The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-01-15
STATE LADRI DRY. NOV READY TO Al D HEALTH
 OFFICERb

BacteriOlOgicaI Depart ent of State
 Board of Health, Lod ited in Middle
 town, to Undertake WOrk-CircuIar
 Issued to Local Oflcesrs-Designed to Help in ControIlingV Communicable Diseases.
 Professor w. H. Conns director of the bacteriological laboratofy of the state obard of health has iss4ed the follow ing circular to the health officers of the state:
 To the Health Officers of the State of Connecticut,
 At the last session of the legislature the board of health was authorized to organize and carry on a meteorological laboratory. This laboratory is for the present to be located in Middletown. It is now ready to undertake work along certain lines for the health officers of the state. It is at present prepared to make examinations and report prompt ly upon specimens sent for the purpose of diagnosing diphtheria, typhoid fever and tuberculosis Later 1t is expected that the work of the laboratory will be extended.
 The purpose of this laboratory is to aid health officers and physicians of the state in diagnosing communicable 1 ix, ag,4 f,,; 4,, and and more rapid knowledge of their location, and in thus limiting their spread. For this reason it is expected that the local health officers of the diff ferent towns will act as agents of this laboratory. AS soon as l hear from you I will send you necessary serum tubes for diphtheria specimens and out fits for collecting and sending sputum from suspected cases of tuberculosis, and the blood of suspected cases of typhoid fever. It is eXpecte:. that you will keep these outfits Wdl they are called for by physieians for immediate use. The outfits wiz contain careful i directions, which tho physicians can easily follow to obtain satisfactory samples. All specimens are then to be forwarded by the physician directly to this laboratory and will be examined and tested immediately, reports being made at the earliest possible moment. These reports will be always sent by mall to both health officers and physi- clans The need of haste in the cases of diphtneria will usually make 1t de- sirablc to send reports by telephone or | telegraph This will be done where re- | qv ,sted, but it must always be under stood that telephone or telegraph mes sages are a tthe expense of the local health officers or the physicians to whom they are sent. No charge wdll | be made for these examinations by the laboratory, but no specimens will be received for study here if sent In other but the proper receptacles provided by the laboratory hence specimens sent us by physicians on their own responsi- l bihty will receive no attention unless coming in the outfits supplied to them by you. Ises
 This laboratory Is designed to aid health officers in controlling communi- cable diseases. It does not fall within its scope to consider any other than such diseases, and, at least for the present, will make no examinations ex- cept in the cases of dlphtheria, typhoid fever and tuberculosis. AS soon as hear from you I will send you such outfits as will enable you to supply physicians as they need them. In making re- sponse to this note, will you please state how many physicians there are in your town, that I may thus be guld- ed as to the number of outfits that are likely to be needed?
 Very respectfully,
 w, H. CONN, Director.