bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
WHAT SHOULD BE THE BASIS OF THE CONTROL OF DEHYDRATED FOODS?
Authors: Prescott Samuel C.
Published: November 2008

Since the War gave impetus to the preparation of dried or dehydrated fruits and vegetables, proper standards for inspection become necessary. Such standards are set forth by Professor Prescott. Dehydrated vegetables supply the same roughage values, the same fuel values and the same salts that fresh ones furnish, and their use is to be encouraged.
INFANT MORTALITY IN THE REGISTRATION AREA FOR BIRTHS
Authors: Davis William H.
Published: November 2008

“A high infant mortality rate today is a greater disgrace than a high typhoid rate,” writes Dr. Davis. It reflects on clergy, physicians, nurses, school teachers and editors alike, and gives a low rating for the intelligence of the people. Breast feeding is the first line of attack. Mothers should be taught how to care for their children.
RELATIVE FUNCTIONS OF STATE AND LOCAL HEALTH DEPARTMENTS
Authors: McCombs Carl E.
Published: November 2008

City health work antedates that of the state by about fifty years. The municipality is the powerful agency for local improvement through intensive cultivation of community interest. The state should care for legislation, health surveys, demonstrations and research, and should supplement local appropriations, but municipalities should control their own health administration.
AN INFERENTIAL INDEX OF SWIMMING POOL PURITY
Authors: Fair Gordon M.
Published: November 2008

Score cards for swimming pools is the suggestion of this paper. Figures about these establishments are today in the class with crude statistics, and may lead to unreliable conclusions. Here are suggested various indexes which may be of service in framing minimum requirements for these pools. This article is an effort to clear up a complicated matter for which there are not now accepted standards.
RESUME OF METHODS FOR CONTROL OF MALARIA: INDICATIONS; RESULTS; COSTS
Authors: Carter H. R.
Published: November 2008

Eighty to ninety-nine per cent reduction in physicians' calls to malaria patients has been the result of malaria control work in the South. The author notes that there is no set rule for all localities. Cost is a factor not to be ignored. Quinine is sometimes necessary, but usually mosquito control is adopted.
NUMBER OF BACTERIA ON THE LIPS OF MILK BOTTLES AND THEIR SIGNIFICANCE
Authors: Dearstyne Roy S. , Ewing C. LeRoy
Published: November 2008

This communication proves to be a good argument in favor of the outside paper cap that covers the whole top of the bottle and is held on by a ring, although no mention is made of it. Possibilities for contamination of milk bottle lips under current methods of handling are set forth quantitatively as a help to the education of the public.
COMPENSATION OF HEALTH OFFICERS
Authors: Ferrell John A.
Published: November 2008

Hope for the health officer in point of salary is what Dr. Ferrell holds forth. Compensation, although inadequate, is steadily increasing, and there is demand for competent men. Salaries must depend on the good faith of a public that is learning the value of efficient professional service. Health officers' associations carry weight in forming public opinion.
INFLUENZA-PNEUMONIA AS INFLUENCED BY DISHWASHING IN 370 PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS
Authors: Cumming James G.
Published: November 2008

This author places greatest emphasis on blocking the major avenue of saliva-borne disease distribution, which he says can be done effectively by the use of boiling water in dishwashing. He figures that the influenza-pneumonia mortality in institutions using boiling water was only half that of similar institutions with handwashed dishes.
COORDINATION OF PUBLIC AND PRIVATE AGENCIES IN A STATE PROGRAM OF PUBLIC HEALTH NURSING
Authors: Marriner Jessie L.
Published: November 2008

Alabama has a State Program for Public Health Nursing. This service, stimulated by the war, has developed enormously everywhere. Most movements in this country are by independent agencies. Coördination is the urgent need. Miss Marriner outlines what Alabama is doing towards standardization and co-öperation.
A PROGRAM FOR ORGANIZING AND COORDINATING INDUSTRIAL CLINICS
Authors: Newman Bernard J.
Published: November 2008

To win success the industrial clinic must be neutral ground with domination exercised by neither the employer nor the employees. It is an industrial necessity where both parties must pull together. Further, it must be standardized. Towards this the clinic itself, as a clinic and research center, can aid. The author outlines plans of organization.
STATE AND MUNICIPAL MEAT INSPECTION
Authors: Roberts John
Published: November 2008

Another report of importance to health officers. It tells plainly where deficiencies lie in existing systems of meat inspection. With inspection there is much condemnation of meat so that the potential risk of consuming diseased meat is vastly greater in absence of inspection. Health officers realize the dangers and will welcome proper legislation.
CITY HEALTH BULLETINS: THEIR USE AND MISUSE, THE NECESSITY FOR ADDITIONAL MAILING PRIVILEGES
Authors: Colton Max J.
Published: November 2008

Pound rate postage for city health bulletins is the plea of this author, a city health officer. Bulletins can take up public health education in most valuable ways, notably venereal disease and patent medicine discussion, which newspapers can hardly touch. Pound rates would demand change in postal laws by Act of Congress.
SCHOOL HEALTH SERVICE IN NEW YORK STATE
Authors: Howe William A.
Published: November 2008

