ficient to induce persons to leave their rooms in apartment houses, where they must be subjected to close confinement for periods varying from five days upward, and where they will prove sources of annoyance to other inmates of such buildings. YELLOW FEVER. In the summer of 1899 the presence of yellow fever near Phoebus, Va., confined chiefly to the Soldiers' Home, rendered it necessary to appoint inspectors to examine passengers on trains coming from that city. While this inspection service afforded a certain amount of protection, such protection was by no means complete in view of the facility with which persons from the city in which the infection existed could travel to neighboring places and purchase railroad tickets to Washington or other points. There appears to be no effective means by which a community can protect itself against infection from outside sources of this character, except by quarantining not only against the point of infection, but also against a very considerable territory around it, a method that must work unnecessary hardship on the traveling public and interfere with commerce. The only alternative is the establishment of a central bureau or department of the National Government with authority in matters of local, as well as interstate and international, quarantine. It is generally recognized, however, that the creation of a bureau or department with such authority will require an amendment to the Federal Constitution, but the interests at stake appear to be sufficiently important to justify even so radical a step to secure the desired end. CONTAGIOUS DISEASES AMONG ANIMALS. Rabies.-The number of cases of rabies among dogs increased from 8 in 1898-99 to 45 in 1899-1900. The progressive increase from October to December, 1899, rendered it necessary for the Commissioners to issue a proclamation requiring all dogs to be muzzled, as required by section 7 of the act of June 19, 1878. As the result of this proclamation and of the increase in the pound service which was provided to make it effective, between December 11, 1899, and June 18, 1900, the date of the expiration of the muzzling proclamation by limitation, 3,598 dogs were impounded, an increase of 2,771 over the corresponding period of last year. The receipts during this period for licenses to keep dogs increased from $210.14 to $2,030.83. During the year 68 cases suspected of having rabies were reported to the health department. In 62 instances the remains of the dogs supposed to be so suffering were taken to the Bureau of Animal Industry, where, through the courtesy of Dr. D. E. Salmon, the chief of that Bureau, examinations were made to determine the correctness of the supposition as to the nature of the ailment. In 41 cases such animals were found to have suffered from rabies. Fifteen persons are known to the health department to have been bitten during the year by animals suffering from that disease. Of these, 10 submitted themselves to the Pasteur treatment. No cases of hydrophobia in the human being developed. Glanders. No cases of glanders have been reported during the past year. Hog cholera.-Hog cholera has occurred from time to time among the animals quartered at the stock yards awaiting slaughter. Tuberculosis. So far as has been revealed by the inspection of cattle connected with dairy farms in this District, there has been no marked diminution in the prevalence of tuberculosis among them. PERMITS TO OBSTRUCT TRAVEL. The number of permits to obstruct travel so as to secure quiet for persons seriously ill has continued to increase. In 1897-98 it was 44; in 1898-99, 61; and in the past year, 75. The average length of time covered by each permit has lengthened, so that in the year covered by this report it had reached 11.4 days. The number of physicians sign ing certificates in order to secure the issue of such permits was, in 1897-98, 40; in 1898-99, 48; and in 1899-1900, 67. The previous recommendation of this department that the issue on account of illness of permits to obstruct travel in the vicinity affected be regulated by law or discontinued is respectfully renewed. TABLE I.