The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1918-05-02
Laboratory Of Hygiene.

state laboratory for March is briei
historical and descriptive account OF
the work of the laboratory, from
which the following is quoted
The growth of the public health
| laboratory idea was an inevitable
development of the great increase in
our knowledge of communicable dis
eases which followed the discoveries
of Pasteur, Koch and other con
freres in the early eighties. Up to this
time efforts to control infections were
rewarded with comparatively little
success. Following a discovery of the
specific cause of diphtheria typhoid
fever, tuberculosis and many other
| epidemic diseases, the utter i'm
| portance of making a diagnosis OF
these infections from symptoms was
brought home and with this, the rea-
son of the failure of previous meth
DDS OF control was made very evil
dent Later with the development OF
specific treatment of these cases 1t
became of the utmost importance to
the infected individuals that dag
nosis be made as early as possible,
even before the clinical symptoms be-
came Characteristic. The detection Of
the specific bacteria of disease was
early found to be beyond the abilities
of the general practitioner.
Such work could only be done in
well equipped laboratories and by
men specially trained and kept up to
the highest efficiency by much prac-
tice. These conditions could only be
hoped for in a public health labora-
tory Vermont was fortunate at this
very time in having a man who had
been a student Of Robert Koch and
was familiar with the work of Pas
teur and other German and French
psychologists. DR.. J. III. Linsley was
able to give timely advice to the state
board Of health at that time wrest-
ling with an epidemic of diphtheria
and thus Vermont was one of the
first to develop its state laboratory.
This institution once established and
equipped it was natural that other
chemical, meteorological, pathological
and general scientific analyses found
desirable by various departments Of
town, county or state should be un-
dertaken by this institution. Thus
from being a restricted laboratory |
giving assistance to the board OF
health in epidemics, the laboratory
has become the scientific workshop Of
the state and not only renders es-
sential assistance in the diagnosis OF
diphtheria, tuberculosis, typhoid fever.
malaria, poliomyelitis, meningitis,
syphilis, gonorrhoea pneumonia,
whooping cough and the other infec-
tons to which the human family is
subject, but also determines In many |
OF these diseases, the length Of time
that the individual is dangerous
hence the proper period of quaran-
tine. II makes chemical and bac-
THEOLOGICAL examinations Of water OF
both public and private supplies to
determine the conditions dangerous to
public health All the examinations
necessary TO determine that the
foods, drugs confectionery and
liquors sold to the public in our mar
kets are pure, wholesome and true to
the claims, are made here.
Successive legislative enactments
have made 1t the duty OF the labora-
tory to make examinations TO deter
mine the presence and assist in the
control of communicable diseases In
cattle, horses, poultry and swine 1t
has been the policy OF the institu
ton to make for the department OF
agriculture any examinations OF dis
eased tissue from any animal on re
quest of the commissioner or any OF
the veterinarians even though not
specified by law An act OF the leg
stature provides for examination OF
paints at the laboratory and any town :
Is entitled through its paint inspec
10. to send samples, Of paint. and oil !
Tor analysts The prosecution OF
1omicides often involves questions .
requiring an expert medical. chemical
,r pathological examination These
examinations are made al the labora
orv or BY members Of its staff In
he trial Of these cases the members
y the stan are available az wi'nes
~ without fees Late legislation has
oven 10 the laboratory STAFF The in
.pectlon duties involved in The sani
ary control Of food establishments az
gell as that formerly done IN con
lection with the pure food control"
During The month Of March there
we're es2 examinations made at the !
qhgr4fOfy