RULES AND REGULATIONS 
v 
OF THE 
BOARD OF HEALTH 
OF THE 
CITY OF WILLIAMSPORT, PA. 
WILLIAMSPORT, PA.: 
GAZETTE AND BULLETIN PRINTING HOUSE. 
1896. RULES AND REGULATIONS 
OF THE 
BOARD OF HEALTH 
OF THE 
CITY OF WILLIAMSPORT, PA. 
WILLIAMSPORT, PA.: 
GAZETTE AND BULLETIN PRINTING HOUSE. 
1896. BOARD OF HEALTH, 1896. 
District. 
Name. 
Term 
Expires. 
1. . . 
JOHN K. CRAWFORD. . 
. . 1901 
2. 
. C. W. YOUNGMAN, M. D. . 
. . 1900 
3. . . 
JAMES B. KRAUSE. 
. . 1899 
4. . . 
. . D. T. MAHAFFEY. . . 
. . 1898 
5. . . 
H. H. FESSLER, M. D. . 
. . 1897 
OFFICERS. 
President—John K. Crawford, 313 Market Street. 
Secretary—D. B. Else, City Hall. * 
Health Officer—A. Fighter, M. D., 436 Market Street. 
Assistant Health Officer (Plumbing Inspector)—J. A. TuRNEK. 
COMMITTEES. 
Sanitary Committee—Dll. YOUNGMAN, PRESIDENT CRAWFORD and 
Dr. Fesslkr. 
Finance „Con}jB\ftee-w-Messrs. Mahaffey and Krause. 
Ast}liviin{S$\\i. K*rause and Dr. Richter. 
Regular meetings, first Monday of each month, at 7.30 o’clock 
P. M., at the office of the Board of Health. RULES AND REGULATIONS 
OF THE 
BOARD OF HEALTH 
OF THE 
CITY OF WILLIAMSPORT, PA., 
Adopted Makch 27, 189G. 
A PORTION OF AN ACT 
Entitled “An act dividing the cities of this state into three 
classes, ’ ’ Ac., approved May 23, 1889: 
BOARD OF HEALTH. 
Section 1. The Councils of any city of the third class may, 
by ordinance, create a Board of Health as herein provided, with 
the powers and duties herein enumerated. 
Sec. 2. The said Board shall consist of five members, who shall 
serve without compensation, and none of whom shall be members 
of Councils. At least two of their number shall be reputable 
physicians of not less than two years’ experience in the practice of 
their profession. The Board shall be appointed by districts to be 
fixed by Councils, representing as equally as may be all portions 
of the city, and shall serve for the term of five years from the first 
Monday of April succeeding their appointment. The Mayor shall 
nominate, and by and with the consent of the Select Council ap- 
point the members of said Board, and shall in like manner remove 
any or all of them for official misconduct or neglect of duty, and 
fill all vacancies for the unexpired term. At the first appointment 
the Mayor shall designate one of the members to serve for one 
Article XI. year, one to serve for two years, one to serve for five years, ind 
thereafter one member of said Board shall be appointed anmally 
to serve for the term of five years. 
Sec. 3. The members of the Board shall severally take and 
subscribe the oath herein prescribed for city officers, and shall 
annually organize by the choice of one of their number as Presi- 
dent. They shall elect a Secretary not of their body who snail 
keep the minutes of their proceedings and perform such other 
duties as may be directed by the Board, and a Health Officer uho 
shall execute the orders of the Board, and for that purpose the said 
Health Officer shall have and exercise the powers and authority of 
a policeman of the city. The Secretary and Health Officer shall 
receive such salary as may be fixed by the Board and shall hold 
their offices during the pleasure of the Board. They shall severally 
give bond to the city in such sums as may be fixed by ordinance 
for the faithful discharge of their duties, and also take and sub- 
scribe the oath required of members of the Board. All fees which 
shall be collected or received by the Board, or by any officer thereof, 
in his official capacity, shall be paid over into the city treasury 
monthly together with all penalties which shall be recovered for 
the violation of any regulation of the Board. The President and 
Secretary shall have full power to administer oaths or affirmations 
in any proceeding or investigation touching the regulations of the 
Board, but shall not be entitled to receive any fee therefor. 
