JLZLT OZRZDTZNrJX-ZLTCrE 
PrQvjdkTg-'fprMaintenance of the Public Health 
AN ORDINANCE concerning the duties 
of the Board of Health of the City of De- 
troit and providing for the maintenance of the 
Public Health. 
It is hereby ordained by the People of the city of 
Detroit. 
Sec. 1, The Board of Health shall have power, 
and it is hereby made their duty: 
1. To make diligent inquiry with respect to all 
nuisances, of every description, in said city, 
which are, or may be, injurious to the public 
health, and abate the same. 
2. To stop, detain and examine, every person 
coming from a place infected with a pestilential 
or infectious disease, in order to prevent the 
introduction of the same into this city. 
3. To cause any person, not a resident of this 
city, who is infected with any infectious or 
pestilential disease, to be sent back to the place 
from whence he or she came, or to the pest- 
house or hospital. 
4. To cause any person, a resident of this city, 
who is infected with any pestilential or infectious 
disease, to be removed to the pest house or hos- 
pital, if, in their opinion the removal of such per- 
son is necessary for the preservation of the pub- 
lic health, and can be effected with safety to the 
patient. 
5. To destroy or disinfect as in their judgment 
may be deemed proper, any furniture, wearing 
apparel, goods, wares, or merchandise, or articles 
or property of any kind, which shall be exposed 
to, or infected with a contagious or infectious 
disease: Provided, however, that such property 
shall be appraised by two disinterested persons, 
in order that remuneration may be made therefor 
by the Common Council. 
6. To rent proper houses to be used 
for pest-houses and hospitals, of which they 
shall have control and direction, and 
to employ such nurses, officers, agents, servants 
or assistants, and provide the necessary furniture, 
medicines, articles and necessaries for the use of 
the pesthouses or hospitals and the persons 
therein confined as may be deemed necessary, 
and when so authorized by the Common Council. 
7. To require the occupant of any dwelling- 
house, store, shop or other building in which 
there shall be any person sick with small-pox, va- 
rioloid or other infectious disease, to put up and 
maintain in a conspicuous place on the front of 
said dwelling-house, store, shop or other building, 
a card or sign, to be furnished by the board, on 
which shall be written or printed, in large letters, 
the words "Small-Pox," or name of such infec- 
tious disease; and in case of the neglect or refu- 
sal of any person to comply with such require- 
ment, to remove the patient to the pesthouse or 
hospital. 
8. To make and enforce any necessary or- 
der compelling any steamboat, or other vessel or 
craft, having on board any infected or diseased 
person or property, not to enter the harbor or re- 
move therefrom; 
9. To exercise a general supervision over the 
health of the city, and to make, from time to 
time, such recommendations to the Common 
Council as they deem proper, to promote the 
cleanliness and salubrity of the city. 
10. The said Board shall annually and often- 
er, if they deem it necessary, divide the city into 
health districts. 
11. The said Board shall provide and keep 
on hand a supply of cards marked "Small-Pox, ' 
to be put upon any house in which there is a per 
son sick of that disease or the varioloid; and such 
cards, upon application, shall be furnished with- 
out charge. 
12. Whenever, in their judgment, it shall be 
necessary for the public health the said board 
may at once take possession of any building, fac- 
tory, hotel, dwelling-house, out-house, premises 
or grounds upon which, in their judgment, there 
exists any nuisance prejudicial to the public 
health; and if the owner or occupant shall refuse 
or neglect to forthwith abate such nuisance in 
the manner directed by said board, said board 
may cause the same to be abated forthwith in 
such manner as they deem proper, and all ex- 
penses incurred shall be a legal claim against the 
owner and a lien upon the premises, to be col- 
lected in the same manner as other special assess- 
ments. The said board may also, when they deem 
it requisite for the public health, at once, and by 
force, if necessary, close up such houses, build- 
ings, hotels and premises, and exclude all oc- 
cupants therefrom until such nuisance shall be 
fully abated, and the air of such building or 
premises is thoroughly purified. Any person who 
shall resist the action of the Board, or their 
agents under this subdivision, shall be liable to 
penalties hereinafter provided. 
