PUBLIC HEALTH NURSES AND THEIR WORK.

On January I Miss Viola M. Fell resigned as public health nurse at Marietta to become superintendent of nurses at the Rocky Glen Sanatorium, McConnelsville. The city council of Marietta is considering giving aid to the public health nursing movement which has hitherto been supported by the City Federation of Women's Clubs. On January 2 Miss Gertrude E. Williams began her work as public health nurse in Sidney. The Community Nurse Association is backing the movement.

On January 9 Miss Essie Rinor resumed her duties as public health nurse in Middletown. She is employed by the Social Service. Bureau.

On January 12 Miss Isabel Hebson was employed as public health nurse by the Bryan Federation of Women.

On January 12 Miss Nell Notestine resigned as public health nurse in Marion. The public health nursing movement has been supported by the City Federation of Women's Clubs for the past three years. A movement is on foot to organize a social service bureau by merging several welfare organizations.

On January 15 Miss Helen Landfear was appointed public health nurse in Norwalk by the Public Health League.

On January_15 Mrs. Anna Smith Curtiss was appointed public health nurse for Portage County. The work is financed by the Portage County Child Welfare League and the county board of education.

The Athens board of education has joined with the City Federation of Women's Clubs to extend the services of the public health nurse in the schools of the city.

The Bellefontaine board of health is cooperating with the City Union of King's Daughters in plans to secure a public health nurse.

The Visiting Nurse Association in Cleveland employs 37 nurses and 39 attendants. The board of health has on its staff 71 public health nurses.

Miss Frances L. Hastings is employed as school nurse in Elyria. The Associated Charities and board of education in Findlay are planning to employ a public health nurse.

The Wapakoneta Public Welfare League is taking steps to install a public health nurse.

The state supervising nurse held a conference in Sandusky on January 9 with nurses in the northern part of the state.

Mrs. Anna Smith Curtiss has accepted the position of school nurse in the Portage county schools under the direction of the county board of education. She is a former teacher in the county schools, having taught in Edinburg, Palmyra, Ravenna and Rootstown and recently graduated as a nurse from the Lynn hospital at Lynn, Mass. Since her graduation she has done visiting nurse work in Lynn and hospital work in Elyria and Cleveland and assumes her work in

Portage county well qualified for the position. Frequent visits will be made to each of the schools under the jurisdiction of the county board of education.

Women of Marietta who were instrumental in obtaining a public health nurse here, and to whose efforts was due the financing of the proposition during the last year, are finding the burden increasingly hard to bear.

Council was asked to come to the rescue by providing some part of the $1,200 which it costs annually to provide a public nurse and take care of incidental expenses in her work.

Dr. C. B. Ballard addressed Council in behalf of the City Federation of Women's clubs.

The doctor said that other cities are realizing the importance of work done by public health nurses, and are providing in a substantial way for its continuance. He called attention to the work already being done by the city as a means toward sanitation, and asserted. that the office of a city nurse is as much or more important than that of a sanitary policeman.

"And I grant that a sanitary policeman is a necessity," said the doctor. "But this branch of sanitation is of vastly more importance, because it goes to the root of the trouble," he added. "Her duties. cover not only the relieving of affliction, but she carries into homes where it is needed her campaign of education against unsanitary methods and conditions."

The request for financial assistance was referred to the finance committee for investigation and report. Marietta Times.

"As health officer of this city I endorse the work of the visiting nurse as being most important as a safeguard to public health, as well as being an instrument of untold good in relieving those suffering from disease and emergency cases. She has been making a special effort to look after crippled and defective children. In this field she has been successful in doing remarkable work. The work she did in one case was well worth the amount spent during the last year in the work."- Guy T. Goodman, M. D., in Mansfield News.

A visiting nurse will be employed by the City Union of The King's Daughters who will act with the Bellefontaine Board of Health, in all probability, in the alleviation of sickness, in bringing comfort to homes and in general charity work. Action was taken by the City Union of The King's Daughters at the first meeting of the new Board.

Members of the Board of Health have signified their willingness to co-operate with The King's Daughters in this splendid work which will be initiated by this organization, directed by them, the members to be affiliated with the health board. Bellefontaine Examiner.

Mr. Charles Fell, manager of the National Tube Company, Lorain Plant, has had the visiting nurse at that place put on the payroll of the National Tube Company, for the period from February

Ist to July 1st. It is hoped by this latter date the law permitting the employment of public health nurses by city health departments will have been passed, and that the city will employ the nurse from that time on.

Miss Allen will still act under the jurisdiction of the health officer and continue to report to him.

The above action saves the services of the nurse for Lorain, as the private funds by which the service was supported have been exhausted.

NURSES ASKED TO FIGHT CANCER.

Nurses, especially those engaged in public health work, can do much to prevent unnecessary deaths from cancer, according to a special bulletin published by the American Society for the Control of Cancer. Many patients, especially women, it is pointed out, will speak to a nurse about the danger signals of this disease, such as lumps, persistent sores, ulcerations and other irregularities, when they would hesitate to call a doctor Attention to these apparently trivial conditions, says the bulletin, often means the actual prevention of cancer or at least its discovery in the early stages when the hope of cure is greatest.