Sec. 4. The said Board of Health shall have power, and it 
shall be their duty, to make and enforce all needful rules and reg- 
ulations to prevent the introduction and spread of infectious or 
contagious diseases, by the regulation of intercourse with infected 
places, by the arrest, separation and treatment of infected persons, 
and persons who shall have been exposed to any infectious or 
contagious disease, and by abating and removing all nuisances 
which they shall deem prejudicial to the public health, to enforce 
vaccination, to mark infected houses or places, to prescribe rules 
for the construction and maintenance of house drains, waste and 
soil pipes and cess-pools, and to make all such other regulations 
as they shall deem necessary for the preservation of the public 
health. They shall also have power, with the consent of Councils, 
in case of the prevalence or apprehended prevalence of any con- 
4 tagious or infectious disease within the city, to establish one or 
more hospitals, and to make provisions and regulations for the 
management of the same. The Board may in such cases appoint 
as many ward or district physicians and other sanitary agents as 
they may deem necessary, whose salaries shall be fixed by the 
Board before their appointment. It shall he the duty of all phy- 
sicians practicing within the city to report to the Secretary of the 
said Board of Health the names and residences of all persons com- 
ing under their professional care afflicted with such contagious or 
infectious diseases, in the manner directed by the said Board. 
Sec. 5. The said Board of Health shall have power as a body 
or by committee, as well as the Health Officer, together with his 
subordinates, assistants and workmen, under and by order of the 
said Board, to enter at any time upon any premises in the city 
upon which there is suspected to be any infectious or contagious 
disease, or nuisance detrimental to the public health, for the pur- 
pose of examining and abating the same, and all written orders 
for the removal of nuisance issued to said Health Officer by order 
of said Board, attested by the Secretary, shall be executed by him 
and his subordinates and workmen, and the costs and expenses 
thereof shall be recoverable from the owner or owners of the 
premises from which the nuisance shall be removed, or from any 
person or persons causing or maintaining the same in the manner 
herein provided. 
Sec. 6. The said Board of Health shall have power to create 
and maintain a complete and accurate system for the registration 
of all marriages, births and deaths which may occur within the 
city, and to compel obedience to the same upon the part of all 
physicians and other medical practitioners, clergymen, magistrates, 
undertakers, sextons, and all other persons from whom informa- 
tion for such purposes may properly be required. The Board shall 
make, and cause to he published, all necessary rules and regulations 
for carrying into effect the powers and functions with which they 
are hereby invested, which rules and regulations, when approved 
by the Mayor, shall have the force of ordinances of the city, and 
all penalties for the violation thereof, as well as expenses neces- 
sarily incurred in carrying the same into effect, shall be recover- 
able for the use of the city, in the same manner as penalties for 
5 the violation of city ordinances, subject to the like limitation as 
to the amount thereof. 
Sec. 7. It shall be the duty of the Board of Health to submit 
annually to Councils, before the commencement of the fiscal year, 
an estimate of the probable receipts and expenditures of the Board 
during the ensuing year, and Councils shall then proceed to make 
such appropriation thereto as they shall deem necessary; and the 
said Board shall, in the month of January of each year, submit a 
report in writing to Councils of its operations for the preceding 
year, with the necessary statistics thereof, together with such other 
information or suggestions relative to the sanitary condition and 
requirements of the city as it may deem proper, and Councils shall 
publish the same in their official journal. It shall also be the d uty 
of the Board to communicate to the State Board of Health copies 
of all its reports and publications, together with such sanitary 
information as may from time to time be required by said State 
Board. 
6 FILE OF THE COMMON COUNCIL. 
Bill No. 410. 
AN ORDINANCE 
Providing for the appointment by the Mayor of a Board of Health. 
Providing for the organization of the Board, the election of a 
Secretary and Health Officer, fixing the amount of bond of 
Secretary and Health Officer, and dividing the city into Health 
Districts. Approved, July 29, 1890. 
Section 1. Be it ordained by the Select and Common Councils of 
the city of Williamsport, That immediately after the passage of 
this ordinance, and annually thereafter, at the time and in the 
manner fixed by the act of May 23, 1889, the Mayor shall nomi- 
nate, and by and with the consent of Select Council appoint a 
Board of Health, consisting of five members, who shall have and 
exercise the power and perform the duties under the provisions of 
the laws governing the city of Williamsport. At least two of said 
Board shall be reputable physicians of not less than two years’ 
experience in the practice of their profession. 
Sec. 2. The members of the Board shall severally take and 
subscribe the oath prescribed for city officers, and shall annually 
organize by the choice of one of their number as President. 
Sec. 3. They shall elect a Secretary not of their body, who 
shall keep the minutes of their proceedings and enter in a book to 
be provided for the purpose, and perform such other duties as may 
be directed by the Board. 