Sec. 2. Every physician, or person, acting as 
such, who shall have a patient sick of the small- 
pox, varioloid, or other infectious or pestilential 
disease shall forthwith report the fact in writing 
to the said board, together with the name ana 
the street and number of the house where such 
patient is treated; and every keeper, super- 
intendent or person in charge of any 
pest-house within the corporate limits of 
the city of Detroit, or any other pest-house under 
the control of the authorities of said city, to 
which any person, being a city charge, may be 
brought sick with infectious or contagious disease, 
shall at once on the arrival of every such person, 
give notice thereof in writing to the said board: 
Provided, that if the person thus brought to such 
pest-house is a county charge, the notice herein 
required shall be given also to the County Physi- 
cian. 
Sec. 3. It shall be the duty of the occupants of 
any dwelling-house or other building in which 
there shall be small-pox, varioloid or any infec- 
tious disease to put up and maintain in a conspic- 
uous place on the front of such building a card, 
or sign, to be furnished by the Board of Health, 
on which shall be written or printed the words 
" small-pox " or any infectious disease, and such 
sign or card shall be kept on such building during 
all the time any person so diseased shall remain 
therein, and until permission is obtained in writ- 
ing from tne Board of Health to remove the 
same. No person shall take down, remove, in- 
jure or deface such card or sign at any time 
during the time in which the same is required to 
be kept up and maintained. 
Sec. 4. AH persons having small-pox, varioloid, 
or other contagious or infectious disease, are 
hereby required to be kept closely confined with- 
in their respective dwellings, or places of abode, 
and no person who has been confined with such 
disease, shall leave his or her place of abode, and 
go about the city until, in the opinion of the 
Board of Health, it can be done without danger of 
communicating the disease to others. 
Sec. 5. No person having the small-pox, vario- 
loid, or other contagious disease, shall go about 
the city, or in any yard, commons, or place so as 
to endanger the health of other persons. 
Sec. 6. No person shall bring, or cause to be 
brought, into the city of Detroit, any person in- 
fected with the small-pox, varioloid, or other 
infectious or pestilential disease. 
Sec. 7. No owner, driver or person in charge 
of any public hack, carriage or conveyance, shall 
use, or permit the same to be used, for the pur- 
pose of conveying the body of any person who 
has died of the small-pox or varioloid, or other 
infectious disease, or any person from any house, 
building or place, in which any person is sick, or 
has within two weeks died of either of said dis- 
eases. 
Sec. 8. Every physician having a small-pox or 
varioloid patient, immediately after each and 
every visit to the same, shall not visit any other 
patient, except those affected with the small-pox 
or varioloid, until he has changed his clothing 
and otherwise disinfected himself; and every un- 
dertaker having in charge the body of any person 
who has died of either of said diseases, immedi- 
ately after the interment there of; and any person 
nursing or taking care of any person sick with 
either of said diseases, before going upon the 
streets, shall change his clothes and otherwise 
disinfect himself. 
Sec. 9. The said Board shall keep a 
complete record of all its proceedings, 
operations and expenditures in books for 
that purpose provided which shall at 
all times be open to inspection by any Committee 
of the Common Council. All debts contracted by 
said Board shall be paid by the city in the same 
manner that other demands against the city are 
paid. 
Sec. 10. Said Board shall keep,subject to the in- 
spection above provided, a full and complete 
record of the deaths of all persons dying in the J 
city, including the dates and causes of death, 
places of burial, places of birth, ages of the de- 
ceased and names of attending physicians and 
undertakers and also a record of the causes, in- 
cidents and circumstances of all contagious, epi- 
demics or infectious diseases originating in said 
city. 
Sec. 11. The said board, at the end of each 
month, shall report to the Common Council in 
detail the amount and cause of all their expen- ditures during the month, the number and causes 
of death of all persons dying during the month, 
the places of burial, nuisances looked after and 
matters investigated. 
Sec. 12. The keeper of any hotel, tavern, board- 
ing, or other public house, or the owner or oc- 
cupant of any private house or residence in 
which any person may be sick with small pox, 
varioloid or other infectious disease, or 
the physician, or person acting as such, 
who shall have a patient afflicted with 
any such infectious disease, shall forthwith report 
the same to the Board of Health, and to the Su- 
perintendent of Police; and the keeper or keepers 
of said hotel, tavern, boarding or public house, or 
the owner or occupant of said private residence 
as aforesaid, shall thereupon immediately pro- 
cure, put up and maintain in a conspicuous place 
on the front of said premises a card or sign with 
the words "small-pox" printed thereon in large 
letters, which card shall not be removed, injured 
or defaced by any person, and shall remain posted 
on the premises during all the time any person 
afflicted with any infectious disease shall remain 
therein, and until the taking down of such card is 
advised by the physician attending such deceased 
person. 
