The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1913-11-01

THE STATE BOARD OF HEALTH.
The activities of the Minnesota
State Board of Health are as follows:
(1) Administrative Work.
(2) Vital Statistics.
'(3) Epidemtology.
a. Laboratory.
Pasteur Institute.
Branch Laboratories.
Duluth.
| Mankato.
90 Engineering.
The administrative work is directed
from the office of the board in the
capitol. 1t consists of correspondence,
conferences, advice, Investigations,
special work and an educational cam
paign. The possibilities along these
various lines are controlled entirely
by the funds at the disposal of the
board for such work. 1t is now a we'll
recognized fact that the function of
public health officials is that of pre-.
venting illness rather than waiting for
the trouble to begin and then trying
to cope with it.
The collection of vital statistics is
by law placed under the secretary Of
the state board of health as state reg
istrar. Although Minnesota has been
collecting vital statistics returns on
births and deaths through the state
board of health since 1887, 1t was not
until 1910 that Is was recognized by
the United States census bureau as a
registration state. This condition was
! due to the fact that certain require
ments of the census bureau had not
previously been complied with by the
state of Minnesota. The returns OF
deaths for 1910 do not show any great
difference in the number of reports
received. 1t would appear therefore
that the returns Of deaths prior to that
date were probably reasonably COM
plete. Prior to 1907 it was assumed
that all returns of births and deaths
were to be used purely for statistical
purposes in the Office of the state
board of health, as the law required
that soon after the close Of the year
the original returns were to be sent
back to the clerk Of the district court
of each county in the state, but this
law was revised in 1907 so that now
the original returns of births and
deaths are kept in the Office of the
state board of health. Minnesota is
although an effort is being made to
secure more complete returns of
births. The cause of the present con-
dition is due to the neglect of certain
individuals to make reports, rather
than to any defect in the law. In
February, 1912, a special agent was
secured by the board to investigate
the various registration districts and
to prosecute those who had been negli-
gent in making returns of births and
deaths. The effect Of this work has
done much to improve the conditions
and it is to be hoped that in the near
future Minnesota will be registra-
ton state for births as well as for
deaths.
The division of epidemiology was
created in April, 1910, and DR.. H. w.
Hill was placed in charge as director.
In August, 1912, DR.. Hill resigned, to
assume the position of director of the
Institute of Public Health, London,
Ontario. He was succeeded by DR.. A.
]. Chesley., Since the creation of this
division of epidemiology, it has been
possible for the board to give great
er amount Of aid to local boards of
health and greater efficiency has been
secured in this way in the control OF
communicable diseases. There is
great opportunity for further develop
ment along these lines. To carry out
this work effectively, however, there
should be whole-time health officers In
the larger municipalities with their
authority extending over the surround
| ing territory, in such way as to cover
the entire state with efficient sanitary
supervision.
The work of the laboratory division
has not changed materially from that
of prior years except in the matter
of developing certain lines Of work
and the addition of branch labora-
tory at Mankato. This latter was
made possible through the action of
the physicians of that city, they guar
anteeing to pay three-fifths of the sal
airy of the whole-time man, and the
state paying two-fifths. Soon after
| this position was created the city of
Mankato made the one selected for
this position, DR.. c. C. Pratt, health
commissioner of the city, thus further
centralizing the public health work.
| The engineering work of the board
is so far purely voluntary, except in
the examination of plans for school
buildings in their relation to sanitary
problems, this responsibility having
been placed upon the state board of
health. The state is doing much ad'
visory work on water and sewerage
systems, but this is purely Of volun-
tary nature, as there Is no law re-
quiring the board to give such advice,
nor has it any authority over such
systems in advance Of their construc-
ton although after their construction
1t has q responsibility in respect to
their conditions. Various attempts
have been made to frame satisfac.
4 tory law relating to the engineering
work in connection with such systems
but so far only failure has. resulted.
JAMES r. ELWELL.