the important powers and duties conferred upon and assigned to them as protectors of public health. Second. The enactment of a law making it the duty of certain officers of every township in the Commonwealth to associate themselves together as a board of health of such township, and determining the powers and assigning the duties of such boards. Third. The passage of a supplement to the act of Assembly of June 3, 1885, creating a State Board of Health, making it the duty of all clerks of orphans' courts to report to the Central Bureau of Vital Statistics at Harrisburg, at such times as the State Board of Health shall determine, the marriages for which they shall have issued licenses, with such facts in regard to the contracting parties as the State Board of Health may call for; also, making it the duty of all Prothonotaries to report to said Bureau, at such times as the State Board of Health shall determine, the names of practitioners of medicine and surgery, with such facts in regard to them as the State Board of Health may call for, and also making it the duty of the commissioners of such county to recompense said officers for the performance of such duties in the same manner and in the same amount as is done for the performance of similar acts of record and registration, and Fourth. The passage of a supplement to the act of Assembly of June 3, 1885, creating a State Board of Health, making the violation of, or failure to obey, an order or regulation of the Board a misdemeanor, and also making the cost and expense of abating and removing a nuisance a lien upon the property. Both of these provisions are contained in the law authorizing the creation of boards of health in cities, and the failure to place them in our act has been the cause of serious inconvenience to us in effectively discharging the duties assigned to us. The Secretary had the honor to represent the Board as ex-officio delegate at the annual conference of State Boards of Health at Toronto, October 4-8, and was ably seconded by Drs. Germer and Engelman, who were also present in a representative capacity. Twenty-three States, and all the provinces of Canada, except Manitoba, were represented. As the name of this organization, implies, it has for its object consultation and comparison of views on practical questions connected with health work, between those specially intrusted with such work in the various States. As a full report of the questions presented and discussions had thereon will be ready for distribution at an early day, I shall only give the conclusions arrived at upon some points which are likely to prove specially interesting to the Board. The State Board of Health of Michigan submitted the question of the transportation of dead bodies in the following resolutions: "Resolved, That the bodies of persons dead from the following named diseases should not be transported outside the jurisdiction of the health authorities in which the deaths occur: Diphtheria, scarlet fever, small-pox, cholera, yellow fever and typhus fever. 66 Resolved, That persons sick with diphtheria, scarlet fever, smallpox, cholera, yellow fever, typhus fever, measles or whooping congh, should not be transported outside the jurisdiction of the health authorities in which the sickness occurs. "Resolved, That bodies of persons dead from diseases other than those mentioned in resolution No. 1, should not be transported, except by the permission of the health officer of the locality in which the deaths occur; and in case of communicable diseases, other than those named in resolution No. 1, notice should be given to, and whenever practicable, permission should be received from, the health officer of the locality to which it is desired to take the body. "Resolved, That a permit for the removal of a body, dead from the above-named diseases, should be given only on assurance of its having been properly embalmed, or suitably prepared by being surrounded with disinfectants, or incased in a hermetically sealed case." No formal action was taken on the resolutions, as most of the State Boards and leading lines of transportation had already taken advanced action in this direction, but after full discussion by some of the representatives who had had large experience in dealing with the subject, I have embodied what seems the safest and most practicable views in the rules of this Board: QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION. The State Board of Health of Missouri submitted this question: "How shall county boards of health be organized, managed and directed in order to secure the State Board, if such exist, the most efficient help and coöperation in general sanitary work; the reporting and proper registration of vital and mortuary statistics, and the enforcement of laws regulating medical practice in States where such enactments exist?" The discussion was opened by Dr. Hewitt, of Minnesota, who detailed his experience in developing from a small beginning the excellent health service now existing in almost every township in that State. He did not believe it practicable to embrace more territory under the jurisdiction of a local board of health or health officer than a township, and he had found that lay members of the local boards took quite as active and intelligent interest in the work as did the medical members. The monthly bulletin issued by his board had served an excellent purpose in diffusing knowledge and in stimulating to better work. The State Board of Health of Missouri also submitted the following: "Upon what basis or common agreement, may boards meet that are empowered to administer and enforce acts to regulate medical practice and, indirectly, education in the several States? "Is it feasible and wise for them to unite in a uniform policy toward medical colleges, and in the establishment of a common standard of recognition of such schools, in regard to length and number of courses of study required for graduation, preliminary requirements, percentage of graduates to matriculates and other details of collegiate medical instruction?" The discussion was opened by Dr. Rauch, of Illinois, who gave a brief resumé of the largely successful pioneer work that had been done in that