That normal wisdom is the result of normal health, physical and mental, is the basic principle of the program of health education in the schools of New York State as here outlined. The aim of course is the formation and development by children of automatic good-health habits, as well as the stimulation of normal play. The program provides for giving school credit for health improvement as well as for mental progress. Emphasis is laid upon the need of adequately trained teachers of physical education; the education of the community to assume its own responsibility for efficient administration; and the stimulation of executives and legislators to grant necessary appropriations.
WHO SHALL NURSE THE SICK?
Authors: Robertson John Dill
Published: November 2008

Commissioner Robertson asserts that with two months' schooling intelligent women can become capable nurses. He brings out an important by-product to the work in public health education of the women who study. They prove to be a force in caring for their own families as well as others. The Chicago Training School has graduated four thousand pupils.
MUNICIPAL ADMINISTRATION OF HEALTH AND WELFARE DEPARTMENTS
Authors: Clark G. Hardy
Published: November 2008

This author suggests separate departments of public service, safety and welfare. Fire, police and health would be divisions of public safety. Public welfare should include social welfare, public schools, public library and recreation. Social welfare should dispense all relief funds, and teach mental orderliness in homes with highest grade of trained nurses for teachers.
THE WASSERMANN TEST IN THE PUBLIC HEALTH LABORATORY
Authors: Kahn R. L.
Published: November 2008

The responsibility for correct Wassermann tests on the part of the public health laboratory can not be over-emphasized. Dr. Kahn discusses the underlying factors governing correct tests, naming five requirements to this end.
SOME ASPECTS OF POLLUTION AS AFFECTING OYSTER PROPAGATION
Authors: Nelson Thurlow C.
Published: November 2008

If present conditions continue, the greater part of the eastern United States will be cradled in a septic tank, according to this author. The oyster, through its approaching extinction is an index of this increasing contamination. Protection is needed for the populations of the seaboard, and the welfare of those who seek the beaches for health and recreation.
REVIEW OF OUR KNOWLEDGE OF BACTERIUM TULARENSE
Authors: Chapin C. W.
Published: November 2008

Bacterium tularense is associated with diseases of animals in which the lesions are indistinguishable from those of the plague. In man, deer-fly fever is resultant from Bacterium tularense. The organism bears no resemblance to the plague bacillus. Bacterium tularense will grow on egg-yolk medium only.
Vitamins and Certain Aspects of Their Relation to Public Health
Authors: Drummond J. C.
Published: November 2008

This authority warns against the commercial exploitation of vitamins. If people would recognize the real situation and eat more fresh vegetables, fruits, eggs and milk, they need not under ordinary circumstances purchase expensive and possibly inefficient proprietary articles, nor worry about vitamins. Natural sources for these products abound on every hand.
HEALTH TEACHING AND THE SCHOOL HEALTH PROGRAM
Authors: Turner C. E.
Published: November 2008

Health teaching in schools where the interest of the pupils was directed towards their own health conditions resulted in large health gains to them. Control classes lacking this incentive gained much less. The author suggests uniform health programs in schools as a part of the government machinery.
PRACTICAL LABORATORY DIAGNOSIS OF TYPHOID FEVER
Authors: Straus Aubrey H.
Published: November 2008

Laboratory methods for the diagnosis of typhoid fever have not heretofore been considered as possessing the same degree of reliability as the methods used for certain other diseases. It is believed by the author that by proper standardization and coördination of the several recognized tests, the laboratory diagnosis of this disease can now be placed on a thoroughly satisfactory basis.
INFLUENCE OF PEPTONE ON INDOL FORMATION BY BACILLUS COLI
Authors: Tilley F. W.
Published: November 2008

“Of the making of peptone in varieties there is no end,” might be the summing up of this paper. The author shows that the different kinds may give negative, weak or strong reactions for indol with a typical strain of B. coli. He suggests testing every lot of peptone, but the principle is evident, that this important product needs standardization.
SOCIAL ASPECTS OF SCHOOL HYGIENE
Authors: Armstrong Donald B.
Published: November 2008

Doctor Armstrong uses New York City as an example in his thoughtful paper. What he says of school hygiene there will be found to apply with equal, if not greater, force elsewhere. There is always the danger that in the pressure of routine duties the larger objects are apt to be lost sight of. Doctor Armstrong's excellent analysis should make us pause and take stock of the broader views of the whole question of School Hygiene.
STANDARDS OF MECHANICAL FILTRATION PLANT PERFORMANCE
Authors: Wolman Abel
Published: November 2008

The standards suggested in this paper are the result of a study of the operation of filtration plants in Maryland upon which the writer was detailed under the general direction of Mr. R. B. Morse, Chief Engineer, Maryland State Department of Health. Acknowledgment is given here both to him and the writer's brother, Dr. Leo Wolman, for helpful criticism of the various statistical problems involved in the discussion.
THE RURAL SEWAGE PROBLEM
Authors: Williams Ennion G.
Published: November 2008

