspected yards, 
barns, cesspools, garbage, stagnant water, and other possible 
sanitary nuisances to the number of 9308. Learn all that 
you can about the extent and work of your health de¬ 
partment. 
Power of Health Officers .—To control communicable dis¬ 
eases is one of the most important duties of a health officer. 
Says Mr. Joseph A. Warren, of the New York State Depart¬ 
ment of Health: “ When the presence of a communicable 
disease has reached the proportions of an epidemic, the 
importance of this duty becomes intensive. From a legal 
viewpoint the question of the duty of the health officer in 
such circumstances resolves itself into one of power. A 
physician may ask: What should a health officer do ? A 
lawyer must ask: What can a health officer do ? The 
latest decision of the Court of Appeals (New York) holds 
that where a local ordinance provides for isolation or 
quarantine in any case deemed necessary by the health 
officer, then so long as the health officer acts in good faith 
and has reasonable grounds for his action, his action will 
be sustained. This situation emphasizes the importance of 
having proper local ordinances giving the health officer suffi¬ 
cient power.’ ’ 
SUMMARY 
As a physician knows the nature of a disease and its effect 
upon the body, he can aid materially in overcoming the ill¬ 
ness. Each biological disease is distinct and must have 
special treatment. Many of these diseases are taken from 
some one who has the disease. Vaccination, quarantine, 
and disinfection are measures which help to prevent the 
spread of germ diseases. It is our duty to keep well, and 
we can do much toward this by understanding how to avoid 
the biological diseases. 
