1897 private laws – Ch.163 Sec.28

That the said board of health shall have general eharge and supervision of the public health of said city ; shalk make such sanitary investigations and institute such inquiries as in its judgment may be necessary to ascertain the condition of the general health of the inhabitants of the said city ; shall investigate the causes of all the diseases dangerous to the public health, whether epidemic or otherwise; shall ascertain as far as possible the causes of mortality, the effects of location, employments, vocations and conditions upon public health 3 shall make inspection of the sanitary condition of all public buildings of the said city, including school buildings, both public and private, at least bwice a year, at intervals of not oversix months, and oftener if in the judgment of the said board of health it shall be necessary : Provided, that the said board shall make a careful-inspection of the sanitary condition of the city and county prisons at least once in each and every month. The said board of health shall report to the said board of aldermen of said city the result of all investigations made by it at least once every three months, and oftener if it shall be deemed necessary. Said reports shall be accompanied with suggestions and recommendations to the proper authorities as may seem advisable. Said board of health shall have general supervision and control of all matters of sanitation affecting the health of said city, including the healthfulness of the water supply, milk and other dairy supplies, and all other articles of food and drink ; drugs’and all druggists supplies ; the drainage of all lots and buildings and houses of every kind and description, whether used for residence or business purposes. Said board of health shall have authority, and power is hereby expressly given it, to declare nuisances of every character whatsoever, and to abate the same so far as in its judgment may be necessary for the convenience of the public health ; shall enforce the making of accurate reports and the keeping of full and complete records of all infectious and contagious diseases, whether epidemic or of other character, and of births and deaths, and permits of burial. Said board of health shall have authority, and is here expressly empowered, to prescribe, regulateand determine the plumbing, ventilation and drainage of all buildings, public and private, and the connection of said sewers with outside sewers ; shall prepare and prescribe a system of connections,and submit the same,to a joint board to be composed of the board of aldermen and the boardof health of said city, and upon theadoption of said system by said joint board, each individual member having one vote, there shall be appointed by the said joint board an expert sanitary inspector who shall examine all plumbing and connections, and see that the law governing the same shall be fully complied with; and any person refusing to comply with sueh law after five days notice so to do shall upon conviction, be fined five dollars for each day he so. refuses to comply, each day to constitute a separate offence; and said board of health may cause anything to be done which the owner of said premises has so failed to do, and the expenses thereof shall constitute a lien on said premises from the time of performing such work, paramount to all other liens except taxes and assessments, and be collected in the same manner as the liens for eonstructing side-walks in said city. Said expert inspector, when so ordered by the board of health, shall have authority, and power is hereby given him, to condemn, close up and prevent the occupation of and summarily eject all persons from apy and all buildings or rooms therein which are not properly and sufficiently ventilated,and which are liable to be unhealthy on account of the dampness or exclusion of the light, or which from any cause whatsoever, are made unsuitable for habitation or dangerous to the health of the occupants thereof.