Dr. Williams emphasizes the importance of discussing rural sewage or a rural problem and remembering that it is not to be dealt with successfully unless it is distinguished from the city problem.
THE CONTROL OF SCARLET FEVER
Authors: Chesley A. J.
Published: November 2008

Doctor Chesley has worked out with great care and detail a system which works very well in Minnesota. His paper explains that system and tells exactly how it was applied in one epidemic.
TESTS OF A NEW PROCESS OF SEWAGE PURIFICATION WITH GREASE RECOVERY AND APPARENT PROFIT
Authors: Weston Robert Spurr
Published: November 2008

The title of this paper well describes the scope of an important contribution to our rapidly advancing knowledge of sewage disposal.
WHAT THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST VENEREAL DISEASE DEMANDS OF HOSPITALS AND DISPENSARIES
Authors: Davis Michael M.
Published: November 2008

Doctor Davis presents here the relation between the dispensary clinic and hospital to our so-called medical-social problems. He does away with the conception that these clinics are “charities” and describes the work as a necessary public health service.
THE SEWAGE PROBLEM IN SMALL TOWNS
Authors: Hansen Paul
Published: November 2008

The small town, large enough to need a system of sewerage but small enough so that the expense per individual installation is greater than in large cities, presents one of the acute problems of sanitary engineering. Mr. Hansen discusses some of the means employed to dispose of the wastes of small communities.
DISINFECTION AS A FACTOR IN THE CONTROL OF COMMUNICABLE DISEASES
Authors: Knause B. F.
Published: November 2008

Dr. B. F. Knause of the New York City Health Department here discusses the various types of disinfection as tested out in New York City, and compares terminal cleansing and terminal fumigation.
Measuring response to a cancer information telephone facility: Can-Dial.
Authors: Wilkinson G S , Mirand E A , Graham S
Published: November 2008

In an attempt to meet the need for increasing public knowledge about cancer, a system providing free information by telephone has been developed. The system is comprised of 36 pre-recorded taped lectures containing information about various aspects of cancer. Interested individuals call a toll-free number, indicate a topic of interest, and listen to the pre-recorded lecture over the phone. An operator handles incoming calls and obtains information from callers used in evaluating the program. During the first year of operation, over 30,000 calls were processed. Topics most frequently requested included those concerning smoking, breast and cervical cancer, and general information. Female response exceeded male response in all age categories. Older people responded less frequently than younger. Urban utilization greatly exceeded suburban and rural utilization. Considerable fluctuation in response related to promotional activities was found. Printed advertisements elicited far greater response than radio and television. Promotional efforts in an experimental group of low-utilizing townships greatly increased utilization while no change was observed in a control group.
The genetic associate: a new health professional.
Authors: Marks J H , Richter M L
Published: November 2008

Sarah Lawrence College has pioneered a masters program to train Genetic Associates. The Genetic Associate is a new category of allied health professional in clinical genetics. Trained to offer coordinative and supportive care to the patient with potential or actual genetic disease, Genetic Associates are potential providers of unmet health needs in the developing field of human genetics. There are 56 graduates of this program employed in 12 states and one foreign country. This paper describes the curriculum, the students, and a preliminary evaluation of Genetic Associates' performance as members of the health care team.
Skin cancer, melanoma, and sunlight.
Authors: Fears T R , Scotto J , Schneiderman M A
Published: November 2008

Recent theoretical studies suggest that the earth's ozone layer which filters ultraviolet radiation may be depleted by a fleet of supersonic transports or by continued use of chlorofluoromethanes. It is now generally accepted that short wavelength ultraviolet radiation leads to the development of skin cancer. In this report we demonstrate an approach to estimating the increase in skin cancer incidence associated with increases in skin cancer incidence associated with increases in ultraviolet radiation. The purpose is to demonstrate the logic used and the assumptions that must be made when such estiamtes are made or cited. We emphasize that such estimates should be considered crude until the many assumptions can be investigated.
Categories of attempted suicide: a longitudinal study.
Authors: Hankoff L D
Published: November 2008

A series of 151 index suicide attempts was categorized on the basis of situation and motivation: (a) 56 per cent occurred in a state of heightened emotionality due to a relatively limited stress;(b) 9 per cent were characterized by a life crisis which seriously challenged the patient' emotional homeostasis; and (c) 35 per cent attempted suicide in relation to the symptomatology of a pre-existing serious psychiatric disorder. At the time of first contact, usually in the general hospital emergency room, 69 per cent were sent home, the remainder being admitted for medical care (18 per cent) or transferred to a psychiatric hospital (13 per cent). In follow-up ambulatory care, successful referral correlated with the intensity of staff efforts during the early post-attempt contacts. The findings suggest that a brief hospitalization, perhaps two to three days, might be regularly utilized as a bridgehead for further ambulatory care, particularly for stress category patients with a high appointment failure rate. In a two-year follow-up, 16 of the 151 index cases re-attempted and two committed suicide. At the time of the index attempt, 24 (16 per cent) were in ongoing treatment. Among these 24 patients were many substance abusers and prior attempters as well as the two committed suicides of the follow-up period. Ongoing treatment should be weighed as a high risk factor suggesting particular caution in arranging the disposition for such patients.
Estimates of motor vehicle seat belt effectiveness and use: implications for occupant crash protection.
Authors: Robertson L S
Published: November 2008

