Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 29.djvu/666

 _ 636 FIFTY-FOURTH CONGRESS. Sess. II. Ch. 383. 1897. presence in such case of the specific bacteria of such disease shall be A1>1>1i<>¤¤·>¤¤f¤¤¤· conclusive evidence that such case is or was such disease. The provisions of this Act shall applyto every ship, vessel, steamer, boat, or craft lying or being in the rivers, harbors, or other waters within the jurisdiction of said District, and to every tent, van, hovel, barn, outhouse, Person in chnrge ¤f cabin, or other place in said District. The term “ person in charge of “"“°‘ a case of contagious disease " shall be held to mean, iirst, the head of the family in which such case belongs; second, in his absence or disability or in case he be the person sick, the nearest relative or relatives of such case present on the premises where such case is, and being in attendance on him; third, in the absence of such relatives everyone in attendance on such person; iburth, in the absence of anyone so in attendance, everyone in charge of the premises where such person is. g>¤i’¤g·j_;f ¤¤»¤¤¤i¤s Sec. 2. That every physician attending on or called in to visit, or P y' examining any case of contagious disease in the District of Columbia, shall immediately cause such case to be properly isolated, and at once send to the health officer of said District a certificate signed by him, which said certihcate shall state the name of the disease and the name, age, sex, and color of the person suifering therefrom, and shall set forth by street and number, or otherwise sufficiently designate the house, room, or other place in which said person may be located, together with _ such other reasonable information relating thereto as may be required §§,°§‘:,,°§;, M phy., by said health officer: Provided, That attending, visiting, or examin- ¤i¤¤‘¤ k¤¤w1¤¤s·>· ing any person suiferin g from a contagious disease shall be prima facie evidence that any physician so doing was aware that such person was S*¤¤¤=•ii¤¤••¤¤ suffering from such disease: And provided further, That any case of sickness, the symtgtoms of which so resemble the symptoms of any contagious disease at such case can not be immediately distinguished hom such disease, shall be properly isolated by the person in charge thereof until the nature of such sickness is positively determined, or until the case has completely recovered or died; and if such case recovers or dies without the true nature of the disease having been ascertained, it shall be the duty of the person in charge of such ease to adopt such measures of isolation and disinfection as are required _ by this Act in cases of contagious diseases. m,‘j`¤;,::_°:}°d;?_f,·:jf‘ SEO. 3. That any physician attending on or visiting any case of contagious disease in said District shall send to said health officer a certificate signed by him, certifying to the recovery or death of such case, within twenty-four hours after he becomes aware of such recovery or death. No person suiiering from any contagious disease shall be certilied as having recovered therefrom until he is entirely free from danger , of communicating such disease to others. halxnwrégégsztggf Sec. 4. That whenever any person in said District is suiiering from an g any contagious disease, or suspected of being sutlering from such disease, and no physician is in attendance on or called in to visit, or examines such person, it shall be the duty of the person in charge of such case to properly isolate the same and to send to said health officer certificates relative thereto, in the same manner as is required by this Act of physicians attending on or called in to visit, or examining like cases. 'fr·:¤l;¤¤;g¤¤Sd*•¤¤¤° Sec. 5. That whenever it comes to the knowledge of said health K gnofficer, either by the certificate hereinbefore provided for or otherwise, that any person in said District is sutlering from any contagious disease, said health officer shall cause one or more suitable placards or warning signs to be placed at once in a conspicuous position or positions upon, at, or near the front entrance or entrances to the premises in which such person is, so that the same can be distinctly seen by passers-by; said placards or signs shall contain, printed thereon in large letters. the name of the disease from which said person is suderin g, and, in small letters, a statement of the law in reference to entrance to and exit from such house, and in reference to interfering with such placard or warning sign; if such premises be a hospital, asylum, hotel, or apartment house said placards or warning signs may, in the discretion of said