Sec. 4. They shall elect a Health Officer, who may or may not 
be a member of the Board, whose duty it shall be to execute the 
orders of the Board, and perform the duties required by law. 
Sec. 5. (The Health Officer shall give bond in the sum of one 
thousand dollars ($1,000) conditioned for the faithful discharge of 
his duty.) (The' Secretary of the Board shall give bond in the 
sum of five hundred dollars ($500) conditioned for the faithful 
discharge of his duty.) 8 
Sec. 6. The territory comprised in said city shall he divided 
for the purpose of this ordinance into five Health Districts in the 
manner following: The First and Eighth wards of the city shall 
comprise the First District; the Second and Third wards shall 
comprise the Second District; the Third District shall embrace all 
the territory in the city between Hepburn Street on the east, 
Campbell Street on the west, Susquehanna Eiver on the south and 
City Limits on the north; the Fourth District shall embrace all 
the territory in the city west of Campbell Street to Lycoming 
Creek from the Susquehanna Eiver to the northern boundary line; 
the Seventh Ward shall comprise the Fifth District. RULES AND REGULATIONS 
OF THE 
Board of Health of the City of Williamsport, Pa., 
Adopted March 27, 1896. 
Section 1. Any noisome matter, whether vegetable, animal, 
or otherwise; any pond or pool of stagnant water, or other nuisance 
of unwholesome things in the city, or within one mile of the 
boundaries thereof, which may be the occasion of infectious or 
contagious disease, shall he emptied, abated, removed or remedied 
by the person to whom the same belongs, or in whose possession, 
or upon whose property, it may be found. 
Sec. 2. If it shall appear that any of the said nuisances, as 
stated in Section No. 1, are caused or produced by any person or 
persons other than those on whose premises the said nuisance 
exists, or that the said nuisances are caused or produced by water, 
filthy, noisome or unwholesome matter flowing or running from 
the premises which may be in his, her or their occupation, the 
Health Officer shall then give direction to remove, cleanse, abate 
and remedy the same to the person or persons causing or producing 
such nuisance, or to the person or persons from whose premises, or 
from premises which may be in his, her or their occupation, the 
same shall flow. 
Sec. 3. No person shall cast into any street, lane or alley of 
this city, or shall suffer to run or be washed from any slaughter- 
house, stable, privy, yard or place, in his or her possession, into 
any such street, lane or alley, any blood, garbage, carrion, dead 
animals, dung, filth or noisome or offensive matter. 
Sec. 4. No person shall suffer any skins, swill or garbage, rags 
or other matter to be in a noisome or offensive state, within or 
upon property in his or her possession, within the limits of this 
city; or exercise within said limits any trade or manufacture that 
shall corrupt the air by offensive smell, and which can be pre- 
NUISANCES. 10 
vented, abated or lessened, without detriment to such trade or 
manufacture, by modern appliances of art or science; or deposit 
in any open street, lane or alley, or near to any dwelling house, 
any contents of any slaughter-house, privy or stable, or any matter 
in an offensive state; or place or leave in any market house any 
offal or offensive matter; and any person having deposited or put 
at any place within the limits of this city any mass of matter that 
shall be offensive, shall immediately remove the same on the re- 
quirement of the Health Officer. 
Sec. 5. There shall be no hogs kept within the limits of the 
city, except on farms not yet laid out in lots and offered for sale. 
HOGS. 
Sec. 6. There shall be no slaughtering or dressing of slaugh- 
tered animals, nor rendering of tallow, within the limits of the 
city, except by farmers whose land is included in the city charter 
but not laid out in lots. 
SLAUGHTERING ANIMALS. 
Sec. 7. Every person keeping an oyster house or cellar, or 
owning or occupying as a tenant any place where oysters, clams 
and other marketable commodities are sold, shall remove the oyster 
or clam shells, or other refuse matter, from their houses, cellars, 
places or premises at least thrice in each and every week between 
the first day of May and the first day of November, and once a 
week in the other months of the year. 
OYSTER HOUSES. 
PROVISIONS. 
Sec. 8. No person shall sell or expose for sale any unwhole- 
some, damaged, decayed or spoiled provisions, meat, poultry, fruit 
or vegetables; and all dealers in provisions, meat, poultry, fruit 
or vegetables shall keep their stores, stalls or places of business in 
a clean and wholesome condition. 
EPIDEMICS. 