Estimates of the effectiveness of seat belts, when used, in reducing motor vehicle occupant deaths vary widely. A recently publicized claim by one analyst that seat belts reduce vehicle occupant deaths 70-80 per cent is based on studies found to contain fundamental systematic error. Deaths occur only 50 per cent less often to belted compared to nonbelted vehicle occupants in crashes, according to previously unanalyzed data from three U.S. states during recent years. New belt systems would be about 60 per cent effective with 100 per cent use. But surveys of observed belt use in 1975 U.S. cars indicate that two-thirds of drivers were not using belts. Prospects for widespread adoption and enforcement of belt use laws in the U.S. are not encouraging. Substantial reductions in fatal and other injuries would result from the adoption of requirements mandating automatic (passive) protection for front seat occupants in crashes with forward decelerations.
Prevention of childhood household injuries: a controlled clinical trial.
Authors: Dershewitz R A , Williamson J W
Published: November 2008

Injuries claim the lives of more children each year than the next six leading pediatric disorders combined, and produce injuries that require medical attention for one in three children. In the preschool age group, 91 per cent of these accidents and over one-half the resultant fatalities occur in the home. This paper reports the results of a controlled clinical trial conducted to evaluate the implementation of a health education program intended to reduce the risk of childhood household injuries. The study population was randomly assigned into two demographically comparable groups. Only the experimental group mothers received an educational intervention consisting of a tutorial, home safety-proofing assignments, and follow-up. The homes of the two groups were later assessed for hazards during an unannounced visit by an interviewer who did not know to which group each home belonged. A home safety score mean for the two groups was almost identical. The program stimulated heightened interest and stated intent to improve, but did not result in actual reduction of household hazards. Active health education, as used and evaluated in this study, appears to have limited effectiveness when applied to home safety. Approaches such as "passive" measures may offer greater potential for household injury reduction.
Contraceptive method continuation according to type of provider.
Authors: Einhorn R F , Sear A M , Perez E , Cabrera E
Published: November 2008

A study was undertaken at the main PROFAMILIA clinic in Bogota, Colombia to compare the effectiveness of nurses and physicians in the delivery of family planning services. Contraceptive method continuation was the major outcome variable in this analysis. Clients were randomly assigned to physicians or nurses on their first visit and for the duration of care. On all revisits, data were collected pertaining to method prescribed, side effects, pregnancy, and method changes. There was a field survey at eight months to locate clinic drop-outs and determine their contraceptive use status. There were no significant differences in method continuation between clients who received services from physicians and those who received services from nurses. At nine months, the overall continuation of the first method prescribed was 79.1 per cent in the physicians' group and 75.8 per cent in the nurses' group (t = 1.057, p greater than .20). When controlling for first method used, the IUD users in the physicians' group had a continuation rate of 86.1 per cent and in the nurses' group 84.0 per cent (t = 0.556, p greater than .50). Of the pill users who received services from physicians, 78.1 per cent were continuing at nine months and 74.3 per cent of the pill clients in the nurses' group were continuing at nine months (t = 0.573, p greater than .50). There were no differences in pregnancy rates, side effects rates, and method change rates between the two groups. It may be concluded that these nurses were as effective as physicians in the delivery of family planning services.
Motivational interventions in community hypertension screening.
Authors: Stahl S M , Lawrie T , Neill P , Kelley C
Published: November 2008

To evaluate different techniques intended to motivate community residents to have their blood pressures taken, five inner-city target areas with comparable, predominantly Black, populations were selected. A sample of about 200 households in each of four areas were subjected to different motivational interventions; in one of these four areas, households were approached in a series of four sequential steps. The fifth target area served as a control. Findings establish that home visits by community members trained to take blood pressure measurements (BPMs) in the home produces much larger yields of new (previously unknown) hypertensives than more passive techniques such as invitational letters and gift offers. Prior informational letters, including letters specifying time of visit, do not affect refusals or increase the yield. More "passive" motivational techniques yield a higher proportion of previously known hypertensives than the more "active" outreach efforts.
Studies of ambulance patients with ischemic heart disease. 1. The outcome of pre-hospital life-threatening arrhythmias in patients receiving electrocardiographic telemetry and therapeutic interventions.
Authors: Pozen M W , Fried D D , Smith S , Lindsay L V , Voigt G C
Published: November 2008

