health officer, who by law is made the executive officer of the board of health and charged with the enforcement of the state law and such rules and regulations as may have been adopted by the local board of health. Quarantine is not to be removed in any case of contagious disease until the attending physician certifies that the patient has completely recovered. I would assume that these trustees are not physicians, and, therefore, not in position to determine whether or not the patient had fully recovered.

Under ordinary circumstances, such action as was taken by the members of the board of health would not be of much import, but in this instance, where smallpox prevails in the township, such matters as this should be left to a physician, and the members of the board thus be relieved from responsibility in releasing quarantine without a physician's certificate.

A member of the township board of health has no authority to act as health officer and to compensate himself for such service. The law providing for municipal boards of health very plainly provides that a member of the board of health shall not receive compensation for his services and the Attorney General holds that the same provision applies to the township board of health. They must act through the health officer,

Persons interested in public health work in Lancaster recently inquired of the State Health Department what steps might be taken by the local health department toward supervising the city's milk supply. The following reply was sent :

I am in receipt of your letter of the 26th instant, in regard to the milk supply. I do not know that an investigation has ever been made to determine the quality of the milk supplied for your city.

So far as the law is concerned, your local board of health is given full power to regulate the milk supply. Section 4458, General Code, gives the board of health the authority to appoint such numbers of inspectors of dairies, etc., and such other persons as are necessary to carry on the work of dairy and meat inspection. It may appoint the health officer as meat and milk inspector.

Section 4459 requires the board of health to keep for public inspection a record of the name, residence, and place of business of all persons engaged in the sale of milk of meat, and authorizes the board to require permits to be issued after inspection. A charge of not to exceed fifty cents may be made for a permit, which is to be renewed semiannually.

Section 4460 authorizes the board of health to make and enforce such orders as it deems necessary to prevent the sale of impure, adulterated and unwholesome milk, or milk liable to carry disease.

Section 4461 gives to meat and milk inspectors the authority to enter any place, wagon, etc., for the purpose of inspection. Section 4462 provides for the analysis of milk to determine its quality.

Milk inspection is provided for in practically all of the larger cities, and the thoroughness with which the inspection is made has depended,

to a great extent, on the appropriations given to the board of health for the appointment of inspectors, and for the expenses of inspection. In order to bring about adequate inspection, you must first interest your board of health to such extent that regulations will be adopted, making provisions for inspection and the machinery for its enforcement. You must also interest your council to such extent that sufficient appropriation will be made to the board of health so that these regulations and the machinery provided by the board can be made operative.

As experts have agreed that physical defects are in a large measure responsible for poor showing of a number of school children, medical aid is to be invoked to prevent them failing. Assistant Health Officer Peters, of Cincinnati, has sent a letter to all school principals asking that the district physicians be informed of all cases where children are behind in school work. They will be examined by the physicians, with a view to determining if the condition of their health is retarding them.

Students in the University of Akron are assisting Health Commissioner McShane in making a survey of that city.

It is hoped to locate and test all wells. Privies also will be located and those in sewered districts will be ordered closed and all others screened against flies. Manure boxes also will be inspected and ordered to be made tight.

FRAUDULENT SUBSTITUTION OF TUBERCULOUS SPUTUM DETECTED AND PUNISHED.

The following case was reported by a former prosecuting attorney of Montgomery county:

"The defendant was a member of the police force here (Dayton), and under the provisions of the Police Pension Fund, whereby he would be entitled to a pension after a lapse of a number of years or upon complete disability from further attention to duty. In order to defraud the Board of Medical Examiners, S........ obtained the sputum from a member of the Soldiers Home, who was in the last stages of tuberculosis. Upon the sputum being received, and upon the recommendation of S........'s own physician, who was evidently misled himself, the pension was granted. S...... was prosecuted for obtaining money under false pretenses from the Pension Board."

VILLAGE HEALTH BOARD MAKES SURVEY.

Dr. D. R. Barr, secretary of the board of health of Grand Rapids, Ohio, has sent to the state department an interesting report of a sanitary survey of that community recently made by his department. Dr. Barr says he made the survey "as per instructions given at Cedar Point," doubtless referring to a paper read last summer by a member of the state health staff at the health officers' conference.

No large amount of expense was involved yet the survey was very complete and was made under the following heads: Manufacturers, stores, milk, sewerage, ice, wells, toilets, disposal of garbage, refuse, ashes and night soil.

How many other health departments know as much about their communities as this one now does?

Rural school board members of Lucas county held their third annual meeting in Toledo January 20.

Health inspection and improvements of rural schools were discussed. The meeting was held in the old Central high school annex. Frank B. Pearson, state superintendent of public instruction, made the opening address; Prof. Robert A. Cummons of the Bowling Green normal school, talked on the medical side of the health question; Dr. L. E. Phelps, of the Toledo Dental Association, on the dental side, and Dr. A. W. Trettien, of the Toledo University, on the psychological side.

URGES ERECTION OF DISTRICT SANATORIUM

FOR FIVE COUNTIES.

Conferences were held recently by the director of the Division of Public Health Education and Tuberculosis, with the county commissioners of Licking, Perry, Fairfield, Muskingum and Coshocton counties in regard to the construction of a District Tuberculosis Hospital for that district. Arrangements were made for a joint meeting of the commissioners of these counties in the near future.