Sec. 9. In case of the prevalence, or of reasonable ground to 
apprehend the prevalence of infectious or contagious diseases in 
this city, the Board shall direct specially the cleansing of houses, 
cellars, yards or such other places as they may consider requisite or prudent for the preservation of the health of the city, or for the 
mitigation of the disease; and shall establish hospitals, one or 
more, (by and with the consent of Councils), as they shall deem 
necessary, and make suitable regulations for their management. 
Sec. 10. In case of the prevalence of infectious or contagious 
disease in this city, the Board shall remove persons from filthy and 
noxious habitations, or from noxious and peculiarly exposed places, 
to other habitations, whenever majority of all the members of the 
Board shall determine that the faithful care of the health of the 
city, or any neighborhood thereof, requires such a measure. 
11 
SMALL-POX. 
Sec. 11. The medical attendant in all cases of Small-pox, 
Varioloid, Cholera (Asiatic), or Typhus Fever shall within six hours 
after the diagnosis of the same report the same to the Health 
Officer in person, by letter or upon blanks furnished by the Board. 
Sec. 12. Any person affected with Small-pox shall he isolated 
as much as possible from the rest of the family and others, and 
shall occupy a room that has been stripped of all unnecessary 
furniture, such as carpets, cushioned chairs, lounges, window cur- 
tains, clothing, etc.; and the room occupied by the person so 
affected shall have the paper scraped off the walls, the walls white- 
washed, the floor scrubbed and the room thoroughly fumigated 
and ventilated, and the clothing and bedding disinfected before a 
permit shall be granted to remove the red mark. 
Sec. 13. No person recovering from the disease of Small-pox 
shall be permitted to appear upon the public streets of the city of 
Williamsport until he or she is provided with a certificate from 
the attending physician, stating that all danger from contagion, 
by reason of such disease, has passed away. 
Sec. 14. Every person dying of Small-pox in the city of Wil- 
liamsport shall be removed and buried or cremated from the place 
of his or her death within twenty-four hours after such death. 
REPORTING DISEASES. 
Sec. 15. The medical attendant in all cases of Anthrax (Splenic 
Fever), Actinomycosis or Kay Fungus, Bubonic Plague, Diphtheria, 
Membraneous Croup, Diphtheritic Croup, Scarlet Fever, Yellow 
Fever, Typhoid Fever, Relapsing Fever, Spotted Fever (Cerebro 12 
Spinal Meningitis), Consumption of the lungs or tubercular disease 
which is active in any part of the body, shall report within twenty- 
four hours from the time of diagnosis, which shall be made at 
the earliest time possible, the age, sex, color, residence and gen- 
eral conditions surrounding such cases to the Health Officer, either 
in person, by letter or on blanks furnished by the Board. Cases 
in public hospitals of above diseases shall be exempted from such 
report. 
CERTIFICATES OF DEATH. 
Sec. 16. The medical attendant in all cases of death shall, 
upon request of undertaker or nearest relatives, furnish a certifi- 
cate of death, stating age, sex, color, residence and cause of death. 
If no diagnosis can be made, a post-mortem examination shall be 
held to determine the cause of death. 
In case of death where no physician has been employed, the 
cause of such death being apparent, any physician, who has ex- 
amined the corpse, can issue a certificate upon application, there 
being no unsettled Medico-Legal questions involved; otherwise it 
shall be reported to the Coroner or other legal authorities. 
Sec. 17. Physicians or mid wives shall report within one month 
from date of occurrence all births at which they shall officiate, 
upon blanks furnished by the Board, or by letter, stating the date 
of such birth; also sex, color, place and name of parents. 
In cases where no physician or midwife is in attendance it 
shall be reported by the father, or where the father is unknown, 
by the mother or the occupant of the premises where such birth 
occurs. 
BIRTHS. 
MILD CONTAGIOUS DISEASES. 
Sec. 18. In epidemics or endemics of the milder contagious 
diseases, such as Varioloid (Chicken Pox), Measles, Whooping 
Cough, Pink Eye, contagious Ophthalmia, Scabies (Itch), Hun- 
garian Itch, German Measles (French), Erysipelas, or any form 
of Parasitic diseases affecting the attendance at the respective 
school buildings, shall be reported to the Health Officer by the 
Principals of such school buildings as soon as evidence of such 
epidemic or endemic is apparent. 13 
Sec. 19. Undertakers officiating where death has occurred 
from any contagious disease whatsoever shall direct that all cloth- 
ing shall he destroyed or properly disinfected which has come in 
contact with the corpse. The corpse shall be swathed in disinfect- 
ants and the funeral held as soon as possible. 