Patient delay in seeking medical assistance for acute ischemic heart disease and the incidence of potentially life-threatening arrhythmias en route to the hospital were examined in a 22-month community trial of ambulance telemetry. Of 7,654 patients transported, 179 who had electrocardiograms (ECGS) transmitted were found to have had acute MIs or acute myocardial ischemic events. Fifty per cent of these patients summoned an ambulance within 30 minutes and 72 per cent within two hours after the onset of acute symptoms. Fifty-eight patients had potentially life-threatening arrhythmias. Interventions with drugs and/or defibrillation was required in 22 patients with or without cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR); intervention with CPR alone was required in six patients. Twelve of these 28 patients survived through hospital admission and six were alive at three months. The relatively low outcome/input ratio of this experience necessitates re-evaluation of the epidemiological characteristics and patient selection criteria in populations considered for telemetry.
Ohio drinking water source and cancer rates.
Authors: Kuzma R J , Kuzma C M , Buncher C R
Published: November 2008

The 88 counties of Ohio were classified as either ground water or surface water counties based on the source of the drinking water used by a majority of the county residents included in the 1963 U.S. Public Health Service Inventory of Municipal Water Facilities. Average cancer mortality rates for surface and ground water counties were compared using analysis of covariance. Mortality rates for stomach, bladder, and all malignant neoplasms were higher for white males in counties served by surface water supplies than in counties served by ground water supplies. Mortality rates for stomach neoplasms were higher for white females in surface water counties. These differences in mortality rates were not attributable to other factors known to be associated with cancer death rates including urbanization, median income, population size, manufacturing activity, and agriculture-forestry-fishery activity.
The 4 score: an index for predicting a patient's non-medical hospital days.
Authors: Glass R I , Mulvihill M N , Smith H , Peto R , Bucheister D , Stoll B J
Published: November 2008

Three hundred sixty-three patients representing two groups of consecutive medical admissions to a large city hospital were evaluated on admission to determine what factors might predict "non-medical" or social stay. Periodic follow-up determined when patients were ready for discharge and when their social stay began. A composite index, the 4-Score, was derived as a simple indicator of risk for subsequent social stay; it is defined as the number of positive answers to the questions: 1) Is the patient 80 years old or more? 2) Will the patient have to live somewhere new at discharge? 3) Is there any disorientation? AND 4) If so, is the disorientation chronic? Eighteen per cent of the total inpatient hospital days of this group of patients could be attributed to social stay. The 56 patients with a 4-Score of two or more on admission had on average a week each of social stay while the 307 patients with a score of less than two averaged only one social day each.
Ambulance utilization by patients with acute myocardial infarction.
Authors: Pozen M W , Berezin M M , Modne L , Riggen R , Hood W B
Published: November 2008

Fifty-five per cent (73/133) of myocardial infarction (MI) patients on Cape Cod during a three-month period reached the hospital by ambulance. the 45 per cent (60/133) not using ambulances were compared to users to identify a subpopulation to which public health programs might be directed to increase appropriate use of cardiac ambulances. Univariate analyses showed a distnce of more than ten miles from the hospital, and a prior history of MI distinguished ambulance users from non-users. Demographic/economic status, delay in seeking care, presenting symptoms, Killip class, and in-hospital mortality rates were not signigicantly different. Step-wise discriminant analysis identified four predictive variables in rank order: distance from the hospital, past history of MI, symptoms of fainting, and negative history for hypertension which correctly classified 72 per cent of our population with respect to ambulance utilization.
Field survey of enteric viruses in solid waste landfill leachates.
Authors: Sobsey M D
Published: November 2008

Because municipal solid waste may contain fecal material from a variety of sources, there is concern that the leachate discharged from some solid waste landfills may contain enteric pathogens, including enteric viruses. In this study, 22 leachate samples from 21 different landfills in the United States and Canada were examined for enteric viruses. The sites represented a broad range of conditions for solid waste landfills and the leachate samples ranged from 10.3 to 18 liters in volume. Enteric viruses were found in only one of the 22 leachate samples examined. Two viruses, identified as poliovirus types 1 and 3, were found in an 11.8 liter sample obtained from a site where solid waste landfill practice was deficient. The low levels of enteric viruses detected in field samples of raw leachate and the opportunities for further reductions in the virus concentration of leachates by such processes as thermal inactivation, removal by soil and dilution in ground and surface waters, suggest that leachates from properly operated solid waste landfills do not constitute an environmental or public health hazard due to enteric viruses.
A comparison of the intradermal and subcutaneous routes of influenza vaccination with A/New Jersey/76 (swine flu) and A/Victoria/75: report of a study and review of the literature.
Authors: Halperin W , Weiss W I , Altman R , Diamond M A , Black K J , Iaci A W , Black H C , Goldfield M
Published: November 2008

A trail of influenza vaccination, with use of bivalent split virus vaccine (A/New Jersey/76 and A/Victoria/75), was conducted to compare the immunogenicity and reactions when vaccine was given by the subcutaneous and intradermal routes. Volunteers 18 to 24 years old were randomized into equal groups, one group receiving 0.1 ml of vaccine intradermally and the other receiving 0.5 ml subcutaneously. For the A/Victoria vaccine, the immunogenicity of the intradermal route seemed superior; for A/New Jersey vaccine, the routes were equivalent. Adverse reactions were minimal and equivalent for both groups. In times of vaccine shortage, the intradermal route is considered to stretch vaccine supplies. Field trials of new influenza vaccines should include evaluation of the immunogenicity of and adverse reactions caused by the same vaccine given by different routes in varied dosages.
A dosage response curve for the one rad range: adult risks from diagnostic radiation.
Authors: Bross I D , Ball M , Falen S
Published: November 2008

