The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1914-11-27
ZzLE JHlo 6,2AT70N h!HICH GUMS
TzE HIlcLIc HE1L IT.

Ne"'oh. Inc surgeon-general Of the service is
Rupert Blue, whose research work and whose ac
conpnshmeht IN lines OF medical endeavor are
wen hho"h 10 the profession. There are six as
slstant surgeon-generals Doctors A. TT GIennan
w. c. Simpson, l.. e. Cofer. J. w. Kerr w G.
fucker and j. w. Trask. They are all stationed
III washington and have direction over the va
rious branches In all parts Of the country
recently In the medical council there appeared
this brief but conclusive statement of the mani
fold functions Of the public health service of the
United States government:
Cooperating through the health authorities
or the states, the service collects data upon the
prevalence and distribution Of disease admins
ters Interstate quarantine suppresses epidemics
conducts research work, maintains national quar-
antine examines immigrants, regulates the manu-
facture and sale of biologic medicinal products in
interstate traffic and furnishes medical treatment
to various branches of the government service.
Officers Of the service may be assigned to duty I'm
any part Of the world"
1t is the intention in the present article to take
up and describe only one OF the works and fields
OF labor OF the public health service. The waters
OF Chesapeake bay and its inlets and tributaries
form the field of enormous industry II Is
from these waters that taken large part Of
the shell fish approved as a delectable food by
thousands and perhaps millions who never saw
salt water. How many Americans noddng with
the approval OF appetite over their oysters the
half shell know that II has been made matter
Of government concern that the shell fish should
be a food as safe to the health as 1t is grateful
to the taste?
II has been said that the American people show
great interest in dreadnaught. big ship built
for offensive purposes, and IL II is not putting IL
too strongly, mainly for the sinking OF other ships
and their crews along with them-a killing pur-
pose Is II not to be hoped that an equal IL not
a greater interest may one day be created In the
little ships of the government whose only work
and only purpose are saving ones?
In the control OF the public health service is a
little ship called the Bratton. II bears the name
OF a surgeon Of the service who did commanding
work for mankind In great yellow fever epidemic
and who laid down his life for humanity. The
scene of the Bratton's activities is on the waters
of the great shell fish producing bay which washes
Maryland and the tributaries thereto II is one OF
the ships helping TO guard the lives OF ninety mil
lions of people
The work of safeguarding the shell fish beds
from pollution and thereby performing the work
OF prevention at a source from which danger fire.
quently springs falls in the field of direction OF
Assistant SurgeonGeneral J. w. Kerr. "ir charge
OF the division OF scientific resea 'ch" To give
idea of the immensity OF the field OF precau-
tion prevention and cure coming under the direc-
tion OF one man IL may be said that Doctor Kerr's
duties set forth I'm the organization chart OF
| the service appear as follows: Laboratories
! leprosy investigation station Hawaii: hygienic
! laboratory Washington ID. c.. division OF chems-
| try, zoology, pharmacology pathology and bac-
teriology. Field investigations: Diseases affect
ing man. pollution OF streams by sewage and In
dusrial wastes. rural hygiene and school hygiene.
The services OF the good ship Bratton are given