Sec. 20. In cases of Scarlet Fever, Diphtheria, Small-pox, 
Asiatic Cholera, The Plague, Spotted Fever or Cerebro Spinal 
Meningitis, no public services or public funeral shall be held, 
and no undertaker shall allow such public services where he 
officiates. 
Sec. 21. No undertaker shall bury or cremate any person with- 
out a proper certificate from a physician or other authorized per- 
son, and shall certify to such interment or cremation, giving 
name and date. 
Sec. 22. All undertakers must register in a book to be kept 
by the Board of Health. 
UNDERTAKERS. 
Sec. 23. No sexton of any cemetery within this city, or within 
one mile thereof, shall inter any body unless accompanied by a 
physician’s or undertaker’s certificate of death in accordance with 
the rules of the Board of Health, and shall make weekly returns of 
all interments to the Secretary of the Board of Health. 
CEMETERIES. 
DEATHS. 
Sec. 24. When death occurs from any contagious disease it 
shall be the duty of the owner or occupant of the premises to 
thoroughly cleanse, fumigate and disinfect the wearing apparel, 
bed clothes, furniture used, and the rooms occupied by the 
deceased. 
DUTIES OF HOUSEHOLDERS. 
Sec. 25. When contagious diseases are reported to the Board 
of Health it shall be the duty of the occupant of the premises to 
remove the patient to secluded quarters, devoid as far as possible 
from such articles as carpets, rugs, pictures, Avail paper and super- 
fluous furniture or clothing, to provide disinfectants and prevent 
unnecessary visits of relatives, friends or neighbors. PLACARDED HOUSES. 
14 
Sec. 26. Where premises are placarded in cases of DipTitheria, 
Small-pox, Typhus Fever, Asiatic Cholera, Spotted Fever or Cere- 
bro Spinal Meningitis no person shall enter the house or rooms oc- 
cupied by such cases unless in the capacity of nurse, purveyor of 
necessary articles of subsistance, physician, minister or under- 
taker; and they must observe all the recognized rules to prevent 
the becoming of carriers of contagion. 
DISEASES TO BE PLACARDED. 
Sec. 27. Upon notice from physician in attendance that Diph- 
theria, Scarlatina, Diphtheritic Croup, Membraneous Croup, 
Asiatic Cholera, Cerehro Spinal Meningitis (Spotted Fever), Small- 
pox or Varioloid exists upon any premises the Health Officer shall 
cause a placard to be placed on the house in a conspicuous place, 
with the name of the disease existing on the premises, said placard 
to remain thereuntil the Health Officer permits its removal, which 
shall not be until the premises or rooms occupied by the person 
with such disease has been cleansed, fumigated and disinfected. 
In case any of the above diseases are suspected to exist and the 
Health Officer has not been notified, the Health Officer shall investi- 
gate the case and placard if necessary. 
No one shall alter, destroy or remove placards of diseases except 
by order or permission of the Health Officer. 
Sec. 28. In cases of Small-pox, Varioloid or Asiatic Cholera a 
red flag at least eighteen inches square shall be placed near the 
placard of disease, and shall not be removed or destroyed except 
by order or permission of the Health Officer. 
COMPLAINTS. 
Sec. 29. Complaints of the violations of rules of the Board of 
Health or nuisances shall be made in writing, and signed with 
name and address of the party making the complaint, and shall be 
addressed to the Health Officer. 
The following are hereby designated as the general duties of 
the Health Officer of the city of Williamsport, in addition to the 
dirties prescribed in the Rules and Regulations heretofore adopted 
GENERAL DUTIES OF HEALTH OFFICER. by the Board, and such special duties as may be assigned him by 
the Board of Health, or its committees, at any time : 
He shall make a thorough examination of all streets and alleys 
within the city, to see that the same are kept in good sanitary con- 
dition, twice every month, from the first day of April until the 
first day of November of each year, and once a month for the 
balance of the year. 
The Health Officer shall see that all rules and regulations made 
by the Board of Health are maintained and enforced. Whenever 
he shall find parties maintaining a nuisance in any form, or vio- 
lating any of the rules and regulations of the Board of Health of 
this city, he shall give such offending parties a written or printed 
notice to comply with such rules and regulations within a given 
time, and in case of a nuisance, to abate the same within a stated 
time, which time shall be fixed at the discretion of the Health 
Officer, and in case the notice shall not be complied with, then the 
Health Officer shall notify the Board of Health. 
It shall be the duty of the Health Officer to see that the rules 
relating to registration are properly complied with. 