Most exposure to low-level ionizing radiation, both diagnostic x-rays and nuclear radiation, occur in the range between 100 milirads and 10 rads--the "one rad range". In the past, the estimates of hazards in this range have been obtained by linear extrapolation from data on persons who were exposed to much higher dosages, generally in the centirad range used in radiotherapy of non-malignant disease. This article presents the first dosage response curve for the one rad range ever to be developed directly from data on men exposed to ordinary diagnostic radiation. The findings are based on approximately 220 men with non-lymphatic leukemia and more than 270 random-sample controls from the Tri-State Survey. The new findings suggest that the estimates previously obtained by extrapolation from high dosage levels to low dose levels underestimate the actual hazards by an order of magnitude. The new dosage response curves indicate that linear extrapolation fails because it disregards the subgroups in the general population that are particularly vulnerable to x-ray. There are immediate implications concerning the use of medical x-rays in screening or for routine purposes. The past risk-benefit calculations are based on extrapolative estimates and require drastic revision. Uses of x-ray which were previously marginal are now clearly counterindicated.
Statistical models of the demand for emergency medical services in an urban area.
Authors: Kvålseth T O , Deems J M
Published: November 2008

First- and second-order statistical regression models are presented for the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) demand in an urban area as it relates to various socioeconomic, demographic, and other characteristics of the area. Individual models are formulated for different types of medical emergencies with the city of Atlanta, GA, serving as the data base. These models are generally shown to provide excellent fits to the empirical data.
Determinants of genocide fear in a rural Texas community: a research note.
Authors: Farrell W C , Dawkins M P
Published: November 2008

Data were collected via a questionnaire administered to females 15-44 years of age and their most significant male partner from a 7% stratified random sample in Waller County, Texas. Analysis revealed that five independent variables combined explained 19% of the variance in race genocide fear (R2 = .19; p less than .01). The most important predictors of genocide fear were sex (Beta = .33; p less than .001) and education (Beta = .14; p less than .01).
The effects of prenatal care upon the health of the newborn.
Authors: Gortmaker S L
Published: November 2008

Data upon all births and infant deaths in New York City in 1968 are analyzed using methods for the analysis of multidimensional contingency tables. These methods provide estimates of the effect of variations in prenatal care upon the relative risks of low birth weight and neonatal and postneonatal mortality, controlling for a wide variety of factors which tend to "select" women into a program of prenatal care. Significant relationships between lack of prenatal care and infant mortality are estimated, but these occur mainly via the relationship of inadequate prenatal care to low birth weight. Furthermore, among white mothers who delivered on a private service, those receiving inadequate levels of prenatal care experienced only slightly increased risks of a low birth weight infant. In contrast, white mothers who delivered on a general service, and all black mothers, experienced substantially increased risks when receiving inadequate prenatal care. A variety of behavioral characteristics of mothers were not controlled in these analyses, and thus clear causal inferences concerning the efficacy of prenatal care cannot be drawn. These analyses do, however, identify a significant population of women at substantial risk.
A multivariate analysis of interstate variation in fertility of teenage girls.
Authors: Brann E A
Published: November 2008

A multiple regression model was used to determine the correlates of state-to-state variation in fertility of teenage girls. The independent variables were the abortion-t0-live birth ratio, contraception/conception ratio, racial composition, adult personal income, per cent urban population, and adult educational attainment. The model explained 69 per cent of the interstate variation in 1974 fertility. Both the racial composition and the abortion ratio were significantly (p less than .01) correlated with fertility. With 1970--1974 change in fertility as the dependent variable, the model explained 80 per cent of the variation, with income as the most strongly correlated variable. The contraception/conception ratio was also significant (p less than .01), as was racial composition (p less than .05). Factor analysis of the independent variables showed that the six variables were well accounted for by three factors representing culture/education status, abortion availability, and contraception availability. The analysis showed that utilization of both contraception and abortion was important in determining the fertility of a state's teenagers. Increased availability of publicly subsidized contraception in low income areas and increased availability of abortion in low income and rural areas might be expected to result in decreased fertility of teenage girls.
Dental x-ray use in Boston.
Authors: Stolurow K A , Moeller D W
Published: November 2008

A telephone survey of 40 dental offices in Boston, Massachusetts, revealed that 95 per cent perform x-ray procedures as part of the initial examination of a new patient, that almost one-half (47.5 per cent) routinely include a full-mouth x-ray series in the initial examination, and that 85 per cent include some type of radiographic procedure as part of the periodic visits for cleaning and checkups. These percentages are substantially in excess of those reported by other investigators in which the respondents were aware that their policies with respect to the use of x-rays were being evaluated.
Home birth in Salt Lake County, Utah.
Authors: Cameron J , Chase E S , O'Neal S
Published: November 2008