State in the suppression of empiricism, and in elevating the standard and improving the methods of medical education. The firm and fearless enforcement of a well-drawn law had done more in this direction than all the learned addresses and high sounding resotions of medical societies had done or could do. Nor had the influence on medical schools been confined to those located in Illinois. As a diploma of a college is not recognized as evidence of qualification to practice medicine in that State, unless the course of study and requirements for graduation in such college come up to the standard fixed by the State Board, it has materially affected and bettered the system of medical education throughout the entire country. The advantage of coöperation between the various States would be quite as great in this as in other branches of our work. SUBMITTED BY KENTUCKY. The State Board of Health of Kentucky submitted, among other questions, the following: "What have been the actual and practical results secured, outside of large cities and towns, in preventing the spread of scarlet fever, measles, diphtheria and typhoid fever? and how is the coöperation of the medical profession and general public best secured in such work?" Dr. Baker, of Michigan, opened the discussion. He thought no informed person could doubt the good results in his State in preventing and restricting the diseases named. He gave the statistics, extending over a series of years, as convincing evidence on this point. Among the influences used to secure the coöperation of the profession and public had been the sanitary conventions, weekly bulletins, preventive disease circulars, and reasonable compensation for efficient work by local health officers. The State Board of Health of Michigan proposed the following resolution last year, with the request that it lie over for the careful consideration of members until this meeting: "Resolved, That it now seems probable that progress can be made in the restriction of that disease, which in this country causes more deaths than any other disease, namely, consumption, by declaring to the people that care thould be taken to destroy or disinfect the sputa from persons suffering from pulmonary consumption." After careful consideration, the resolution received the unanimous. indorsement of the conference. You will probably remember that a resolution was offered last year by the State Board of Health of Wisconsin, urging the disinfection of the stools of typhoid fever patients as a means of the preventing the spread of that disease. No action was taken on this, for the reason, as was stated, that the importance of such disinfection was already sufficiently understood and practiced. I mention this conclusion because I do not believe it to be true as to this State. RESTRICTING THE SPREAD OF DISEASE. As chairman of the committee on the subject, Dr. Bryce, of Ontario, made an interesting report on "Inter-State Notification and Coöperation in Preventing the Spread of Infectious Diseases." After fully understanding the import of each point, the following series of resotions were adopted as an agreement between the boards represented: "Whereas It is necessary for the protection and preservation of the public health, that prompt information should be given of the existence of cholera, yellow fever and small-pox; be it "Resolved, That it is the sense of the National Conference of the State Boards of Health, that it is the duty of each State, provincial and local board of health in any locality in which said disease may at any time occur, to furnish immediately information of the existence of such disease to boards of health of neighboring states and provinces, and to the local boards in such States as have no State board. "Resolved, That upon rumor or report of the existence of pestilential disease, and positive definite information thereon not being obtainable from the proper health authorities, this conference recommends that the health officials of one State shall be privileged and justified to go into another State for the purpose of investigating and establishing the truth or falsity of such reports. "Resolved, That whenever practicable, the investigations made. under the preceding section, shall be done with the coöperation of the State or local health authorities. "Resolved, That any case which presents symptoms seriously suspicious of one of the aforesaid diseases, shall be treated as suspicious, and reported as provided for in cases announced as actual. "Resolved, That any case respecting which reputable and experiienced physicians disagree as to whether the disease is or is not pestilential, shall be reported as suspicious. Resolved, That any case respecting which efforts are made to con- Resolved, That in accordance with the foregoing resolutions, the At the conclusion of the most interesting and profitable session the The number of written communications received by the Secretary The number of written communications sent by the Secretary during The number of volumes purchased for the library of the board during The number of volumes presented to the board during the year has The number of pamphlets presented to the board during the year Stationery received by the Board for the Year ending the first Monday of June, A. D. 1887. 1 ream Carew legal cap paper, red lined, 12 pounds. 1 ream Carew cap, broad ruled, 16 pounds. 2 reams Carew, letter ruled, 12 pounds. 2 reams Carew note, commercial ruled, 8 pounds. dozen boxes Cramer's finest note paper and envelopes, 2 quires and 2 packs envelopes to box. 5quires cyclostyle paper, $1 00 per quire. 2 reams envelope paper, 20x25, 40 lbs. 1 ream manilla wrapping paper, 24x36, 40 lbs. 1 ream manilla wrapping paper, 24x36, 70 lbs. dozen sheets Reynolds' bristol board, 3 sheet demy. 1 dozen sheets blotting board, best quality, white. 1 dozen sheets blotting board, best quality, blue. 1 dozen sheets blotting board, best quality, pink. 2 Muckle's envelope openers. dozen Mark Twain scrap books, 10x12, thick. 4 dozen paste-board document boxes, 4x44x10, with handles, $4 50 per dozen. 1 cyclostyle ink roller, $1 50. 4 bottles cyclostyle ink, 60 cents per bottle, black. 2 spring rubber stamps, words to order. |