Officers of the Board. WALTER DE F. DAY, M. D., Sanitary Superintendent. ELISHA HARRIS, M. D., Register of Records. WILLIAM P. PRENTICE, Attorney and Counsel. STEVENSON TOWLE, Consulting Sanitary Engineer. Attorney's Department. WM. F. T. CHAPMAN, Clerk. Bureau of Sanitary Inspection. WALTER DE F. DAY, M. D., Sani- | HERMAN ENDEMANN, Ph. D., Chief EDWARD H. JANES, M. D., Assistant WM. ROBERTS, Disinfecting Corps. JOHN T. NAGLE, M. D., Deputy Reg- OGDEN N. CHAPIN, 66 66 ister of Records. JOHN W. CONKLIN, LOUIS KRAUSHAAR, Clerk. WILLIAM H. RESSEGIUE, 66 TO THE HONORABLE WILLIAM F. HAVEMEYER, Mayor of the City of New York: THE Board of Health of the Health Department of the City of New York respectfully submits the following Annual Report, which contains a review of its proceedings for the year ending April 30, 1874. Reorganization.-The Board of Health, reorganized under chapter 335, Laws of 1873, held its first meeting at No. 301 Mott Street, on the 14th day of May, 1873, all the Commissioners present, viz.: Henry Smith, President of the Board of Police; S. Oakley Vanderpoel, M. D., Health Officer of the Port; Charles F. Chandler, Ph. D., Commissioner of Health and President of the Board, and Stephen Smith, M. D., Commissioner of Health. Emmons Clark was elected Secretary of the Board. The two Bureaux provided for by law, and of which the "Sanitary Superintendent" and "Register of Records " are the chief officers respectively, were at once organized and called the "Sanitary Bureau" and the "Bureau of Vital Statistics," and the powers and duties were assigned to each as prescribed by law, and the rules and regulations of the former Board. The duties of the Sanitary Permit Inspector under the preceding Board were duly conferred upon the Sanitary Superintendent and Secretary. As the officers, clerks, and employés of the former Board were by law transferred to the service of this Board until the appointment of their successors, there was no interruption in the business of the Department. The routine of the business of the Board and the forms and methods of transacting the same required no material modification, and were continued in use in the Department. Rules and Regulations.-The rules and regulations governing the Health Department as before existing, after a critical examination, were adopted without material alteration. They had been so perfected during the period since the organization of the Metropolitan Board of Health in 1866, that the only important changes made were those rendered necessary by the reduction in the number of Commissioners, and of the Bureaux of the Department. Among the alterations in the rules and regulations worthy of special notice, may be 1 mentioned a radical change in the construction of the Standing Committees of the Board, the holding of regular meetings twice instead of once in each week, and the examination of all applicants for appointment in the Department. The officers of the Board, before called Health Inspectors, were in the rules and regulations, as amended, designated Sanitary Inspectors. The Sanitary Code.-In the discharge of the duty imposed by section 82, of the act entitled "An act to reorganize the local government of the City of New York," passed April 10, 1873, which declares that it shall be the duty of the Board of Health of the Health Department, immediately upon its organization, to cause to be conformed to Article II. of said act the Sanitary Ordinances then or lately adopted by the existing Department of Health, the Board, immediately upon its organization, proceeded to the consideration of this subject, and, on the 2d day of June, adopted the "Sanitary Code," and caused the same to be published. The Sanitary Code, as adopted and published by this Board, is a copy of the Sanitary Code existing previous to the passage of the act above referred to, with the exception of the immaterial changes necessary to conform it to said act, and some changes in the numbers of the sections for the purpose of grouping sections relating to the same subject under their proper heads. The Sanitary Code is a compilation of the ordinances relating to the public health, which have been, from time to time, adopted by the proper authorities of the city, during its corporate existence, and which were collected and reenacted, under the authority of law, by the Metropolitan Board of Health in 1866. By the acts of 1870 and 1873, reorganizing the local government of the City of New York, the Sanitary Code of the City of New York has received indorsement and confirmation. To the Sanitary Code, as readopted June 2, 1873, this Board has, by virtue of and in pursuance of the authority and power conferred by law, added some additional provisions for the security of life and health in the City of New York, all of which have been duly published as required by law. Appointments. In addition to the officers, clerks, and employés in the service of the Health Department at the time of the organization of this Board, who were applicants for reappointment, a large number of new applicants urged their claims for appointment to the various positions in the Department. That the Board might avail itself of the services of the most intelligent and faithful of those already on duty, and select from the numerous applicants those best qualified by education and general character to perform the duties required, the Committee on Applications instituted an examination of all applicants for appointment and reappointment. A series of questions was presented to each class, to which answers were required to be written by the candidates while present at the office of the Board. To each class the questions presented were such as pertained to their special duties as clerks or inspectors, and as would test the ability and qualification of the respective applicants. For clerkships, the applicants were so examined as to ascertain their qualifications in penman ship, copying, spelling, punctuation, and in the four simple rules of arithmetic; to applicants for the position of Sanitary or Assistant Sanitary Inspectors were presented questions relating to the cause, diagnosis, care, and treatment of contagious diseases, the ventilation of tenement-houses, drainage, the use of disinfectants, etc., etc. The answers given to the questions proposed were critically examined by the committee, and its decision as to their relative value was recorded. As a rule, the answers were pertinent and generally correct, and to select from the number of applicants found competent was an embarrassing duty. The number of applicants examined was nearly one hundred and fifty, from which number were selected the sanitary officers and clerks of the Department. The ability and fidelity with which the Board has been served by its employés justifies the care exercised in the selection, as well as the method of ascertaining their qualification. The names of all officers, clerks, and employés of the Board, on the 30th day of April, 1874, are forwarded herewith. Honorary Appointments. During the year the Board has received valuable aid and counsel from several gentlemen of distinguished scientific attainments, upon whom it has conferred honorary appointments in recognition of their services. The following are the honorary appointments referred to: Dr. E. G. Janeway, Consulting Pathologist. Dr. Daniel Draper, Consulting Meteorologist. Dr. A. F. Liautard, Consulting Veterinary Surgeon. Carl Pfeiffer, Consulting Architect. By resolution of the Board no salary is attached to any honorary appointment, nor are such appointees authorized to incur any expense in the name of the Board, without its express order or consent. Orders of the Board.-The orders of this Board for the abatement of nuisances are issued upon the facts and evidence contained in the written reports of Sanitary Inspectors, the result of personal inspections of the premises complained of. Such reports are numbered, and placed on file, and orders with corresponding numbers, in the form required by law, and applicable to cach case, are issued in writing, and served upon the owners, lessees, or tenants of the premises. Generally the orders of the Board are promptly and cheerfully complied with. Whenever a party affected by an order of the Board expresses dissatisfaction with the terms of such order, or considers the same unnecessary or unreasonable, the officers of the Board are instructed to explain the circum stances which render such order necessary, or, if there is any doubt as to the facts in the case, to cause a reinspection of the premises. The result of this official action is a general compliance with the requirements of the Board upon notice. But whenever the orders of the Board are not complied with, and there has been no request for a modification or suspension of the order,. or a |