The Topeka state journal., 1905-06-28
State Board of Health on Trail
of Disease Germs.
Laboratory Has BeenEstabIished
at State House.
SEND I'm SPECIMENS.
Mailing Boxes Have Been Pro
Yided by Board.
Examinations Are to Be Made
Free.

Beginning with July 1, the state
laboratory for the free examination of
diphtheria and consumption sputum,
viii be opened in Topeka, and at the
meeting of the state board of health
held on Tuesday afternoon, rules for
the governance of this new department
were adopted. Every doctor in the
state viii be interested in the rules.
They are as follows:
i. Free examinations of sputum for
tuberculosis and specimens from sus-
pected cases of diphtheria shall be
made for all physicians Of the state,
excepting those physicians practicing
in cities of the first class. who must
send specimens through their county
health officers; provided that if the
county health officer is located at an
1nconvenient distance from such city,
the municipal health officer of said city
may be designated instead.
2. All specimens must be sent in
boxes and mailing cases provided by
the state board Of health.
8. Examinations of water Shall be
made only upon request of the county
health officer.
4. Repositories for supplies shall
be established in each county of the
state.
5. Examinations Of specimens for
the purpose of life insurance viii not
os received.
1t is expected that this free state
laboratory viii be of great assistance
TO the doctors of the state in diagnOs-
ing diDhtheria and consumption. Up
10 the present time doctors who have
had suspected cases have tried to get
along without an expert bacteriOlOgl
cal examination, or have been obliged
to pay fee to have such an
exa rlinatiOn made The last seS-
e-F- LOT 4,.T
$500 as a salary for a bacteriologist,
and several hundred dollars more as
a contingent fund. The next legiSla-
ture viii probably be asked to provide
funds for the opening of state bac-
THEOLOGICAL and chemical laboratory.
DR.. Sarah z. Greenfield of Topeka is
the bacteriolOgist now employed by the
state board of health. She said:
The state provides little glass tube,
q sWab and a wooden box in which to
send the specimen taken from the
patient to Topeka. Some of these mail
ing boxes viii be placed in each county
OF the state. The doctor takes a sam
pie of the sputum on the sWab puts
the sWab into the glass tube, and closes
the mouth of the tube. When the sam
pie is received in Topeka, the suspected
disease germs are put into what is
termed culture media, and if any
germs are present they are given Op-
portunity to multiply. After this, the
microscOpicaI examination is made"
Dr. Greenfield read a paper before the
state board meeting Tuesday in which
she gave some of the history of the
work of the bacteriOlOgicaI department
and the present plans. She said:
The position Of bacteriOlogist for the
state board of health has been a very
feeble, modest and unassuming position
ever since its inception. This has been
true not because of g. lack of ability in
those who have held the position, but
because of the fact that up to the pres
enL time. no appropriation has been
made for the work. The present ap-
prOpriatiOn is q step in advance, and
while the work can not be developed to
its fullest extent with the resources at
hand. We can at least make a good
start"
DR.. Greenfield then spoke of the bac-
THEOLOGICAL and chemical work for the
board by DR.. Reid Alexander DR.. L,
NJ Powell, Prof. j. T. LoyeWel Prof
Fischer. and DR.. c. z. Mum. Contin-
uing she said:
In June 1902, the present incumbent
was appointed. In the spring of 1903
at the request of the bacteriolOgist, the
examination fee was reduced from s. tC
g. and the work extended to several
of the county health officers, and as a
result considerable more work has been
done.
''In the future a record of all examina-
fions viii be kept and VIII include the
name and address of the physician send
ing the specimen and the date and nature
of the finding
In order to comply with a ruling made
by the past master general, specimens viii
be examined only when sent in boxes and
mailing cases provided by the state board
of health A repository will be estab-
ushed in each county where these supplies
can be obtained. The reports of sputum
examinations Will be made out on he
cards which we have had printed. Re
ports of diphtheria will be sent by tele-
graph at the expense of the physician
sending the sample. when so requested
Otherwise they viii be sent by mail
I'm all cases of sputum examina ton
where tubercular baciri are found a copy
of the sanitary rules of the state boarC
OF health for the persons having the care
of consumptives viii be enclosed with the
report These rules, having been recent
1y revised and enlarged, are similar to tn,
rules sent out by the Illinois board anC
other state boards"