"Flu" Conference Held.

Called for the purpose of discussing the State's program for the control of venereal diseases, but changed by the exigencies of the situation into an influenza conference, a meeting of health officers from Ohio municipalities with populations of more than three thousand was held at the Columbus public library on the afternoon of October 10.

The venereal disease phase of the meeting was disposed of with a brief outline of what the State Department of Health plans to do, given by Dr. H. N. Cole, director of the Department's Bureau of Venereal Diseases and acting assistant surgeon in charge of the venereal disease work of the United States Public Health Service in Ohio.

In taking up the influenza discussion, an effort was made to get an idea of the extent of the outbreak by having the health officers present fill out blanks giving the statistics on their local situations and present brief oral reports on their influenza experience to date. The oral reports disclosed a wide diversity of opinion as to the seriousness of the epidemic and as to the means of checking it.

Dr. E. J. Schwartz, director of the Division of Communicable Diseases, gave advice on methods. of control, pointing out the impracticability of quarantine and the importance of isolation.

Following the conference the

Public Health Council met and adopted its instructions to health officers for the control of influ

enza.

Rural Dental Clinics.

By providing free dental clinics for rural school children in several North Carolina has counties, recently taken a unique step in public health work in the United States. A dentist with a special traveling outfit is assigned to each county which has taken up the plan, to visit all sections and treat the teeth of all children who apply.

New Lancaster H. O.

Dr. C. M. Alfred has been appointed health officer of Lancaster, succeeding Dr. H. M. Hazelton, who resigned.

Conneaut to Have New Board.

The Conneaut council has decided after one year's trial to drop the plan of leaving health administration in the city in the hands of a health officer alone, without a board of health. To permit this plan to go into effect, the city authorities a year ago failed to name a board of health, thus leaving the appointment of a health officer to the State Department of Health. Dr. C. W. Dewey was expired November 13. Dr. W. W. Wetmore is his successor, serving under a board of health.

Contact infection was held responsible for most cases of typhoid fever reported in Cleveland in the fall. No case was traced to impure water or milk, according to city health officials, and the frequent occurrence of cases in groups of two or three in single households indicated transmission by contact. This fact was used by the health department as the basis of an appeal for wider use of anti-typhoid inoculation as a preventive measure.

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The Bellefontaine council has passed an ordinance forbidding the maintenance of a privy or cess pool within five hundred feet of any well connected with the city water supply. By thus guarding the water supply against contaminathe city makes it possible for the State Department of Health to grant a certificate of approval of the water for railroad use. Such a certificate was recently refused because of the dangerous proximity of privies to the wells.

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Granting of authority to either the city health department or the city building department to correct housing evils which contribute to the spread of disease, is needed. in Cincinnati, according to Health Officer William H. Peters. One of the most important provisions of such an enactment, he said, should be one giving the city department power to limit the number of beds in a room. A welfare

worker in a foreign district of Cincinnati recently found twenty cots in one room a little more than twelve feet square and fifteen cots in another room which was also used as a kitchen. The city authorities, according to Dr. Peters, now are without power to remedy such conditions.

Recent tests have shown the capacity of the Cleveland west side. filter plant to be adequate to supply the city with filtered water during seven months of the year. During the five months of heaviest consumption - January, February, June, July and August - unfiltered water also must be pumped into the mains.

Every year more and more organizations adopt the plan of having their workers cared for by a physician at the expense of the concern. Like every other change, this has come as the result of sound common sense and foresight, and is not caused by any philanthropic tendencies on the part of employers. It is much less expensive to pay a salary to the physician to keep employes in good health, than it is to pay salaries for days of absence, and also have the work reduced in volume and quality during the days employes are not feeling well. And, as much as it is in our power, we owe it to our jobs to keep our health good.Dayton Herald.