AN ACT 
Relating to Boards of Health in the several Cities of the Commonwealth. 
Be it enacted, etc., as follows: — 
Section 1. It shall be the duty of the mayor and aldermen in each of the cities of 
the Commonwealth, which have not already voted to accept chapter one hundred and thirty- 
three* of the acts of the year eighteen hundred and seventy-seven, to notify and warn the 
legal voters of said cities to vote upon the acceptance of said act at the then next meeting 
in said cities respectively, for the election of city officers; provided the mayor and aldermen 
have been requested in writing so to do, thirty days prior to the time of holding said 
meeting, by fifty voters residing therein. 
Sect. 2. In case of a severe epidemic or of danger to the public health, the mayor and 
aldermen of any city in the Commonwealth, where there is no board of health, may appoint 
such a board in accordance with the provisions of chapter one hundred and thirty-three of 
the acts of the year eighteen hundred and seventy-seven; provided, they have been requested 
to do so by one hundred voters in said city. 
Sect. 3. This act shall take effect upon its passage. 
Approved March 13, 1879. 
* Authorizing the appointment of boards of health in the cities of the Commonwealth. State House, Boston, March, 1879. 
Dear Sir : — 
The State Board of Health desire to respectfully call your 
attention to the enclosed Act, with regard to Boards of Health, hoping that you 
will have the kindness to call attention to its very important provisions, so far as 
you may be able to do so. The Board cannot better express their own views of 
the great value to every community of an efficient local health department, than 
by quoting as follows from the inaugural address of the Mayor of Somerville: — 
“As I took occasion a year ago to express the opinion that the city had made a mistake in 
voting to accept the health act passed by the General Court in 1877, I desire now to say that the 
experience of the past year has led me to an entirely different opinion from the one then expressed. 
The Board of Health has been in successful operation since its organization in the early part of the 
year; and, beside relieving the City Council of a large amount of work, I am satisfied it has 
accomplished more in the way of abating a large number of nuisances than it would have been 
possible to accomplish under the old law. It has also commenced a systematic examination of the 
house-drainage throughout the city, and to enforce wholesome rules and regulations in all cases 
of contagious diseases. Without attempting to assign the cause, it is a matter of congratulation 
that during the last three years the death-rate among us has been gradually diminishing. The 
following is the number of deaths in our city since its organization : — 
Rate per 1000. 
1872 400 . 24.30 
1873 425 . 21.70 
1874 490 . 22.96 
1875 501 . 22.86 
1876 444 . 20.18 
1877 441 . 19.15 
1878 385 . 16.21 
“As the population of the city is larger than at any previous time, it is only reasonable to 
conclude from the above figures that the great work done in previous years in abating nuisances 
that had long been the cause of an unenvied notoriety to our city, and the greater care exercised 
during the past year, have been among the causes that have contributed to this happy result. 
Somerville now ranks, if not the first, among the first, of the cities of the Commonwealth, in point 
of healthfulness. The rate is lower than the lowest given in the report of the State Board of 
Health for 1877.” 
In behalf of the State Board of Health, 
Very respectfully yours, 
CHAS. F. FOLSOM, M.D., Secretary.