Sec. 13. It shall be the duty of the keeper of 
any hotel, tavern, boarding or public house, or 
the owner or occupant of any private residence 
wherein any person may be sick with small-pox 
or other infectious disease to close said public 
house or private residence, and keep it closed as 
against all lodgers, customers and persons desir- 
ing to visit the same, and to prevent the occu- 
pants of said public house or private residence 
from leaving said premises until such time as in 
the opinion of the Board of Health all danger of 
communicating the disease from said house or 
residence or from any of the inmates thereof shall 
have passed.. Provided, That the provisions of 
this section shall not apply to physicians or clergy- 
men in attendance upon such sick person or per- 
sons, nor to policemen on duty in and about 
the premises. 
Sec. 14. Immediately after the termination of a 
case of small pox, varioloid or other infectious 
disease, by the convalescence or death of the per- 
son or persons afflicted, it shall be the duty of the 
attending physician, or in case no regular physi- 
cian has been in attendance, then of the City 
Physician of the district, to examine the bedding, 
clothing and wearing apparel of the convalescent 
or deceased person, as the case may be, and shall 
order all such articles to be disinfected by wash- 
ing, or the use of such disinfectants as may be 
necessary, and to order the destruction by fire of 
such articles as in his opinion cannot be disin- 
fected. 
Sec. 15. It shall be the duty of the physician 
in attendance on any person or persons sick 
with any contagious ' or infectious disease, to 
give all necessary instructions regarding the 
thorough ventilation and cleansing of the 
public house or private residence, wherein such 
person shall be sick. And it shall be the duty of 
the keeper of such public house or the owner or 
occupant of such private residence, to follow the 
instructions of the physician in attendance as 
aforesaid, under the penalty hereinafter pro- 
vided. 
Sec. 16. In case of the death of any person 
from small-pox or varioloid, the body of such 
deceased person shall not be taken to or inside of 
any church, public building or other public place 
nor to any private residence or building other 
than that upon the premises where said death 
occurred; but said body shall be privately con- 
veyed to any proper cemetery between the hours 
of seven o'clock in the evening and seven o'clock 
of the following morning, and therein buried with- 
out any public demonstration or public funeral 
service whatsoever, unless otherwise ordered by 
the Board of Health. 
Sec. 17. The meat inspector and members of 
the police of said city shall co-operate with said 
Board in all matters pertaining to the abatement 
of nuisances and the preservation of the public 
health, and upon the requisition of said Board, 
the Superintendent of Police shall cause the 
notices of said Board to be served and complaints 
to be made for violations of the health ordinances 
of said city. 
Sec. 18. The said Board and its health officer 
shall have authority to discharge all the duties 
relating to the health and sanitary condition of 
said city, now or heretofore discharged under any 
existing ordinance by any other officer of said 
city. 
Sec. 19. The salary of the health officer of said 
city shall be in a sum not exceeding $3,000, per 
annum, and as the board of health may from 
time to time agree upon and recommend to the 
common council. 
Sec. 20. Chapters eighty-two and eighty-three 
of the revised ordinances of 1878 and all other 
ordinances and parts of ordinances inconsistent 
with the provisions of this ordinance are hereby 
repealed. 
Sec. 21. Violation of, or failure to comply with 
the provisions of this ordinance, or failure or 
neglect to comply with any of the requirements 
of the Board of Health, shall, on complaint to the 
Recorder's Court, be punished by a fine not to ex- 
ceed five hundred dollars and costs, and in the 
imposition of any such fine and costs, the Court 
may make a further sentence, that the offender 
be imprisoned in the County Jail, or Detroit 
House of Correction, until such fine and costs be 
paid: Provided, however, that the term of such 
imprisonment shall not exceed the period of six 
months. 
Sec. 22. This ordinance shall take immediate 
effect. 
Approved August 16,1881. 
W. G. THOMPSON, Mayor. 
Attest: Louis Dillmann, City Clerk.