The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1908-06-18
FIGHT FOR PUBLIC HEALTH.

Harrisburg Especially. - The first
annual report of Commissioner of
Health Dixon, covering the organiza-
ion and work done by the State
Department of Health from June 6.
1905, to December 81, 1906, has just
come from the printers hands.
The report shows the excellent
working organization that Health
Commissioner Dixon effected in the
first year and a half after the Legls-
lature of 1905 had created the new
department under health laws that
have since become the models for
many States throughout the country
After reviewing this legislation
and the general work of the depart
ment, Health Commissioner Dixon
sets out the operations of the various
divisions, the Division of Medical In
spection, the Bureau of Vital Sta
tistics, Morbidity Statistics, Marriage
Statistics, the Division of Sanitary
Engineering, the work of the de-
partment's laboratories, the survey
for mosquito control, the division
for the free distribution of diphtheria
antitoxin and the financial report.
Pennsylvania new Department of
Health at once attracted the atten-
tion of sanitarians all over the coun-
try by adding a number of commu
nicable diseases to the list of those
usually required to be reported by
the physicians. The wisdom of this
reform has been fully acknowledged,
and the physicians in every part of
the State have co-operated with the
Health Commissioner to secure the
prompt reporting and sanitary con-
troll of all these communicable dis
eases.
In the battle against tuberculosis
DR.. Dixon considered the reporting
of cases to the Health Department
essential for without a knowledge
on the part of the health authorities
of the hiding places of the disease
the fight against the disease could
not be properly waged.
The placarding of houses infected
with measles, whooping cough,
chickenpox and other so-called minor
but highly communicable diseases
was another important innovation of
the new State Department of Health,
the results of which cannot help but
prove of widespread benefit.
DR.. Dixon devotes considerable
space to the vital statistics of the
State and declares that it represents
the first successful attempt on the
part of Pennsylvania to collect, col
laborate and publish the vital sta
tistics of the entire State"
The statistics in relation to sui
cides and homicides are interesting,
as they represent in a great degree
the human passions and emotions in
the most violent forms. Seven of
the 7SO suicides were less than Is
years of age, the youngest being IL
years. The report indicates that
homicides show a tendency to stead
lily increase, not only in Pennsylva-
mia, but throughout the entire reg
istration area of the United States
The average rate per 100000 popu-
lation in the registration area for five
years from 1901 to 1905 was 20
The rates for 1906 in the same area
was 5.1, and in Pennsylvania alone
SO.
The statistics in relation to births
show the annual natural increase II
population Is about $4,000.
The work of the Sanitary Engi
neerlng Division shows the action oi
Health Commissioner Dixon has TAX
en- to carry out the provisions of the
law to protect the waters of the State
from sewage pollution and to guard
the people against impure water sup
plies.