creek school in bed with the contagion. The senior class play, which was to have been given Friday night of this week, April 27, was postponed until May 18 because of the great number of the cast and the school sick with the measles.-Urbana Democrat. Two hundred and thirty-three deatths and 338 cases of communicable diseases were reported at the city health office last week. Of the latter, 130 were measles, 30 tuberculosis, 22 pneumonia, 20 diphtheria, 7 scarlet fever and 6 smallpox, according to health department reports.-Cleveland Leader. War will be started on the breeding places of the mosquitoes by the city health division. Council approved an ordinance authorizing a bond issue of $20,000 to be spent for mosquito elimination. The ordinance provides that films of oil be poured into sewers, catch basins, manholes, stagnant pools and other places where mosquitoes breed. Fifteen men will be employed to do the work. Fifteen additional men will be employed to inspect houses and buildings for possible mosquito breeding places. Several men will look after swamps and marshes. The city health commissioner will appoint a commission of three to have charge of each division of the work.-Toledo Times. Again the battle cry of "Swat the fly" is heard among Cleveland school children. They are chasing the bearers of disease into every The health department has offered 10 cents for every 100 dead flies turned in.-Cleveland Press. At a special meeting of the City Board of Health called by the President, Mayor J. C. Goeller, a committee consisting of Capt. Geo. W. Lindsay and Link M. Mader was appointed to assist the citizens make Circleville a Flyless city.-Circleville Herald. Akron youngsters are now beginning to whittle their paddles in shape for the big fly swatting campaign which starts next week. Statistics on file at the city health department show that the ravages of disease have gradually decreased from year to year owing to the effective fly-swatting campaigns pursued early each season. The contestants will be given prizes ranging from fifty cents to ten dollars, based on the number of flies killed.-Akron Journal. Cincinnati's annual Municipal Pure Food Exposition will be held August 7 to 19. The Board of Health has placed its stamp of approval on the exposition. The Ohio Public Health Journal OHIO STATE BOARD OF HEALTH Scarlet Fever in Ohio, Frank G. Boudreau, M. D., Director Division of 237 Health Officers Wanted..... The Sanitary Aspects of Swimming Pools, L. H. Van Buskirk, Director of 246 247 251 Death from Lead Poisoning...... 251 Sanitary Control of Bathing Beaches, W. H. Dittoe, Chief Engineer, 252 Predicts Big Profits for City in Manufacture of Alcohol from Green 255 Child Saving, a War Time Measure, Frances M. Hollingshead, M. D., 260 Tuberculosis Hospital Act Again Upheld. 261 Laws Passed by the 1917 Legislature Pertaining to Public Health 262 Court Upholds Blood Test Requirement... 265 What Ohio Tuberculosis Hospitals are Doing.. 266 267 Ohio Death Rate by Counties and in 37 Largest Cities for February, 1917 268 Dr. McDowell Called to Colors...... 269 Report of Division of Communicable Diseases for April and May, 1917... 270 Certificates of Birth Registration Now Being Issued...... 272 Activities of Division of Public Health Education and Tuberculosis Dur ing May, 1917..... 273 Monthly Report of Division of Laboratories for May, 1917. EDITORIAL SECTION NOW FOR ANOTHER SANE FOURTH. In the midst of all the war-time slogans let us not forget the "Sane Fourth" slogan this year. The country is at war and the suggestion has been made in some places that we return to the old fashioned Fourth of July celebration again this year in order to permit the people to give vent to their patriotic feelings. The suggestion has been made that officials might be more liberal in permitting fire works this year on account of the war. There can be no objection to fire works displays under proper control and supervision as a means of celebrating Independence Day, but to return to the "old fashioned Fourth of July" as it was celebrated a few years ago would be like a return to barbarism. Any celebration that contemplates the return of the deadly tetanus bearing cap pistols or the indiscriminate sale and use of the destructive cannon crackers, will not be a patriotic celebration but just the opposite. To shoot off a finger or put out an eye certainly cannot be considered an act of patriotism either in time of peace or in time of war. Let us hope that the newspapers, which are largely responsible for the sane Fourth idea will not have to record the loss of any eyes or fingers to say nothing of the loss of lives as the result of the 1917 Fourth of July celebration. MORE tuberculosis HOSPITALS NEEDED. To meet the tuberculosis situation as will be affected by the war, the State Department of Health, in line with the suggestions made by the National Tuberculosis Association at its Cincinnati conference, is recommending to counties and local communities that they increase their facilities of the already existing sanatoria and take immediate steps to provide for additional tuberculosis hospitals where none exist. Just what the government and the different states are going to do with their tuberculosis sick, not only those that are returned from the battle front broken in health, victims of the White Plague, but those who are found to have the disease, and consequently were not sent to the front, is a national problem that is being given serious consideration. According to Dr. E. R. Baldwin, the former president of the National Tuberculosis Association, the government will not likely be able to provide sanatorium treatment for all the soldiers who will suffer from tuberculosis, therefore, individual states, counties, cities and private institutions will be called upon to enlarge their facilities in order to take care of this work. This seems to be the logical solution of the problem. It will enable the victims of the disease to receive treatment near their homes, their families and friends. Ohio has a district tuberculosis hospital law which has been thoroughly tested. It was again upheld by the supreme court within the last few weeks and its constitutionality is no longer a debatable question. Every county in the state has its tuberculosis problem, but the public has not yet comprehended the seriousness of the problem as affected by the war. In France 150,000 cases of tuberculosis are reported to have been returned from the army. Fully 250,00 cases are said to exist among the civilian population with almost no provision for the care of these cases. This situation has arisen because tuberculosis was not made a reportable disase, nor were sanatoria provided for such cases before the war. In England and Canada, on the other hand, where the disease had received recognition by the authorities, for years before the war, and where sanatoria had been constructed they have been able to provide for all cases by increasing the capacity of their already existing sanatoria. That we should profit by the lessons learned from our allies is the suggestion contained in the following resolutions adopted apropos to this subject by the House of Delegates of the Ohio State Medical Society at its recent convention in Springfield: WHEREAS, As the result of the war in Europe there has been a great increase in the incidence of tuberculosis among the soldiers, and WHEREAS, As a result of this, conditions in France have become deplorable and existing facilities for treatment of such cases in Canada have been greatly overtaxed; therefore, be it Resolved, That the Ohio State Medical Association request, that at the special session of the legislature of the State of Ohio, an appropriation be made for such increase in the capacity of our already established district and county tuberculosis hospitals and the Ohio State Sanatorium, as may be necessary; and Be it further resolved, That the Ohio State Medical Association urge upon the component Medical Societies, to inaugurate the movement for the further establishment of district tuberculosis hospitals in their respective districts, in order that returned soldiers from Ohio may receive treatment in the respective districts from which they were enlisted. FOR CLEAN SWIMMING POOLS. While there is no law in Ohio regulating the sanitation of swimming pools and public bathing beaches, the subject is one that is demanding more than ordinary attention at this season of the year. Swimming has increased enormously in popularity as a means of recreation and exercise and a number of states have adopted legislation regulating the sanitation of swimming pools. The California state department of health is enforcing provisions of a new swimming pool law adopted by the last legislature. A study of the subject of the sanitary control of bathing beaches and the sanitary aspects of swimming pools has been made by Mr. W. H. Dittoe, chief engineer and Mr. L. H. Van Buskirk, director of the division of laboratories of the Ohio State Department of Tealth, results of which are given in subsequent pages of this number |