In Salt Lake County, Utah in 1972 and 1975, 167 women had planned home deliveries. Birth certificate data indicated they did not differ from the total population in age, marital, and socioeconomic status. Eighty-four women were interviewed and reported hostility from health professionals which may have placed them at unnecessary risk.
The epidemiology of sudden infant death in upstate New York: II: birth characteristics.
Authors: Standfast S J , Jereb S , Janerich D T
Published: November 2008

This study describes the epidemiology of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) among infants born during 1974 to upstate New York residents. Birth certificate characteristics for 184 SIDS cases are compared with those of 417 infants dying from other causes in the same age range, 7-365 days. The results confirm the following as infant risk factors: fall or winter birth, low birthweight for gestational age, twin birth, and live birth order three or more. Maternal risk factors include: age under 20, abnormal uterine bleeding during pregnancy, late initiation of prenatal care, less than 12 years of education and single marital status. The increased risk for mothers who first gave birth in their teens and for second-born twins has not been previously reported. The evidence that SIDS babies are small for gestational age, that twins, especially the second born, and babies whose mothers experienced abnormal uterine bleeding during pregnancy are all at increased risk of SIDS suggests that perinatal stress leading to hypoxia is one of the components that determine the risk of SIDS.
Life events, mental health functioning and the use of health care services by the elderly.
Authors: Blazer D
Published: November 2008

The association of life events and mental health impairment was studied in a community-based population of the elderly (n = 986). A crude estimate of the relative risk for mental health impairment given life events larger than or equal to 150 (as measured by the Schedule of Recent Events) was 2.14. A relative risk of 1.73 (p < .01) was estimated when a binary regression procedure was used, controlling for physical health, economic status, social support, and age. Increased life events were associated with health seeking behavior, even when physical and mental health functioning were controlled. The associations between increased life events and both mental health functioning and health seeking behavior were small, suggesting that life events, as measured by the Schedule of Recent Events may not be important risk factors for elderly living in the community.
Automated follow-up facilities in Canada for monitoring delayed health effects.
Authors: Smith M E , Newcombe H B
Published: November 2008

Increased public awareness of the possible presence of carcinogens and other potentially harmful agents in the workplace and in other areas of the environment has created a demand for studies to determine the extent of the risks associated with exposure to such agents. These studies require large numbers of individuals in various "control" populations to be followed-up over long periods of time. Such large-scale follow-up can be greatly facilitated where information on all deaths and on cases of serious morbidity is accumulated centrally, for a whole country, in a form that permits rapid searching by computer and in which individuals are well enough identified to minimize the possibility of mistaken identity. The Canadian Mortality Data Base and the National Cancer Incidence Reporting System are two such centralized follow-up facilities which have been developed in Canada. We describe here the manner in which these files are used, the problems encountered, and their solutions.
Epidemiological studies of chronic disease: maladjustment of observed mortality rates.
Authors: Hickey R J , Clelland R C , Clelland A B
Published: November 2008

Age adjustment of observed mortality and morbidity rates is not a substitute for age-specific analysis. Measures of association between potential causal factors and adjusted mortality rates are functions of the particular adjustment procedure and the choice of reference population. We exhibit here the wide variation in simple correlation statistics that occurs with eight adjustment methods and three reference populations. We then generalize these results to the multivariate situation showing an example in which there is coherent structure for the associations between predictors and mortality. This is contrasted with another example in which no such meaningful pattern exists. Studies are cited that could have been improved by greater attention to the underlying structure of age-adjusted rates. Age adjustment of total observed rates yields meaningless numbers that are useful for comparative purposes only. Total observed rates have substantive meaning but provide useful etiological clues primarily when supported by analyses of appropriate age-specific data.
Mutagenic activity in drinking water.
Authors: Gruener N , Lockwood M P
Published: November 2008

Drinking water samples concentrated by freeze drying were found to be mutagenic in a mammalian tissue culture assay using Chinese hamster embryonic lung cells (V79). The mutagenicity could be enhanced by the promoter 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate. The water itself was also shown to contain promoting chemicals. The mutation frequency of cells pretreated with low levels of benzo(a)pyrene was increased following subsequent exposure to the concentrated water sample. Approaches to estimate the risk involved in exposure to present drinking water are proposed.
Changing trends in hypertension detection and control: the Chicago experience.
Authors: Berkson D M , Brown M C , Stanton H , Masterson J , Shireman L , Ausbrook D K , Mikes D , Whipple I T , Muriel H H
Published: November 2008

