Guide to the Health Officer Reports 1900-1901

Overview of the Collection

	Repository Name:		Seattle Municipal Archives PO Box 94728 600 Fourth Avenue, Floor 3 Seattle, WA 98124-4728 Phone: 206/233-7807 Email: archives@seattle.gov http://www.seattle.gov/cityarchives
	Collection Number:		1802-B9
	Creator:		Seattle (Wash.). City Clerk
	Title:		Health Officer Reports
	Dates:		1900-1901 (inclusive)
	Quantity:		.4 cubic foot 1 box
	Languages:		Collection materials are in English.
	Summary:		Monthly narrative and statistical reports of the Health Officer, 1900-1901. Reports include birth, mortality, and infectious disease statistics as well as records of inspections.

Historical Note

The 1890 Charter established a Board of Health. Among the Board's duties was appointment of a Health Officer who would act as "city physician" and serve as the executive of the Board.

The Health Officer had the responsibility of enforcing city health ordinances and the Board of Health's regulations; other duties included visiting public buildings and reporting on their level of sanitation, making monthly and annual reports on birth, death, and disease statistics, and recording births, deaths, and burials. The physicians and midwives of the city were obligated to report births, occurrences of infectious disease, and deaths to the Health Officer, who was also responsible for issuing permits for disinterment and exhumation.

The Health Officer was also involved with quarantining citizens suffering from "smallpox, yellow fever, Asiatic cholera, or other infectious disease" as necessary; flags and placards indicating the nature of the disease were posted at the houses of the ill, and the names of infected persons were reported to the Police Department, superintendent of schools, and the public librarian.

In 1908, the mayor-appointed position of Commissioner of Health took over the powers and responsibilities of both the Health Officer and the Board of Health.

Content Description

The Health Officer Monthly Reports (1900-1901) are narrative and statistical reports on public health concerns including birth, mortality, and infectious disease reports. Also included are statistics on plumbing inspections, quarantine reports, meat, milk, and other food inspection reports, slaughterhouse reports, and general sanitation reports.

Arrangement

Reports are arranged chronologically by month and year.

Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Access

Records are open to the public.

Preferred Citation

[Item and date], Health Officer Reports, Record Series 1802-B9. Box [number], Folder [number]. Seattle Municipal Archives.

Subjects

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Seattle (Wash.)

Childbirth--Statistics--Washington (State)--Seattle

Communicable diseases--Washington (State)--Seattle

Community health services--Washington (State)--Seattle

Dairy inspection--Washington (State)--Seattle

Food adulteration and inspection--Washington (State)--Seattle

Meat inspection--Washington (State)--Seattle

Mortality--Statistics--Washington (State)--Seattle

Plumbing--Inspection--Washington (State)--Seattle

Public health--Washington (State)--Seattle

Quarantine--Washington (State)--Seattle

Sanitation--Washington (State)--Seattle

Slaughtering and slaughter-houses--Inspection--Washington (State)--Seattle

Monthly reports

Vital statistics records

Health officers--Washington (State)--Seattle

Other Creators :

Seattle (Wash.). Health Officer

Detailed Description of the Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

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Health Officer Reports

Overview of the Collection

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