Issued Quarterly by Vermont State Board of Health, September 1, 1905. Entered October 21, 1901, as second-class matter, Post Office at Brattleboro, Vt., under act of Congress of July 16, 1894. CONTENTS: Introductory Remarks at the Opening of the Seventh Annual School for Health Address of Rt. Rev. John S. Michaud, Bishop of Burlington. The Newspaper in Its Relation to Public Health, by Frank L. Greene. School Sanitation, by Hon. Walter R. Ranger. Examination of Eyes and Ears of School Children, by George H. Gorham, M. D., To the School Teachers of Vermont, by Dr. Charles S. Caverly. INTRODUCTORY REMARKS AT THE OPENING OF THE CHARLES S. CAVERLY, M. D., PRESIDENT of the State Board of Health. Health Officers of Vermont, Ladies and Gentlemen:-For the seventh time, in behalf of the State Board of Health, it is my duty to welcome you here to our annual school of instruction for health officers. This "school of instruction" is a Vermont institution. The health officer as a legal officer is really a new feature among the officials in this state. The State Board of Health is likewise; and public health laws are more or less of an innovation. The State Board of Health, established in 1886, during the first six years of its existence made an effort to get local representatives in the various towns of the state who would serve voluntarily, and who would as volunteer health officers, keep the State Board informed as to local sanitary conditions, and who would do all in their power to secure the enforcement of the public health laws then on the statute books. It goes without saying that the volunteer health officer-who had no legal standing-accomplished comparatively little, although some enthusiastic helpers under these conditions very good service, and did a great deal to promote the health legislation that came later. In 1892, by an act of the legislature, the health officer legal officer, and was recognized in the statutes of the state. did became a The statute which gave authority to the State Board of Health, also defined quite extensively the powers and duties and compensation of those officers. The health officer from that time for the next six years became more and more a useful citizen, and a useful officer for most of our towns. At the same time it was apparent to the State Board that the laws in regard to public health were not as uniformly and energetically enforced as they might be particularly not uniformly enforced. There were, here and there, health officers who did intelligent and strenuous work along these lines, and effort-though they were somewhat exceptional. made every In 1898, as you know, the legislature established our Laboratory of Hygiene. That was a very decided step-perhaps the most decided step that has ever been taken in this state in the way of promoting good health, in the way of improving sanitary conditions all over the state. Dr. Linsley who was the first director of the Laboratory, conceived the idea of calling the health officers of the state together for the purpose of study as well as conference, and, so far as I know, that was the first school of that kind that had ever been held in this country, or anywhere else. The first sessions, as you who were present and health officers at that time |