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Public Health Act of 1879

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Public Health Act of 1879
Great Seal of the United States
Other short titlesBureau of Public Health Act, 1879
Long titleAn Act to prevent the introduction of infectious or contagious diseases into the United States, and to establish a National Board of Health.
NicknamesNational Board of Health Act, 1879
Enacted bythe 45th United States Congress
EffectiveMarch 3, 1879
Citations
Public lawPub. L. 45–202
Statutes at Large20 Stat. 484
Legislative history
  • Introduced in the Senate as S. 1784
  • Passed the Senate on February 24, 1879 (45-14)
  • Passed the House on March 3, 1879 (170-63, in lieu of H.R. 6500)
  • Signed into law by President Rutherford B. Hayes on March 3, 1879

Public Health Act of 1879 or National Board of Health Act, 1879 was a United States federal statute authorizing the creation of the National Board of Health. The Act of Congress was an appeal for a national public health organization and national quarantine system for purposes of contagious or infectious diseases discovered in nineteenth century America. The United States public law sanctioned the newly formed National Health Board and Academy of Sciences to provide reports concerning public health information with regards to the Perpetual Union or States for the purposes of;

☆ Isolation or quarantine of contagious diseases or disease outbreaks
☆ Hygiene and sanitation for domiciles or States administrative divisions as related to inland and maritime provinces

Provisions of the Act

The forty-fifth United States Congress authored the public law as four sections sanctioning the needs for conformity concerning public health incidences, uniformity of incident reports, and a national public health organization.

Sec. 1 - Creation of National Board of Health
Consist of seven members
Appointed by the President
Advice and consent of the Senate
Not more than one of whom shall be appointed from any one State
Compensation of civilian members
Ten dollars per diem
Meetings
Meet in Washington within thirty days after the passage of this Act
Meet for special examinations and investigations at any place or places within the United States, or at foreign ports
Meet as deemed best, to aid in the execution of this Act and the promotion of its objectives
Sec. 2 - Duties
Obtain information upon all matters affecting the public health of the States
Advise several departments of the government, executives of several States, and Commissioners of the District of Columbia
Opinion of the board and advice to the preservation and improvement of public health for the States
Sec. 3 - Report
National Board of Health and Academy of Science to report directly to Congress at its next session
Full Report concerning statement of transactions and plan for a national public health organization
Plan shall be prepared after consultation with principal sanitary organizations and sanitarians of States or United States
Plan shall have special attention to the subject of quarantine, both maritime and inland
Plan for State or local systems of quarantine and a national quarantine system
Sec. 4 - Appropriation
Appropriation of fifty thousand dollars for the purposes of this Act
Salaries and expenses for National Board of Health
Appropriation to carry out this Act

United States Quarantine Stations of 1888

Further information: National Quarantine Act of 1878

The 50th United States Congress passed legislation to enhance and improve the quarantine service for nineteenth century America. In 1888, public laws were enacted by the 22nd President of the United States Grover Cleveland which established eight quarantine stations for the United States coast to coast territorial waters.[1][2]

☆ Cape Charles, Virginia ☆ Port Townsend, Washington
☆ Delaware Breakwater ☆ San Diego Harbor, California
☆ Gulf of Mexico, formerly Ship Island ☆ San Francisco, California
☆ Key West, Florida ☆ Sapelo Sound, South Atlantic

See also

Asymptomatic carrier Public Health Reports
Emerging infectious disease Self-supply of water and sanitation
Marine Hospital Service Water supply and sanitation in the United States
Occupational hygiene Waterborne diseases
Passenger Act of 1882 Yellow Fever Commission

Infectious Diseases of 19th Century

Further information: Diseases and epidemics of the 19th century
Cholera Tuberculosis
Scarlet fever Typhoid fever
Smallpox Yellow fever

References

  1. ^ "Ship Island Quarantine Station Act, 1888" [An Act to authorize the removal of the quarantine station from Ship Island, Mississippi.] (PDF). P.L. 50-20 ~ 25 Stat. 43. USLaw.Link. March 5, 1888.
  2. ^ "Quarantine Stations and Service Act, 1888" [An Act to perfect the quarantine service of the United States.] (PDF). P.L. 50-727 ~ 25 Stat. 355. USLaw.Link. August 1, 1888.

Bibliography

Historical Quarantine Stations

Historical Video Archive

"Guardians Of Our Country's Health". Internet Archive. Frith Films. 1950.
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