Health officials of neighboring townships were warned of possible danger from the disease. On December 19th, a conference with the health authorities of Dayton and the adjoining township was held to determine what school the daughter of a leper should be allowed to attend. The township board of health refused to allow this child to attend the township schools, owing to the prejudice of the people. It was determined to send the child to a public school in Dayton. The presence of diphtheria in Amsterdam required an investigation on December 19th. Two weeks prior to the investigation a boy, died of an affection diagnosed as tonsilitis by the attending physician. Since his death two other children in the family developed the disease, which was proved to be diphtheria by bacteriological examination. Several cases in other families have developed. These were visited and pronounced diphtheria. Bacteriological examination confirmed the diagnoses. Local physicians, the board of health, members of the council and the superintendent of schools were called together and informed of the measures necessary to prevent diphtheria. The use of swabs for diagnosis and release was insisted on. Medical inspection of the schools was urged. In addition to the above investigation health officers of various districts were advised in regard to communicable diseases by telephone and correspondence. Questionnaires regarding the vaccination of school children and the supervision of the milk supply were sent to the eighty cities of Ohio. Form letters containing information as to the prevention of typhoid fever, diphtheria, scarlet fever, measles and whooping cough were mailed in large numbers and a large amount of literature was distributed through the mails. A summary of the communicable disease reports received during November follows: Communicable Diseases. The number of reported cases of notifiable diseases for November was 5,227 as compared with 7,167 for November, 1915. Diphtheria, scarlet fever and chickenpox were most prevalent. Diphtheria reports increased from 1,090 in October to 1,243 during the present month. In November, 1915, 1,517 casese were reported. Scarlet fever reports for November exceeded reports for October by seventy-six, 889 cases being reported. In November, 1915, 1,269 cases were reported. Typhoid fever reports showed a sharp decline, only 327 cases being reported, as compared with 719 for October and 419 for November, 1915. The majority of the cases reported were from the rural section of the state. Smallpox reports decreased from 192 to 126. Of these cases, 48 were reported from Cleveland, 13 from Conneaut, and 54 from Trumbull county. One case of hookworm disease was reported from Hamilton and one case of human rabies from Cincinnati. The following tables summarize the November reports: REPORTED CASES OF NOTIFIABLE DISEASES FOR NOVEMBER 1916, BY URBAN AND RURAL HEALTH DISTRICTS. BUREAU OF ADMISSIONS AND DISCHARGES. From December 1 to 31, inclusive, 231 notifications were received from tuberculosis hospitals, 115 of which were of admissions, and 116 of discharges of patients. Of these, 178 were referred to local public health nurses for investigation and report, 16 to health officers, 9 were visited by division nurses, 2 were referred to other state departments of health, 8 were found whose histories were not obtainable and 18 were pending investigation. There were 143 notification pending investigation on November 30 and of these six were sent to newly established public health nurses, 27 were visited by division nurses and 10 were found whose histories were not obtainable, two were returned by health officers without action. One hundred and twenty notifications were pending investigation on December 31st. NOTIFICATION OF TUBERCULOSIS HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS AND PREVENTION OF BLINDNESS WORK IN DECEMBER. One hundred and one case reports of inflammation of the eyes of the newborn, including two cases reported as ophthalmia neonatorum. There were 29 case reports of trachoma received, making a total of 130 eye cases for December. It was necessary for the division to supply nursing services for three cases of inflammation, the responsibility for care and treatment in all other cases being left with local health officers and public health nurses. In 10 instances, instructions were given by long distance telephone. Failure to Submit Reports. The division has experienced great difficulty in securing required statements from health officers relative to apparent cases of violation of the provisions of the prevention of blindness legislation. A special investigator to secure necessary evidence not being available, delays and indefiniteness have resulted in certain instances in obtaining evidence, and likewise in furthering cases presented before prosecuting attorneys. The division has been notified of the termination of three cases of violation reported in Toledo. One physician was fined $50 and costs, another fined, but sentence suspended, and one midwife fined, sentence suspended. REPORT OF THE DIVISION OF LABORATORIES FOR MONTH ENDING DECEMBER 31, 1916. Tuberculosis-positive 110, negative 228.. Total reports Tuberculosis 1,531 Distribution of Outfits. 471 918 168 24 23 131 3,477 72 5,284 DO YOU KNOW THAT A little cough often ends in a large coffin? Bodily vigor protects against colds? Careless sneezing, coughing, spitting spread colds? Open air exercise cures colds? Colds sometimes get well in spite of the excessive use of alcoholic beverages? Overheated, air-tight rooms beget colds? Neglected colds often forerun pneumonia? Persistent, oft-repeated colds indicate bodily weakness? CONFERENCE OF THE STATE BOARD OF HEALTH WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF MUNICIPAL HEALTH DEPARTMENTS. The Forty-third Conference of the State Board of Health with representatives of local boards of health, in this instance representatives of municipal boards only, was held in the Deshler Hotel, Columbus, January 18th and 19th. About one hundred and fifty persons were in attendance. Representatives of local boards of health who presented credentials are listed below. The opening session began at 2 o'clock Thursday afternoon. Dr. H. T. Sutton, vice president of the State Board of Health, welcomed the delegates and reviewed the progress in health work in Ohio in 1916. He also suggested certain changes in the present laws and methods of procedure in some lines of health administration. Among his suggestions were that more attention be given to the sanitation of public bathing beaches and swimming pools; that the Bense Act be amended so as to give the State Board of Health the initiative in the investigation of public water supplies and stream pollution instead of compelling it to wait for action by local authorities; the employment of more plumbing inspectors and the graduation of fees for inspections according to the size of the building or number of fixtures, the same fee being at present charged for all inspections. Dr. Sutton also recommended the safe-guarding of the health of persons attending county fairs, chautauquas and similar outdoor gatherings by closer attention to the water-supply and sewage-disposal facilities of the grounds; restriction of typhoid fever by wider use of anti-typhoid vaccine, and the prevention of the other common transmissible diseases by education of the public on health matters. The importance of milk inspection and the necessity of reporting all cases of communicable diseases were also emphasized. Wider use of the laboratories of the State Board of Health by physicians and health officers was urged. Attention was also called to the new Division of Child Hygiene in the State Health Department, and need for work among the children in all communities of the state. "The Relation of Industry to the Health Department" was the subject of a paper by Dr. C. D. Selby, Health Officer of Toledo. He discussed the influence of workng conditions on the health of the worker and said that the employers who are giving more and more attention to the welfare of employes while at work have a right to expect. that the health department is taking care that conditions surrounding the workers while away from the factory are conducive to health and are not off-setting the efforts of the employer. The discussion of his paper was opened by Dr. R. P. Albaugh, Director of the Division of Industrial Hygiene, who said that manufacturers were co-operating with the department to improve conditions. as soon as the need was explained to them. Dr. Frank G. Boudreau, Director of the Division of Communicable Diseases of the State Board of Health, in discussing "The Present |