Tuesday, June 1, 2021

Bethlehem's 1885 Board of health

 Another story in the ongoing saga of things that just turn up on my desk.

For the past year's Covid time we've been hearing a lot from the  Albany County Department of Health.  Back in the day, this was a function of local boards of health, including Bethlehem of course. 

Recently a pamphlet entitled "Organization of the Local Board of Health" and subtitled "Sanitary Laws and regulation obligatory upon the Inhabitants of the Town of Bethlehem, N.Y., as Adopted April 28, 1885." came my way.

As you can see from the pictures, it lists the members of the Town Board of Health and their residences including supervisor John L. Winne resident of Adams Station and Justice of the Peace L. W. Soop of Beckers Corners, place names you don't hear so often today.

The board was concerned with the dangers to public health.  Among the duties outlined in detail in the document are (a) to receive and examine into the nature of complaints concerning causes of danger and injury to the public health,  (c) to take charge of, and provide for, the quarantine of cases of contagion and its sources, and (e) to report every case of small-pox, and to provide the means for thorough and safe vaccination of those who may need it. Interesting in light of current times.

There are many items regarding burials and burial permits, privy-vaults and cess-pools, unwholesome food, regulations regarding notification if anyone in a household has scarlet fever, diphtheria or small pox and rules about recording births and marriages.

It is all rather elegantly summed up in this item: Whatever is dangerous to human life, and whatever renders the air or food and water or drink unwholesome, are declared to be nuisances, and to be unlawful.  

So simple, yet so complicated.











1 comment:

  1. Leonard Warren (L.W.)Soop my great x2 grandfather. Was also Postmaster for Becker's Corners in 1885, and grandson to Conrad Soop. Did not know he was a member of the Board of Health too. Thank you.

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