LOCAL BOARDS OF HEALTH IN OHIO DURING
THE PERIOD, 1835-1858
By ROBERT
G. PATERSON, Ph. D.
Early pioneers in the settlement of Ohio
brought with them
the ideas, methods, and practices which
prevailed among the
colonists on the Atlantic Seaboard. This
was true especially in
their struggles with epidemic diseases.
Today, it is difficult for
us to recreate the stark fear with
which our forefathers awaited
an approaching epidemic. Scarcely a
winter went by without a
wide-spread epidemic of smallpox,
diphtheria, scarlet fever,
cholera, and the many so-called
childhood diseases.
This fear was enhanced by the
ineffective means and methods
for dealing with each of these diseases
and by the utter sense of
helplessness which ensued. An analysis
of the reaction of these
early pioneers toward such epidemics
reveals three broad general
attitudes: first, to flee before the
on-coming epidemic if it were
at all possible; second, to remain and
to put their trust in Provi-
dence that they might escape the
disease; and third, a few more
hardy and courageous individuals would
band themselves together
as a committee and by advice through
broadsides and the public
press seek to keep the people calm in
the face of the threatened
danger.
The first comprehensive written account
of epidemics in Ohio
was written by Samuel Prescott Hildreth,
M. D.,1 of Marietta, in
his presidential address before the Ohio
Medical Convention at
Cleveland, May 14, 1839. Localized epidemics were described
earlier by Andrew Ellicot2 at
Gallipolis, and Harrison3 at Chilli-
cothe and to which Hildreth refers.
Hildreth4 listed epidemics as follows:--
1 Samuel P. Hildreth, "Address of
the President," Medical Convention of Ohio,
Proceedings, 1839, 4-35.
2 M. Andres Ellicot, "Yellow Fever
in the Western Country," Medical Repository
(New York, 1797-1824), IV (1800), 74.
3 Harrison, ibid., X (1808), 64.
4 Hildreth, "Address," 4-35.
(380)
OHIO MEDICAL HISTORY, 1835-1858
381
1790-95--the settlement
of Belpre suffered from small pox
and scarlatina.
1796 --malignant fever at Gallipolis
1800-1 --epidemic fever
at Chillicothe
1807 --epidemic fever, very general
1813 --measles
1822-3 --epidemic
fever. The Great Epidemic
1824-5 --measles and
scarlatina
1826 --influenza
1832-3 --epidemic
cholera
Among the writings of
Daniel Drake, M. D.,5 there are two
accounts of the
epidemic cholera of 1832; the one dealing with
the epidemic as it
raged in Cincinnati; the other, a practical
treatise on epidemic
cholera.
Again in the
proceedings of the Ohio Medical Convention we
find the next
comprehensive written account of epidemics in
Ohio when G. S. B.
Hempstead, M. D.,6 of Portsmouth presented
a paper before the
convention in 1842 at Cincinnati. His account
coincides in general
with that of Hildreth with the addition of
one account of
epidemics of measles and milk-sickness in 1841.
Here, then, is the
background for the creation of local boards
of health. As in
colonial times and the early years of the Federal
Union, Ohio followed
this early practice of creating boards of
health to meet a
threatened epidemic. These boards were granted
authority, sometimes
plenary, sometimes restricted, depending
upon the extent and
severity of the epidemic. As a rule, as soon
as the threat abated,
these boards either were forgotten, became
inactive or were
abolished. From 1835 to 1850 this was the prac-
tice throughout Ohio.
As would be expected
the first legislation on sanitary matters
occurred in Cincinnati.
Otto Juettner7 gives an account of such
actions beginning in
1802 when the town council passed an ordi-
nance to prevent the
carcasses of animals lying in any of the
streets, alleys, lanes,
or commons. In 1804 a smallpox ordinance
5 Daniel Drake, An
Account of the Epidemic Cholera as It Appeared in Cincin-
nati (Cincinnati, 1832), 46; Daniel Drake, History,
Prevention, and Treatment of
Epidemic Cholera (Cincinnati, 1832), 180.
6 G. S. B. Hempstead,
"On the Topography and Diseases of Scioto County,
Ohio," Medical
Convention of Ohio, Proceedings, 1842, 16-44.
7 Otto Juettner, Daniel
Drake and His Followers (Cincinnati, 1909), 86.
382
OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
provided for the isolation of patients
and vaccination. Death re-
turns by physicians was made compulsory
by an ordinance of
1813, which was amended in 1816. A Board
of Health consisting
of five members was established by
ordinance in 1826, undoubtedly
brought about by the epidemic of
influenza. So far as can be as-
certained this is the first legislation
in Ohio on the subject.
The early history of local boards of
health in Ohio is shrouded
in the gray mists of confusion. It is
safe to say that from 1788
to 1851 the establishment of local
boards of health was on a
temporary and transient basis. With the
adoption of the new
Constitution for the State in 1851
provision was made in Article
13, Section 6, for the General Assembly
to provide for the organi-
zation of cities and incorporated
villages by general law. Accord-
ingly in 1852, the General Assembly passed an act which, among
other provisions, gave to city councils
the right to establish boards
of health if they so desired.
Under this act, only one city had
established a board of health
by 1858. That city was Mt. Vernon, which
provided for such a
board in 1854. J. M. Toner,8 in
a report to the American Public
Health Association9 at its first meeting
in 1873, discussed the
development of boards of health in the
United States and gives
the dates for Ohio as follows: Mt.
Vernon, 1854; Cleveland,
1859; Ironton, 1863; Cincinnati, 1865;
Hamilton, 1865; Xenia,
1866; Dayton, 1867; Toledo, 1867;
Youngstown, 1868; Ports-
mouth, 1869, and Warren, 1872.
Ideas concerning epidemic diseases, as
to cause, treatment,
and prevention during the period under
discussion, explain in
large measure the slow development of
local boards of health not
only in Ohio, but throughout the Nation
as well. These ideas
were developed rapidly during the last
years of the 18th century
and became crystallized in the wording
of the Massachusetts
Health Act of 1797.
Causation was related to dirt and
disease, sewer gas, offensive
trades, and pig-pens. These explanations
gave rise to the so-called
8 J. M. Toner, "Boards of Health in
the United States," American Public Health
Association, Public Health Papers and
Reports, 1873, 499-521.
9 This association was organized in 1872 and has had a continuous existence to
the present day.
OHIO MEDICAL HISTORY, 1835-1858 383
nuisance laws and ordinances. Throughout
the period under dis-
cussion the belief in Ohio, as well as
elsewhere, was that the
source of these diseases was to be found
in a filthy environment.
Treatment of these diseases followed
this generally accepted
practice of the time. These consisted of
bleeding, free evacua-
tions, use of alkalies, Peruvian bark as
a tonic, and liberal use
of calomel and mercury.
Prevention did not extend beyond the
age-old application of
isolation and quarantine. The people
generally were content to
escape or ride through an epidemic
without much thought of the
possibility of "nipping an epidemic
in the bud."10
The real beginning of the boards of
health began somewhat
after the end of the period under
discussion and the substantial
programs of boards of health as we know
them today, did not be-
gin to be formulated until 1870 and after.
10 Geddes Smith, Plague on Us (New
York, 1941). This is an excellent discussion
of the whole subject, from the viewpoint
of the laity and the profession.