boards, that they were ordered and would be in place very soon. I met two members of the advisory board and we talked the situation over. It was agreed that a new schoolhouse would be erected next year and ground has already been purchased. Martinsville. From Morgantown I went to Martinsville and called upon Dr. Sweet, acting deputy for Dr. Monical. We had been unable to secure satisfactory reports from Dr. Monical. Miss Stuart of the office force had been in Martinsville some weeks before, and in accordance with directions had called upon Dr. Monical to see his books. He refused to let her look at them, saying that he had employed a man to do the work and that he would see to it that the work was done. I found the books at Dr. Sweet's office and quickly discovered that Dr. Monical had been very derelict. A large number of birth reports were in a cigar box, unrecorded, and there was also a considerable lot of contagious disease reports. It seems that Dr. Monical had not attended to the affairs of his office at all, and was derelict in every sense of the word. Later I directed Miss Stuart to go to Martinsville and post up the books, which was done and her report follows. While in Martinsville, I called upon the auditor and talked the matter over with him and asked him to bring it before the county board of health. Upon return, I wrote a letter to the County Board of Health, to be delivered through the auditor. At this date it is known that Dr. Monical will not return from California, and that a new health officer will be appointed. On October 2d, Miss Stuart went to Martinsville, Morgan County, to make up reports of births, marriages and contagious diseases for the quarters ending March 31, June 30, and September 30, 1907. There were no records of either births, marriages or contagious diseases entered upon the books for the year 1907, but the reports of births and contagious diseases which had been sent in by the doctors in the county were found in the office of the secretary, Dr. G. S. Monical, and from these a report was made up for each of the three quarters. As there were no records of marriages in the secretary's office, this report was made from the record of marriages found in the county clerk's office. No record of marriages has been kept by the secretary since 1905. There were only twenty-four contagious diseases entered upon the record books for 1907. The transcripts of records of death, which are sent to the secretary at the end of each quarter, had not been bound for the year 1906, and all books in the office were found in a very bad condition. The reports from Morgan County are, with the exception of the returns for September, which had not yet been received at the county office, on file in the State Board of Health. COLLECTION OF RECORDS OF BIRTHS. According to the law passed by the Sixty-seventh General Assembly, and according to the directions of the Board, all preparations have been made for collecting births under the new law, commencing October 1st. New birth certificate blanks were printed, the same according with those furnished by the U. S. Census Bureau, and which are also in use by New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Michigan. These blanks have been distributed to all doctors in the state and all health officers have been instructed by special circulars in regard to their duties. In addition to this, the newspapers in every locality have been requested' to publish the facts in regard to the enforcement of the new law, and to impress upon the people the very great importance of having accurate records made of all births, deaths and contagious diseases. These notices and brief articles were gladly printed by the newspapers and the prospects for a more accurate collection of births are very good. SANITARY SURVEYS IN ORANGE COUNTY. By F. W. Tucker, Noblesville, Ind. I herewith submit a report of various sanitary surveys made in Orange County, Indiana, as follows, to wit: August 23, 1907, I visited School No. 6, in French Lick Township, Orange County; found the following conditions: Site-Ground high, dry, and rolling, good drainage, clay soil, over limestone. Building an old oneroom frame, on plaster foundation, under each corner and center of building. Sits about two feet off the ground, no wall, no basement under house, house in need of repairs. Roof leaks very badly and the plastering has fallen off about the flue. The house is heated by a boxwood stove; no protection to children near the stove; there is no well at this school; the children carry water from a spring about one-fourth mile from the schoolhouse. There is no form of ventilation except by the windows and doors and floor openings. There are two closets that are mere excuses for the name, built out of straight siding, open cracks, no vaults, both closets full of feces up to seats, no screens for the girls' closet. The yard is grown up with weeds and rank vegetation. Children have bronchitis and tonsilitis in epidemic form .every winter, and the school is very much intereferd with. I would recommend new and thorough heating service, with hoods for the stove, repair to roof and ceiling, and sanitary, screened closets, with better facilities for drinking water as a temporary arrangement. School No. 11, in French Lick Township, Orange County, was visited by me on Saturday, August 24, 1907, and found the site high, rolling, good drainage, clay soil over limestone. Building a one-room frame building, open foundation about two feet off ground. Roof good and new, plastering off room on ceiling around flue hole, floor open in several places, room is lighted by seven (7) windows, giving sufficient light. School is heated by a box wood stove, no hood or screen around it. The stove sits in center of room. There is no well at this house. The children carry water about 300 yards. Only one closet and it in a disgraceful condition. Recommendations are that new sanitary closets be provided, new well, or facilities for water, that the foundation be closed under entire house, thereby making it warmer. That good and sufficient sunshades be provided. These findings and recommendations be furnished to Thomas J. Carre, township trustee, French Lick, Ind. August 26, 1907, I made a sanitary survey of French Lick, in company with Dr. Toliver, the town health officer, and found the streets and alleys in very bad condition; also the backyards and many vaults and vacant lots, and made suitable recommendations in each case, with