Vermont first decided to establish the State Board of Health on this day in 1886.It was comprised of a whopping three men with an executive secretary and a respectable doctor.

The Board’s mission was to “provide for the public safety of both men and animals in the state.” If everything appeared to be going well, that is, if all men and animals seemed healthy, the board only had to meet once every two years.They were to meet biennally on the second Tuesday of the Legislative session.

Each man was paid $5 for every day he worked, plus expenses incurred. The entire budget of the Board could not exceed $1500 per year.

Historic image courtesy Vermont Historical Society