-Permits issued to rope off streets and alleys to cause temporary suspension of travel in consequence of serious illness, etc., during eight years ended June 30, 1900. The work of the chemical laboratory has been of the usual character, and has shown, too, the usual increase. The total number of specimens examined in 1898-99 was 707, while during the past year they amounted to 787. The principal articles examined were milk, 413 samples; water, 255; drugs, 42; cream, 39; and butter, 17. Nine specimens submitted by the police department have been analyzed to assist in the detection of crime. Of the public wells investigated by this department, approximately 9 per cent were condemned; of the private wells, excluding those on dairy farms, approximately 40 per cent; and of wells on dairy farms, approximately 50 per cent. tically, therefore, 20 per cent of all wells investigated were condemned. The examination of milk has shown that the greater portion of it received at the depots in this district ranges from 10 to 30 per cent above the legal standard, viz, not less than 12 per cent of milk solids nor less than 3 per cent butter fat. Only rarely does a sample fall even slightly below this standard, unless it has been tampered with. Most of the skimming and watering, of which there has been but lit tle, seems to be the result of local enterprise. Five samples showed the presence of formic aldehyde. Prosecutions were instituted where deemed proper, and in each such case collateral was forfeited or fine imposed. Examination of 11 samples of seidlitz powders, collected at random throughout the city, showed that a majority varied greatly from the standard laid down in the United States Pharmacopoeia, the variation reaching in one case 80 per cent. Samples of Hoffman's anodyne were found to be without ethereal oil. In all cases where the variation was deemed material the facts were referred to the attorney for the District for prosecution. One of the cases came to trial in the police court and resulted in an acquittal. It was, however, carried to the court of appeals, where the judgment of the lower court was reversed because of error in instructions to the jury. The opinion handed down by the court of appeals seems to establish for this jurisdiction the rule that dealers in drugs are conclusively presumed to know their composition. Indirectly the health department was interested in a prosecution instituted by the police department, alleging the sale, by a druggist having no liquor license, of "an intoxicating beverage, to-wit, a certain malt extract, containing 4.19 per cent of alcohol by volume." In this case the defendant was convicted, but on appeal the judgment of the lower court was set aside and the case remanded for a new trial. Both of the opinions referred to are printed at length in the appendix. In connection with the work of the chemical laboratory, examinations were made of the heating and ventilation of certain of the public school buildings. Memoranda relative to the results of such examinations, with suggestions based thereon, will be found in the report of the chemist, which appears in the appendix. INSPECTION SERVICE. Nuisances.-A statement of the number and character of nuisances which have been abated at the instance of this department appears below. The total number is approximately the same as during last year. The general condition of the yards of the city has been somewhat better than heretofore, as shown by a decrease of the number of nuisances connected therewith-from 2,662 to 2,359. There occurred, too, a smaller number of nuisances connected with box privies, the decrease being from 3,559 to 3,300. The number of full privies which required attention diminished from 2,546 to 2,133. Sewer and water connections, including the substitution of water-closets for box privies, have been required in 381 cases. The average number of nuisances abated per month has been approximately 975. As usual the largest number occurs during the months of June, July, and August. TABLE K.—Consolidated report of nuisances for the year ended June 30, 1900. 1899. 1900. Nature of nuisance. Total. July. Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May. June. Food inspection.-A tabular statement of the work of the department relative to the inspection and condemnation of unwholesome food will be found in Table L. The increase in the amount of beef condemned, from 14,624 pounds to 96,262 pounds, in the amount of mutton, from 4,559 pounds to 11,263 pounds, and in the amount of veal, from 1,194 pounds to 2,734 pounds, was due to the burning, in the month of June, of the abattoir at Benning. This fire spoiled a large quantity of meat which was not actually destroyed, and which required formal action by this department to secure its condemnation. The increase in the condemnation of bananas of from 1,362 dozen to 36,885 dozen resulted from the freezing of several carloads of this fruit during the cold spell in January. The condemnation of cantaloupes increased from 15,961 to 141,285, because of the large condemnations of the Colorado fruit. The scarcity of potatoes accounts for the decrease in the quantity condemned, from 2,227 bushels to 390 bushels; the increased condemnations of pineapples, from 30 to 807, and of rhubarb, from 19 bunches to 1,170 bunches, were due to the increased quantities brought to local markets; on the other hand the decrease in the condemnation of radishes from 11,983 bunches to 3,522 bunches, was due to an improvement in the quality of such vegetables. |