instructions to have same observed at once. The town is improving the streets and sidewalks and providing good and much-needed drainage. I feel that if the suggestions as made are carried out there will be much good done. On Tuesday, August 27, 1907, I called on Dr. Boyd, town health officer of West Baden, and found him out, but proceeded to make sanitary survey of the town, and found a dirty, filthy condition of streets, alleys and vacant lots, and every evidence of no observance of a weed-cutting ordinance, and would make the following recommendations to Dr. Boyd, health officer, West Baden: That the streets, alleys and all vacant lots be cleaned and kept clean and garbage and all decayed vegetable matter at hotels, restaurants and private homes be cared for and cleaned up and kept clean, and that the weeds and other rank vegetation be cut and kept cut, same to be observed on or before September 15, 1907. On Wednesday, August 28, 1907, I visited Paoli, Ind., and in company with the town health officer visited various places, as the waterworks, creainery, alleys, streets, courthouse, jail, and many private grounds, and found Paoli in very good condition. The streets are clean, well kept; creamery clean and sanitary in every particular. The alleys and rear yards need cleaning of accumulated garbage and weeds, and so ordered. The courthouse is well kept and clean; the courthouse closets are in good condition and clean and sanitary. The town and county health officers keep good records and are reasonably diligent in collecting vital reports. I would recommend that the town health officer be instructed to carry out the suggestions made him about weed cutting, and alley and backyard cleaning, and he be commended for his efforts to keep the town in a sanitary condition. On Thursday, August 29. 1907. I visited Mitchell, Ind., and found that they had just a few days prior taken on the robe of a city, and that Mayor Brown had not selected his health board yet. So I made a sani tary survey of the hotels and streets and alleys. I ordered three closets cleansed and abandoned at three hotels, and a general cleaning around the premises. The streets and alleys are generally very good, but need weed cutting. I would recommend that a copy of our health rules and ordinance for towns and cities be sent to Mayor Brown of Mitchell. STATE OF INDIANA, INDIANAPOLIS. September 30, 1907. Dr. J. N. Hurty, Secretary State Board of Health, Indianapolis, Indiana : Dear Sir-Your favor of the 23d inst. at hand, asking whether it is permissible for the State Board of Health to send one or more delegates to attend the annual meetings of the National Association of State Boards of Health, and to pay their traveling and hotel expenses out of the health fund. The appropriation act of 1907 contains the following provision, p. 680: "Board of Health-For other expenses, such as office expenses, impure food, pollution of streams and preventing the spread of contagious and infectious diseases, the sum of $10,000.” In the same section, the traveling and hotel expenses of those conducting inspections are covered. On page 685 of the Act of 1907 occurs the following: “All appropriations herein provided, designated, and intended as and for traveling and hotel expenses for any department, officer, agent, employe, person, trustees or commissioners, other than for the Attorney-General or his assistants, or for the Indiana Jamestown exposition commission, shall be construed to mean and is hereby intended to be confined to such traveling and hotel expenses within the State of Indiana and not elsewhere." Your letter does not state whether the year is held within or without Indiana. tion of the statute, this fact is immaterial. annual meeting for the present However, under my construc It is apparent from the section first above quoted that the "other expenses" referred to are of the same general nature as office expenses, expenses connected with enforcement of the pure food law, the prevention of pollution of waters and the arrest of diseases. All these classes relate to the performance of strictly official duties. The attendance of the Board by delegation at a national convention is not the performance of a duty imposed by law. The expenses incurred by such attendance can not be embraced within the words "official expenses," since the latter are clearly distinguished from traveling expenses in the section of the appropriation act immediately preceding the one in question, as well as in the appropriations for the executive department (p. 671-672), the Attorney-General (p. 673), the Department of Public Instruction (p. 675), the Factory Inspection Department (p. 678), and the Labor Commission (p. 681). I am, therefore, of the opinion that the health fund can not be drawn upon for the purpose indicated in your communication. You also inquire whether, under the appropriation of 1907, p. 158, for the "purchase of laboratory supplies," the same may be utilized in procuring tables, plumbing and gasfitting, necessary for supplying the laboratory with needed facilities for analytical work. The same section of the act permits the use of the $15,000 appropriation in "meeting expenses incurred in the enforcement of this act including * penses incident to the enforcement of this law." Within this broad provision I think the purchase of the equipment you mention clearly falls. I have the honor to be, ex Very truly yours, JAMES BINGHAM, QUARTERLY REPORT OF BACTERIOLOGICAL LABORATORY. Total number of specimens examined, 1,246. Water supplies, 133; good, 49; fair, 17; bad, 47. Milk samples, 9; bad, 9. Urine samples, 2; feces, 1; uterine fluid, 1; ascetic fluid, 1. To the State Board of Health, Indianapolis, Ind.: Gentlemen-I herewith submit a report of the Chemical Department of the Laboratory of Hygiene for the three months ending September 30, 1907. During this period five food and drug inspectors have been constantly employed on the road, and have visited seventy-seven cities and towns. In each place visited a thorough inspection of food-producing establishments, groceries, meat markets and drug stores was made. The local health officer has been visited, and so far as possible both the sanitary and corrective features of the food law have been carried out. The population of the cities and towns visited is 651,225. Twelve cities have been visited two or more times. The total number of inspections made during the quarter was 2,092 and the results are classified as follows: |