He shall annually prepare for publication a report of all deaths 
recorded in the office during the year, to be submitted to Councils 
in connection with the annual report to be made by the Board in 
compliance with the Act of Assembly, and no publication shall be 
made, nor shall any bill be contracted by the Health Officer, in 
his official capacity, unless authorized by the Board. 
The Health Officer shall attend all meetings of the Board, and 
make brief monthly reports of the sanitary condition of the city, 
furnishing the Board all information he may have relating to 
sanitary matters. J. K. CRAWFORD, 
President. 
Adopted March 27, 189(5. 
15 
HEALTH OFFICER. 
Sec. 30. It shall be the duty of the Health Officer to investi- 
gate all complaints of violations of rules of the Board of Health, or 
of the existence of nuisances made in the regular way as soon as 
possible, and to endeavor to ascertain the violators or parties com- 
mitting the nuisance, to notify them to abate the nuisance within 16 
a reasonable time; also to make monthly reports to the Board of 
Health. 
If nuisances are not abated as per order of the Health Officer he 
shall notify the Secretary of the Board of Health, and if the viola- 
tion or nuisance is a menace to the public health the Secretary 
shall call a meeting of the Sanitary Committee, who shall visit the 
premises or otherwise investigate the nuisance or violation of the 
rules and report at the next meeting of the Board of Health. 
The Health Officer shall have the power to enforce forthwith the 
observance of the rules and regulations of the Board of Health and 
abate nuisances. The Health Officer shall advise with the San- 
itary Committee of the Board of Health upon all important mat- 
ters touching his duties, and shall not bring any suit or incur any 
expense without being authorized so to do by the Board of Health. 
When a contagious disease is reported, according to the rules, 
the Health Officer shall investigate it, and if such disease exists he 
shall placard the premises according to the rules. 
If the disease does not come under the rules for placarding 
he shall instruct those in charge of the patient, if he deems 
it necessary, how to avoid future contagion, and furnish printed 
copies of the rules of the Board of Health in relation to the disease 
existing on the premises. In case of doubtful diagnosis the Health 
Officer shall call to his aid the Bacteriologist of the Board of 
Health. 
OFFICE OF HEALTH OFFICER. 
Sec. 31. The office of the Health Officer shall be at the rooms 
of the Board of Health in the City Hall. 
He shall he at said office for one hour each day, the time to be 
fixed and notice placed on the door of the office. In case of ab- 
sence from the city or by reason of illness the Health Officer is 
unable to attend to his duties, he shall have power to appoint., 
temporarily, a substitute, who shall preferably be the Secretary of 
the Board of Health or Plumbing Inspector, or Assistant Health 
Officer; said substitute to have all the powers of the Health Officer. 
SECRETARY OF BOARD OF HEALTH. 
Sec. 32. The Secretary of the Board of Health shall attend all 
regular and special meetings of the Board and keep accurate 17 
minutes of the same. He shall, upon request of the President or 
three members of the Board, or the Health Officer, call special 
meetings and duly notify the members. He shall have charge of 
the rooms of the Board and be responsible for the same. 
He shall have charge of all accounts, bills, papers, placards, 
pamphlets, rules, blanks, books, registers, etc., belonging to the 
Board. 
He shall keep all registers up to date and have them always 
open to the inspection of the Board, Health Officer and the public. 
He shall, upon request of the Health Officer or President, call 
meetings of the Sanitary Committees, and shall, if requested, 
keep minutes of the same, and shall, upon request of the Health 
Officer, temporarily act in his stead in case of absence or illness of 
that officer. 
Sec. 33. The Bacteriologist shall, upon request of the Health 
Officer, investigate doubtful cases of contagious diseases and report 
to said officer as soon as practicable; a fee of two ($2.00) dollars 
to be paid for each investigation. 
BACTERIOLOGIST. 
Sec. 34. The chemist shall examine all cases referred to him 
by the Health Officer and report as soon as practicable; the fee to 
be fixed for each case. 
CHEMIST. 
SANITARY COMMITTEE. 
Sec. 35. The Sanitary Committee shall, upon notice from the 
President of the Board of Health (who shall be Chairman of said 
Committee), or the Secretary of the Board, meet, investigate and 
report to the Board of Health upon all cases of nuisances commit- 
ted or maintained, which shall be brought before it. 
Sec. 36. Vaccinators appointed by the Board of Health shall 
be under the supervision of the Health Officer, to whom they shall 
report. 
VACCINATIONS. 
