Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1918-04-25

industrial school on the petition Of
the board.
Laboratory Of Hygiene.
Included with the report of-thd
state laboratory for March is,a brief
historical and descriptive account %
the work Of the laboratory, from
which the following is quoted:
1.-THE growth of the public heaisll
idea was an inevitable
Of the great increase In
our knowledge Of communicable dis
eases which followed the discoveries
Of Pasteur, Koch and other cons
freres in the early eighties. Up to this
time efforts to control infections were
rewarded with comparatively little
success. FL loving a discovery Of the
SPECIFIC cause Of diphtheria typhoid
fever. tuberculosis and many other
epidemic diseases, the utter Inn
portance Of making a diagnosis Of
\ese infections from symptoms was
brought home and with this, the rea-
son Of the failure Of previous meth
DDS Of CONTROL was made very evi-
dent. Later with the development of
a specific treatment Of these cases IL
became of the utmost Importance ia
the infected individuals that dag
nosis be made a. 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 disabilities
Of the general practitioner.
"such work could only be- donedn
we'll equipped laboratories and BY
men specially trained and kept uptd
the highest eff1ctency by much prac1
tice. These conditions could only ba
hoped for In q public health lahora1
tory. Vermont was fortunate ct thi4
very time In having D. man who had
been q student Of Robert Koch and
was familiar with the work Of RaS1
teur and other German ami French
baoteriologists. Dr.. ) n. 1Ans1sy wad
able to give timely, advice 70 the .ststd
board Of health at that dme vrestj
ling with an epidemic on diphgher13
and ,ths Vermont waD one Of the
first to develop it, state labors1Or
This ins<lkution once established add
equipped It was natural that otho4
chemical. archaeological. pathobgicPy
and general scientific analyses soun0
desirable by various departments Of
town. countY-or state shou6 be un1
dertaken by this institution. Thug
from being q restricted laboratory
giving assistance TO the board d
health in epidemics, the. laboratory
has become the scientific workshop Of
the state and not only renders esq
sential assistance in the diagnosis q
-diphtheria, tuberculosis. typhoid fever
malaria, poliomyelitis, mentngtt&
syphilis. gonorrhoea. pneumonia
whooping cough and the other infecS
lions to which the human family ID
subject, but also determines In MANY
OF these diseases. the length OF TING
that the individual Is dangerous
henoe the proper period OF quaran5
tine. II makes chemical and BAGS
THEOLOGICAL examinations of'water Of
both public and private supplies to
detormine the conditions dangerous I'd
public health. All the examinations
necessary to determine that ting
foods. drugs. confectionery and
liquors. sold to the public in ourmarj
kets are pure, wholesomesand true to
the claims, are made here.
successive legislative enactmentQ
have made It the duty OF the laborej
tory to make examinations to daker1
mine the presence and assist IA th(
control Of communicable @seaseaSa
cattle, horses. poultry ana swine. ~
has been the policy OF the tnsttru1
ton to make for the department OF
agriculture any examinations Of dis3
eased tissue from any animal on nd
quest Of the commissioner or anyo&
the veterinarians even though no4
specified by LAW An act Of the leg3
islature provides for examination o.
paints ct the laboratory and any town
is entitled through its paint tnspecJ
to, to send samples. Of paint, and OIL
for analysis. The prosecution OF
homicides often involves questions
recurring an expert medical, chemical
or pathological examination. These
examinations are made at the aaborai
tory or by members Of its sta6. IN
the trial Of these cases the memnSra
of the staff are available ~ wtnesj
ses without fees. Late legislation hAS
given to the laboratory stan the inj
spection duties involved IN the saui1
tary control Of food establishments ID
we'll a. that formerly done In conS
nection with the pure food coneroty
During the month Of March there
we're 6s2 examinations made at tho
! laboratory.