Douglas daily dispatch., 1926-01-17

loss to the oyster producers 4and
workers. The public health service
conducted a thorough investigation
definitely TRACED the infection to
shell oysters and located the dis
tributing point from which the in
fected oysters came, thereby relieving
the whole trade of suspicion and
protecting other distributors. The
surgeon general called a conference in
the interests of both the public and
the oyster producers and resolutions
were adopted to serve as a basis for
the permanent supervision of the
sanitation of shellfish, the details of
which are being developed by COM
mittee appointed for the purpose.
Congress made an appropriation of
$57, 500 for this work The end result
will no doubt be better protection
for both producer and consumer.
Other important Investigations were
effected by the public health service,
of goitre, drug addiction in it's re-
Iation to crime, nutrition, "sAno-
crysin" (the so-called gold cure" of
tuberculosis), and in industrial hy-
giene, the latter including research on
the manufacture and use of tetra
ethyl lead, an ingredient used in
high power" gaSolines. OF particular
interest are the tests of material for
use in the treatment of scarlet fever,
as these have to be performed on hu-
man beings, animals not being suit
able for these experiments.
An office has been established for
the purpose of supplying health of
ficals VITA information on current
practices in their line of work. This
endeavor is allied with the continued
study of municipal health department
activities.
The public health service has con-
tinued to supply medical attendance
and services of various kinds to the
United States coast guard, employees
compensation commission, civil service
commission, bureau of penions, light
house service, shipping board, steam
boat inspection service, veterans bu-
reau, mississippi river commission,
bureau of immigration and the prohi-
bition unit The number of merchant
seanAen, the principal beneficlaries
treated, exceeded that of any pre-
vious year, as did the total amount of
all relief furnished. 1t costs the pub
lie health service $3.50 per day to
care for each patient in hospital as
compared with $4.08 in 1923.
National Leper Home
The National Leper Home at Car
Vile, La. cares for 259 patients,
while about 400 tuberculosis seamen
are treated in the marine hospitals
at Fort Stanton, NJ M
The campaign for the control of
venerial diseases was continued along
the lines of the three-fold plan of
(1) educational measures, (2) legal
measures, and CD mdeical measures.
In the field of legal measures, pro-
gress has been very satisfactory. 1t
is also gratifying to note that many
state boards of health now have
permanent program of venerial meas
ures incorporated with their other
public health activities.
Interesting figures furnished by the
bureau of the census arc given on
institutional care and custody in the
United States. During 1922, the last
year for which data are available,
there were 1900 persons cared for
in almshouses and S4S,174 persons
treated in hospitals and like in
stitutions for the insane, the feeble
minded, and epileptics, while records
show that 100000 persons go out
from state and federal penitentiaries
annually. The surgeon general in
vites attention to the fact that many
of the inmates of the almshouses
and institutions for the insane and
feeble minded are in those institu-
tions as a result of preventable di-