Sec. 37. The Plumbing Inspector shall be the Assistant 
Health Officer, who shall have especial care of all books, blanks, 
papers, etc., appertaining to plumbers and sewers. He shall make 
PLUMBING INSPECTOR. 18 
regular monthly reports to the Board of Health of work done. He 
shall keep certain daily hours at the office of the Board of Health, 
and give notice of the same on door of office. He shall especially 
be well posted on the rules for plumbing and sewers, and see that 
no rules are violated. He shall attend all regular meetings of the 
Board of Health, and special ones when requested. 
This is to certify that the foregoing revised rules and regula- 
tions of the Board of Health were passed and adopted March 27, 
1896, D. B. ELSE, Secretary. 
Approved April 4, 1896. 
W. G. ELLIOT, Mayor. 
BARNS AND STABLES. 
Sec. 38. All private barns and stables within this city, except 
those owned by farmers whose land is included in the city charter, 
hut not laid out in lots, shall he constructed according to sanitary 
requirements. All fronts of barns and stables facing streets or 
alleys shall be tightly closed, except doors used for ingress and 
egress. All openings needed for side air ventilation shall he 
placed in the ends or sides of the building facing the lots and not 
in alley or street: Provided, such openings are not within fifty 
feet of any dwelling house. All stables or barns that contain two 
or more animals shall he provided with high ventilating shafts 
through the top of the roof, to obviate the nuisance of fouling the 
surrounding air; and all barns and stables must have solid and 
not hollow floors, in connection with solid walls, where the 
animals stand. All manure must be kept in tight boxes or in cel- 
lars, and not more than two two-liorse loads of it shall be allowed 
to accumulate at one time, and its removal governed by the fol- 
lowing restrictions: 
All citizens having large and commodious barns or stables, 
keeping the manure inside the building to admit of loading it 
there, with closed doors, under effective roof ventilation, can load 
and remove the same at any time: Provided, No nuisance is 
committed thereby to the public, but citizens who do the work 
openly in the street, alley or yard, must do the loading of the 
manure as hereafter specified, viz : from the first day of April to 
the last day of September, between the hours of 11 P. M. and 5 A. M., and from the first day of October to the last day of March, 
between the hours of 10 P. M. and 6 A. M., but no manure shall be 
removed except in a tight vehicle, so protected that the manure in 
process of removal may not be dropped or left in any street, road, 
lane or way of the city. 
19 
Sec. 39. All livery, sale or boarding stables must be high and 
roomy from floor to ceiling, and must be provided with large ven- 
tilating shafts carried above the top of the roof; they must also 
have a thick outer wall, the floorings of the stalls to be constructed 
of material that will not emit sound caused from the pawing and 
stamping of animals ; also be provided with proper sewer connec- 
tions to carry off the waste liquid. The manure must be kept in a 
cellar provided for that purpose, and when removed must be loaded 
inside the building. Proper sewer connections for washing vehicles 
must be provided. 
LIVERY AND BOARDING STABLES. 
Sec. 40. All kitchen slops or garbage prepared for removal 
from the premises, shall be so removed in close carts or covered 
vessels, between the hours of 8 P. M. and 6 A. M. 
GARBAGE. 
PRIVIES AND CESS-POOLS. 
Sec. 41. No person shall remove, or cause or allow to be re- 
moved, the contents of any privy well or sink within the jurisdic- 
tion of the Board of Health, without first being licensed by the 
Board of Health to do so, and obtaining a permit therefor. 
LICENSES. 
Sec. 42. Every person desirous of being licensed to empty or 
remove the contents of privy wells and sinks shall make applica- 
tion in writing to the Health Officer, who, on being satisfied with 
the character of the applicant, and the security and tightness of 
his carts, shall grant him a license to the end of the current year. 
Every person desiring such license shall pay for the same at the 
rate of five dollars per annum; and whenever any such person 
shall desire, under his license, to empty or cleanse any privy well 
or sink, he shall first obtain from the Board of Health a permit to 
do so, at which time he shall furnish to the Secretary the name of 
the owner, agent or occupant of such property as shall so employ 20 
him, to be mentioned in said permit and so recorded in the office, 
which permit shall particularly specify that the privy well or sink 
shall be emptied or cleansed between the hours of 11 o’clock P. 