In promoting the special education of nurses so that they may be prepared to act as advance scouts in discovering this insidious enemy, the Society for the Control of Cancer has obtained the cooperation of national, state and local nurses' associations. All the leading schools of nursing have been urged to provide special lectures on the early signs of this disease so that nurses, when they take up their professional work may be equipped with the necessary knowledge, not to make a diagnosis themselves but to see that people with suspicious symptoms receive prompt and competent professional advice. Through the co-operation of the National Organization for Public Health Nursing, the special bulletin above referred to, is being sent to several thousand visiting nurses' associations and prominent individual nurses throughout the country. Copies may also be obtained from the American Society for the Control of Cancer, 25 West 45th Street, New York City.

Miss Foley Visits Ohio.

Miss Edna L. Foley, superintendent of the Chicago Visiting Nurse Association, was the principal speaker at the annual meeting of the Columbus Instructive District Nursing Association, held on January 23. She spoke on "Civic Control of Public Health Nursing" to a large audience of nurses, social workers and lay persons interested in welfare work. Many nurses from other cities were in attendance. A luncheon was tendered Miss Foley by the Social Workers' Club of Columbus at which she also spoke to a large group of

workers.

HEALTH OFFICERS' ROUNDTABLE

The reorganization of the city health division is planned in an ordinance to be presented to council. Bureaus are to be established, additional positions created, and some salaries readjusted. Toledo university expects to supply a part of the funds. Additions will be made to the work, Health Commissioner Selby said, as the funds become available.

It is planned to establish bureaus of instruction, of statistics, of communicable disease, of infant hygiene and child welfare, of sanitation, of food and drugs, of laboratories, of industrial hygiene, of mental hygiene and medical relief. Toledo News-Bee.

Numerous violations of the law by physicians of Findlay in not reporting diseases according to law have been brought out in a yearly report of the work of the board of health, which was submitted at the meeting of the board by A. G. Fuller, clerk. The number of deaths from tuberculosis for the year was 20, while the number of cases reported was only 9, and likewise 25 deaths occurred from cancer, none of which were ever reported. Both diseases are required to be reported by law. Findley Republican.

Rarely, if ever, have health conditions in this city at the beginning of a year been more encouraging than at the present time.

Health Commissioner Light says that there is manifested a splendid spirit of co-operation on the part of the public, and he says that because of this fact, it is much easier to control health conditions than it is when the public is not sympathetic in the work being pursued by the authorities. - Dayton News.

The Detroit health department will co-operate with the Toledo department in preventing the sale of impure milk. Food Inspector Cole has received a communication announcing that fact. Unscrupulous milk dealers, barred from the Detroit markets, also will be placed on Toledo's blacklist.

Dr. Cole will provide Detroit authorities with the names of dealers who sold milk in Toledo without living up to the health requirements.

The letter received from Detroit Inspector E. H. Chilson, contains the names of farmers who have been excluded from that city, because of unsanitary conditions. It says in part: "One farmer remarked that he would take his milk to some shipping point for a Toledo company. Watch him."-Toledo Blade.

Health Commissioner Selby intends to introduce an ordinance in the city council prohibiting smoking in street cars. It will be the first step in a campaign to eliminate danger to public health. Edward Kelsey, publicity for the Rail-Light, is behind the movement.

Placards will be posted in the cars to take the place of the familiar little signs bearing a copy of the ordinance against spitting.

"Spitting and smoking go together," says Kelsey. "Some of our cars are so drenched with tobacco filth after early morning runs that it takes the rest of the day to scrub them out."

The first violation of the quarantine law this winter was reported to the board of health. Mrs. S, arraigned on the charge in municipal court, was fined $50 and costs and 30 days in the workhouse, with the days suspended.

Mrs.

was charged with taking her grandson, quarantined with scarlet fever, out on the street before the card had been removed from the house. - Dayton News.

Dr. J. H. Landis, health officer of Cincinnati, is president of the temporary organization for the three-year social unit plan to be tried out in Cincinnati under direction of W. C. Phillips and wife of New York. They will have $135,000 for the experiment. Miss Kathryn Nordman, financial secretary of the Woman's Labor Union, is secretary. A district of from 15,000 to 20,000 persons for teaching of neighborliness and the co-ordination of all forms of charity and social work will be selected at a public meeting soon. - Cincinnati Post.

Dr. Charles Augustus, of Springfield will be given a try-out as assistant health director. This announcement was made by City Manager Charles E. Ashburner, following a conference he held with Dr. Augustus and Health Director E. B. Starr.

Dr. Augustus is a graduate of the Ohio State University Medical college and served as interne at the city hospital in 1914. For the last year he has been practicing medicine at Casstown. - Springfield News.

Children who were victims of infantile paralysis during the past summer will be placed under the care of the staff physicians of the orthopedic service of the General Hospital.

This announcement was made by the officials of the Health Department. All district physicians were instructed to visit the stricken. children and to advise the parent that they can take the children to the hospital for examination the first Tuesday of each month. The consultations will be held in the "gym" of the General Hospital.

It is the intention of the Health Department officials to save the children from quacks and fakers who so often follow up cases of this disease.

The department announced that the organization of the Little Mothers' Leagues will be started in the public schools about March 1, with Miss Louise Kuck in charge. - Cincinnati Tribune.