COURT DECISION RELATING TO QUARANTINE.

The Supreme Court of California has decided that by virtue of statutory authority "the State board of health has power to order the quarantine of persons who have come in contact with cases and carriers of contagious diseases," and that the unauthorized removal of a quarantine placard affixed to premises by order of the State. board of health is "a misdemeanor under the Public Health Act."

TYPHOID FEVER IN THE UNITED STATES.

CASE RATES, JANUARY TO NOVEMBER, 1921 AND 1920, AND MEDIANS FOR THE YEARS 1913 TO 1920.

The accompanying table shows the number of reported cases of typhoid fever per 1,000 population by quarters, from January to June, and by months, from July to November, 1921, compared with the same periods during 1920, and the medians for 1913 to 1920, inclusive.

The median was ascertained by arraying the figures so that the greatest number was first, the next smaller number was second, and so on to the smallest number, which was placed last. The middle number of the array was then selected as the median. Data were not available for all the States for the full eight years. As many years as possible were included for each State, but no year earlier than 1913 was used. The first column shows the number of years for which figures were obtained for each State.

The estimated populations on which the rates were computed are as follows:

For comparison the death rates per 100,000 population in the registration area for deaths are shown in the following table:

Typhoid fever death rates per 100,000 population in registration area for deaths, 1913-1920,

Typhoid fever-Annual case rates per 1,000 population, January to November, 1921 and 1920, and medians for the years 1913 to 1920, inclusive.

Typhoid fever-Annual case rates per 1,000 population, January to November, 1921 and 1920, and medians for the years 1913 to 1920, inclusive-Continued.'

Typhoid fever-Annual case rates per 1,000 population, January to November, 1921 and 1920, and medians for the years 1913 to 1920, inclusive-Continued.

DEATHS FROM INFLUENZA IN NINETY-SIX GREAT TOWNS OF

ENGLAND AND WALES.

The following table shows the number of deaths attributed to influenza in Ninety-six Great Towns of England and Wales during the late fall and early winter months 1918-19 to 1921-22, inclusive. The figures are taken from the "Weekly Returns," issued by the Registrar General of England and Wales. The population of these towns collectively was given as 16,577,000 in 1917 and 18,555,000 in 1921.

Number of deaths from influenza in Ninety-six Great Towns of England and Wales.

A HIGH DEATH RATE IN SCOTLAND.

During the week ended January 21, 1922, 379 deaths from influenza were registered in sixteen principal towns of Scotland. The population of these towns collectively is given as 2,370,600. This gives an influenza death rate for the week, on an annual basis, of 8.33 per thousand population. One thousand nine hundred and thirty deaths from all causes were reported during the week, the crude death rate being 42.5 per thousand.

The Registrar General of Scotland, in the Weekly Return of Births, Deaths, and Marriages in the Principal Towns of Scotland (No. 3),

Says:

"The death rate for the week is 15.8 above that for the previous week, 22.3 above the mean of the rates for the three preceding weeks, and 25.9 above that for the corresponding week of last year. It is the highest Principal Town weekly death rate since that of the week ending 2nd March, 1895, which was 42.8. In the influenza epidemic of 1918-1919 the highest corresponding death rate was 40.0, and occurred in the week ending 1st March, 1919.

"In the individual towns the death rate ranged from 55.6 in Glasgow, 50.9 in Coatbridge, and 48.7 in Kirkcaldy, to 11.6 in Ayr, 17.3 in Motherwell and Wishaw, and 17.6 in Clydebank. In Dundee it Was 41.1, in Edinburgh 35.1, in Falkirk 34.4, in Paisley 33.7, in Perth 33.2. in Hamilton 33.0, in Greenock 31.2, in Kilmarnock 29.0, in Dunfermline 25.4, and in Aberdeen 23.0. Compared with the returns for the previous week, the rate for Coatbridge shows an increase of 25.4. Kilmarnock of 24.6, Glasgow of 20.7, Hamilton of 19.8, Paisley of 17.7, Greenock of 16.5, and Edinburgh of 16.0. The only rate less than in the previous week is that for Perth, which was 33.2, or

17.4 less.

num

"Deaths from the principal epidemic diseases * * * bered 150. They are 44 more than in the previous week, and are equal to an annual death rate from these causes of 3.3 per thousand. These deaths include 2 from enteric fever, 88 from measles, 4 from