Of 177,692 persons screened in 1977 as part of an ongoing City-Wide Hypertension Screening Program in Chicago, 14,988 (8.4%) had diastolic blood pressure (BP) greater than or equal to 95 mm Hg as compared to 13.2% of a similar population in 1976. Only 7% (3,910) of the hypertensive population (diastolic BP greater than or equal to 95 mm Hg or presently on antipressor drugs) had previously undetected hypertension in contrast to 11.9% (4,184) the year before and 48.7% in the same community in 1972. Conversely, 73.2% (40,738) had adequately controlled blood pressure as contrasted to 59.3% (20,897) the previous year and 20.6% in 1972. Of the remaining hypertensives, 7.5% (4,201) were known but not treated and 12.3% (6,824) were under treatment but not controlled in contrast to 12.1% (4,251) and 16.8% (5,905) respectively the year before. This upward trend in controlled hypertension was present in all strata of the population.
Respiratory disease mortality in New Mexico's American Indians and Hispanics.
Authors: Samet J M , Key C R , Kutvirt D M , Wiggins C L
Published: November 2008

To determine the effect of ethnic group on respiratory disease occurrence, average annual sex, ethnic, and disease specific mortality rates for the period of 1969 to 1977 were calculated for New Mexico's American Indian, Hispanic, and Anglo populations. Incidence data were available for respiratory tract cancer. This study corroborates previous findings of reduced mortality from lung cancer in American Indians of both sexes and in Hispanic males. American Indian mortality from tuberculosis and from influenza and pneumonia was high. Hispanic males and American Indians of both sexes showed low mortality rates for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Differing cigarette usage is the most obvious explanation for the variations in COPD and lung cancer occurrence with ethnic group.
Community norms of alcohol usage and blood pressure: Tecumseh, Michigan.
Authors: Harburg E , Ozgoren F , Hawthorne V M , Schork M A
Published: November 2008

This research examines the relationship between alcohol usage and blood pressure in the adult population of a small community in Michigan. Findings suggest that blood pressure varies with alcohol usage linearly for men with a slight dip at 1-2 drinks per week, and curvilinearly for women with a low point at about 4 drinks per week. A method to measure public norms of alcohol intake and categories of drinking habits is presented. This technique may be useful in constructing drinking categories applicable in a community for both education and therapy.
Health problems among Indochinese refugees.
Authors: Erickson R V , Hoang G N
Published: November 2008

The results of medical evaluations of 194 recent indochinese refugees are reported. In addition to confirming findings of other studies of these refugees, we found a significant prevalence of abnormalities, i.e., hematological (37 per cent), dermatological (26 per cent), psychiatric (10 per cent of adults), and thyroid (5 per cent). Guidelines and recommendations of physicians providing medical care for indochinese refugees are presented.
Patient attitudes following participation in a health outcome survey.
Authors: Funch D P , Marshall J R
Published: November 2008

A study was conducted to assess attitudes of women with breast cancer following their participation in a health outcome interview survey. The majority of the sample indicated that the interview was easier than expected and one reported being inconvenienced by the interview; 94 percent indicated they were glad to have participated and 58 percent felt they have received some personal benefit. There was no evidence of distress resulting from participation.
The impact of the accident at the Three Mile Island on the behavior and well-being of nuclear workers: Part II: job tension, psychophysiological symptoms, and indices of distress.
Authors: Kasl S V , Chisholm R F , Eskenazi B
Published: November 2008

TMI workers experienced much greater job tension and lower occupational self-esteem (supervisors only). At the time of the accident, TMI workers reported experiencing more periods of anger, extreme worry and extreme upset, and more psychophysiological symptoms. Six months after the accident, some persistence of these feelings and symptoms was evident. Demoralization was greater primarily among TMI non-supervisory workers. The impact of the accident was not greater among TMI workers living closer to the plant. Presence of a preschool child at home enhanced the impact of the accident, but primarily among TMI supervisors.
Determinants of foster care placement for the maltreated child.
Authors: Runyan D K , Gould C L , Trost D C , Loda F A
Published: November 2008

This study examined the records of the North Carolina Central Registry of Child Abuse and Neglect to determine which social, family, and child characteristics were most influential in the decision to place a child in foster care. These records contained all theoretically relevant factors as well as demographic data. Analysis included the computation of odds ratios for foster care for each of 250 variables. A maximum likelihood logistic regression model was constructed to obtain the independent and cumulative contribution of each factor. Some expected variables such as parental stress factors (substance abuse) and types of abuse (burns and scalds) placed a child at a significant risk for placement in foster care (p less than 0.01). However, less obvious factors such as referral source (law enforcement agencies) or geographic area also placed children at risk. Overall, the model explained little of the variance of these decisions (R2 = 0.168) and poorly predicted placement (sensitivity 66.3 per cent, specificity 74.6 per cent). Using existing data, we were unable to adequately describe the decision process in selecting foster care.
Community awareness of emergency phone numbers.
Authors: Eisenberg M , Hallstrom A , Becker L
Published: November 2008

Knowledge of numbers to call for medical emergencies was compared among communities with three different call numbers: 1) 911; 2) regional seven-digit numbers; and 3) local seven-digit numbers. Correct responses were 85 per cent in the 911 communities; 47 per cent in areas with regional systems, and 36 per cent in areas with local systems. Persons living adjacent to a 911 area were more likely to believe 911 was the emergency number (28 per cent) than persons not adjacent to 911 areas (12 per cent).