M. and 4 A. M. from the first day of May until the first day of 
November, and between the hours of 10 o’clock P. M. and 6 o’clock 
A. M. during the other six months of the year, and shall state 
where the contents shall be deposited ; and if any such person 
shall, by himself, his agents or servants, remove, cause or allow, 
or assist in removing the contents of any privy well or sink, 
within said city, without having first obtained such permit, or 
shall do so at any other hour or hours than those specified in such 
permit, or shall deposit the contents of a privy well or sink at any 
place not designated by the Health Officer, he shall for every such 
offense be liable to such penalty as may be imposed under 
Section 48. 
PERMITS. 
Sec. 43. The price of each permit for the removal of night 
soil issued in the months of May, June, July, August and Sep- 
tember, shall be two dollars; permits issued at other times shall 
be without charge. 
Sec. 44. All privy wells dug or sunk in the city of Williams- 
port shall he in depth twenty feet, and shall be walled up with 
brick or stone; provided, that where rocks occur, or water per- 
manently springing or flowing into the well from beneath the 
surface of the ground, or other natural obstacle render it, in th 
judgment of the Health Officer, inexpedient that any well should 
be made of the depth of twenty feet, such well may be sunk to any 
depth less than twenty feet and not less than six feet, at the dis- 
cretion of the Health Officer, who shall consider the circumstances 
of the particular case, and direct such depth as he may deem 
expedient. 
CESS-I’OOLS. 
Sec. 4o. Every person or company selling milk in the city of 
Williamsport, must give liis or their name or names, with the 
name of dairy and where located, with the number of cows kept 
for dairy purposes to the Secretary for (gratuitous) registration, 
and the name of dairy, with the name of the owner or owners, 
MILK DEALERS. 21 
shall be conspicuously printed in large letters on the wagon used 
for milk delivery. 
Sec. 46. There shall be no selling of milk within the limits of 
the city of Williamsport from any dairy feeding glucose refuse, 
brewers’ grain or distillery swill to milk-yielding cows, and every 
milk dealer shall, upon demand by the Board of Health, or the 
Health Officer, furnish a sample of milk and cream for analysis; 
and shall, at all times, upon demand, submit his wagons, cows, 
stables and dairy to inspection by the Board of Health or the 
Health Officer. 
Sec. 47. If any person shall violate any of the provisions of 
these Rules he shall be deemed guilty of committing a nuisance, 
be liable to such penalty as may be imposed under Section 48, 
and if any such person shall, after notice by the Board of Health 
or the Health Officer, as required by law, neglect or refuse to re- 
move or abate such nuisance, the said Board of Health or the 
Health Officer shall at once remove or abate the nuisance com- 
plained of; and the costs and expenses thereof shall be recoverable 
from the owner or owners of the premises from which the nuisance 
shall be removed, or from any person or persons causing or main- 
taining the same, in addition to such penalty as may be imposed 
under Section 48, and in the same manner. 
Sec. 48. Any person or persons violating any of the above 
rules and regulations shall be liable to a fine of not less than five 
dollars nor more than one hundred dollars, recoverable, with costs, 
together with imprisonment not exceeding thirty days, if the 
amount of the judgment and costs shall not be paid, before any 
alderman of the city. 
[All blanks required by the foregoing rules and regulations 
will be furnished on application to the Secretary of the Board of 
Health, free of expense.] 
Adopted August 19, 1890. 
J. K. CRAWFORD, 
Attest : President. 
J. J. Galbraith, Secretary. 
Approved August 25, 1890. 
F. H. KELLER, 
Mayor. I N 1) EX. 
Page, 
Board of Health, 1896 2 
Portion of Act of Assembly dividing the cities of this state in- 
to three classes 3 
Ordinance providing for the appointment of a Board of Health. 7 
Rules and Regulations of the Board of Health— 
Nuisances 9 
Hogs 10 
Slaughtering animals 10 
Oyster houses 10 
Provisions 10 
Epidemics 10 
Small-pox 11 
Reporting diseases 11 
Certificates of death 12 
Births 12 
Mild contagious diseases 12 
Undertaker's ’ 13 
Cemeteries 13 
Deaths 13 
Duties of householders 13 
Placarded houses 14 
Diseases to be placarded 14 
Complaints 14 
General duties of Health Officer 14 
Health Officer 15 
Office of Health Officer 16 
Secretary of Board of Health 16 
Bacteriologist 17 
Chemist 17 
Sanitary Committee 17 
Vaccinations 17 
Plumbing Inspector 17 Page. 
Barns and stables 18 
Livery and boarding stables 19 
Garbage 19 
Privies and cess-pools 19 
Licenses 19 
Permits 20 
Cess-pools 20 
Milk dealers 20