The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1916-01-17
ILLINOIS WAKING UP
To the Needs of Public Health After
Long Inertia.

To the Needs of Public Health Afte
Long Inertia.
For many years Illinois has been a darl
spot on the public health map. Original
ly leader in sanitary legislation, in this
times OF Rauch, a pioneer in many lines
of health work, Illinois seemed to have
settled down into a condition of chronic
inertia from which it was impossible to
expect any advance. Opinions will prob
ably differ widely as to the reasons for
such situation.
Fortunately for the people of the
state, however, new era seems TO have
dawned. The recent session of the Illi-
nois legislature, however barren it may
have been in other directions, was GER
tainly productive of needed public health
measures. In no other state this year
was so much important public health leg
islation enacted. Many measures long
desired and earnestly worked for, but
which have failed in former sessions,
have been enacted into law, notably
comprehensive and very excellent vital
statistics law, based on the model law
drafted by the committee of the Ameri-
can Medical association and recommend
ed by the IT, S. bureau of the census; a
tuberculin test law; a school sanitation
law; law for the prevention of blind
ness from ophthalmia neotnatorum; a
strong anti narcotic law; a law provid-
ing for the confinement of dangerous
feeble minded PERSONS; law restoring
power to the state board of health to
revoke licenses issued prior to 1890;
law for the establishment of tuberculo-
sis sanatoriums by counties; revised
occupational disease law, and several |
others of minor Importance
To any one who has followed the ef- |
forts to secure better conditions in Illi- |
mis- during the last 20 years. it is nm
to do more than present this |
list of achievements. Illinois is to-day |
the only state of the first rank that is
without modern system OF birth and
death registration. The passage of the
model bill insures Illinois admission into
The registration area of the United
States census. The passage of the
to the medical practice act
gives the state board of health iurisdic-
ion over all licenses issued by the board
inder previous laws; this power has
been lacking since the decision of the
tate supreme court in the case of State |
IS. Reed in 1901. In addition. the leg (,
stature appropriated funds sufficient to !
nable the board to reorganize the medi- Is
al field service to district the state. to I
nan Il with district health officers with {
n epidemiologist in charge; to establish @
well-equipped sanitary engineering bu- {
eau. with a state sanitary engineer in 5
barge; to enlarge the diagnostic labora- b
Dries, providing one in each extremity I
/ the state to improve and extend the I
rec distribution service with respect to b
vaccines, etc, adding small e
OK vaccine to the list of serums and
accines now furnished to organize h
tal statistics service which viii be eff f
ent and up to date, and to improve u
ne office service. a
This record. almost il not quite I'M O.
lralleled in the enactment of construc- W
We legislation, according to the Journal a
the American Medical Association, is o.
lie of which the state board of health cC
I'd its secretary may we'll be proud p,
linois is to be congratulated on her Il
ogress, which all friends of public "a
.alth hope is only promise of better OF
ings in the future. VI