reduced practically to the vanishing point by the process. The physicians of Oregon City are unanimous in declaring that the number of cases of typhoid fever in Oregon City has markedly diminished since its installment, and that in no instance has any case of typhoid been traceable to the filtered water. Similar precautions have been strongly recommended to Salem, Eugene, and Corvallis, and in Eugene and Corvallis steps are being taken looking toward the adoption of this or some similar protective measure. In McMinnville arrangements are being made for the securing of a supply from Panther Creek, up in the mountains, instead of from the Yamhill River, as at present; and similar arrangements. have been set on foot at Salem. In Umatilla and La Grande the problem still seems far from solution on account of local difficulties in each case. In Albany the removal of the pumping station to a farther distance above the city on the ditch supplying it with mountain water is being arranged for. SCHOOL HYGIENNE. The views of the Board upon this subject were early set forth in Bulletin No. 2, which was printed and distributed to all teachers in the public schools, and the medical profession of the State. In addition to this a number of lectures and addresses upon the subject have been made by members of the Board and the Secretary before audiences of teachers and parents; while a careful watch has been kept through the local authorities upon the sanitation of school buildings and the construction and ventilation of such new ones as are constructed. It is urgently desired by the Board that they may be given power to inspect and pass upon all the sanitary aspects of all plans of school buildings hereafter to be constructed in the State. This power is exercised by the Boards of Health in many of the other States. But as our own Attorney-General informs us that the wording of our present act does not clothe the Board with such power here, further legislation to this end would be most desirable, and it is strongly urged by the Board. Fuller and more definite powers to declare and abate sanitary nuisances of all sorts, in sewage, in garbage disposal and in contamination of water supplies are also earnestly requested. A careful and systematic inspection of the schoolhouses of Portland was carried out in the Autumn of 1903 by a committee consisting of a representative from the Federation of Women's Clubs, a representative from the Portland City Board of Health and the Secretary of this Board, and a full and detailed report made to the Board as to their sanitary condition and arrangements. The matter was taken up by the Taxpayers' League and other bodies and presented before the annual school meeting, with the result that nearly $60,000 was added to the amount to be expended for new buildings and for the sanitary improvment, in ventilation and sewerage of the old buildings, in excess of that originally recommended. Somewhat similar inspection was carried out in Pendleton by Dr. C. J. Smith; in Medford by Dr. Pickel, and in Astoria by the Secre tary. MILK SUPPLY.-After a careful study of the problem of securing clean milk, the matter was brought to a climax at the sanitary con ference, hereafter referred to, held under the auspices of the Board in Portland, in March, 1904, where a thorough discussion of the question was had by dairymen, veterinarians, sanitarians and physicians, and it was decided that two plans were open, one to use influence to secure the appointment of milk, or meat and milk, inspectors in the larger cities of the State, requiring each dairyman to take out a license which should be forfeited if he failed to keep up to a certain standard prescribed by the Board, and reported upon by the inspector. The other was to work from the opposite end of the scale, as it were, by offering certificates of the purity of the milk to all dairymen who would agree to comply with certain standards and to submit to systematic inspections by the Board of Health; this is known as the plan of “certified milk.” As soon as a bacteriological laboratory of the Board was established this method was put in force. Two dairymen, Mr. W. W. Cotton, of Portland, and Messrs. David Bros., of Springbrook, Yamhill County, signd the required contracts with the Board agreeing to submit to inspection, and they, having complied with all requirements, certificates were issued to both early in July, 1904. The method in brief embraces an inspection of the dairy herd itself and its surroundings by a skilled veterinarian (in this case Dr. Clarence W. Loveberry, the local Inspector of the Bureau of Animal Industry, who most kindly volunteered his services). Careful grooming and cleaning of the cows at least an hour before milking, wiping of the udder with warm water directly before milking, the wearing of washable suits by the milkers and the scrupulous attention to cleanliness in every detail. The cooling and airing of the milk immediately after milking, and the careful sterilization of all vessels and receptacles in which the milk is handled. Inspection as to the health of the cattle and their surroundings is made once a year, inspection as to the conduct of the milking and milkers once in six months. We are glad to say that the results of the plan have been most excellent. The standard of clean milk for market purposes was first fixed by sanitary authorities in Rochester, N. Y., at 100,000 bacteria per cubic centimetre twelve hours after milking, and that of certified milk at 25,000 per cubic centimetre,, by the Pediatric Society of Philadelphia, and the high value of the precautions taken by Mr. Cotton and David Bros. may be gathered from the fact that the bacterial counts so far have ranged from the exceedingly low mark of 1,700 up to 3,000 per cubic centimetre. Ordinary market milk contains from 500,000 to 2,000,000 per cubic centimetre or two million to eight million to the teaspoonful. We have no hesitation in declaring that the citizens of Port'and now have the opportunity of securing as absolutely pure milk as is to be had anywhere in the world. BACTERIOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION.-Before the close of its first year the Board found itself in financial condition to establish and equip a small clinical bacteriological laboratory, in charge of which Dr. Ralph C. Matson was appointed as Assistant Bacteriologist. Previous to that time the bacteriologic research work of the Board had been done by Professor Albert R. Sweetser, State Biologist, who was named as the Bacteriologist of the Board. To his cordial and indeiatigable co-operation the Board is under many obligations, and wishes. to express its high appreciation of his assistance. The laboratory is what is known as of the Board of Health type, and necessarily limited in its scope to the examination of specimens from contagious disases for the purpose of diagnosis and quarantire. Examinations are made free of charge in all cases. For physicians outside the City of Portland examinations are made of sputum in suspected cases of tuberculosis. For all physicians in the State (incluiing Portland) blood serum tubes and swabs are furnished by the Board free of charge, and the culture is examined in suspected cases of diphtheria, the results reported promptly by telephone or telegraph, if desired. The Widal test is also made upon a few drops of blood taken from a patient suspected to be suffering with typhoid fever. By the reaction of this test it can be determined promptly, and in 80 per cent of all cases with certainty, as to whether the disease can be typhoid or not, and the patient can then be placed on the proper treatment and the source of the disease investigated. These facilities are beginning to be appreciated by physicians in all parts of Oregon, and we regard this as one of the most useful special functions of the Board, and earnestly hope that in due time funds may be forthcoming to enlarge the scope of the laboratory and secure the whole time of a bacteriologist. About 200 specimens of all classes have been examined in the past seven months. The laboratory has also enabled us, as already described in a former section, to establish a system of milk inspection, and a large number of samples of milk suspected to be unwholesome or diseased have been sent in for examination. Although not equipped for the complete chemical analysis of water, which is a very elaborate and expensive process, a number of samples of well and city water from different places have been examined for their bacteriological content, with success. Whenever it has been necessary to go into the full chemical analysis, Prof. A. L. Knisely, State Chemist, at Corvallis, has cordially assisted us, and for his services we beg to express our high appreciation. VITAL STATISTICS.-The table of births and deaths hereto appended, causation of deaths in Oregon, deaths by section and County, and at different ages, are the best report on this subject. It only remains to add that as the requirements of the new law throw a very considerable and in some cases vexatious amount of work both upon the physician and householder, and the County Judge and Clerk, it will take some time to succeed in getting a full and systematic habit of reporting cases of births and deaths established. This is especially true in the case of births, for one of the requirements is the name of the child, and as this is often, in fact, usually, not given for days or weeks after birth, the proper filling out of the certificate frequently requires a second trip and special inquiry upon the part of the attending physician, or the waiting to see some member of the family. We are, however, able to report a steady and encouraging improvement in the completeness of these reports; in the six months of 1903, 1,935 births were reported, and in the nine months of 1904, 3,424; while 1,424 deaths were reported in the six months of 1903 and 2,272 in the nine months of 1904. This increase is still nore marked when the births and deaths reported from Multnomah County are disregarded. Here the system of reporting, having been in existence for fifteen years, has been brought to a high degree of perfection. Outside of this County we find the number of births reported for 1903 was 1,215 and in 1994, 2,113; in other words, an increase of over 20 pr cent per month. Deaths, in 1903, 704 outside of Multnomah County, and in 1904, 1,222, an increase of about 15 per cent per month. As nearly as can be estimated, the proportion of deaths and births reported, to the population, is now almost the same as that in California, Washington and Iowa, States whose laws are similar to our own. It is now generally accepted by statisticians in all the Eastern States that no perfect series of reports of births and deaths is to be hoped for without some system providing for the appointment with small salary, or other method of remuneration of local registrars in every County and Precinct. This is what is known as the Michigan method, and similar laws have been adopted in several other States and are now under consideration in Pennsylvania and Iowa. Not only does the physician receive no remuneration for these reports, but neither the County Judge, Health Officer or Clerk, has any inducement to make returns complete, and the only incentive they have is the fear of fine or legal proceedings if they should fail to do so. It is earnestly hoped that at the coming session means may be provided by which a system of local registrars in every township of the State can be appointed, who shall be either salaried, or receive a fee for each certificate filled out and filed. SANITARY CONFERENCES.-In March, 1904, there was held in Portland, under the auspices of the Board, the first of a series of proposed annual conferences of health officers and sanitarians and all interested in the public health. This lasted two days and was attended by a considerable number of health officers from various parts of the State, members of the profession in the city, and the State Health Officer and Veterinarian and President of the Washington State Board f Health, the State Health Officer of California, and a large number of intelligent and public-spirited citizens of the City of Portland. The discussions entered manifested from the addresses on milk supply and typhoid fever. As one of the results of this meeting, we have received a proposal from Dr. Foster, Secretary of the State Board of Health, of California, for the formation of a Pacific Coast Sanitary Association, whose first meeting will probably be held in Portland during the Lewis and Clark Fair. SANITARY EDUCATION.-The other method of arousing the public interest upon sanitary matters has been through the public press, and the Board can not too strongly express its high appreciation of and gratitude for the valuable service rendered in all its activity by the newspapers of the State from the beginning of its existence. Not only have they been most helpful in bringing our conclusions before the public in a form which is sure to attract attention, but they have also exerted an influence, the weight of which it is hard to estimate,, in supporting the various measures suggested for the protection of the public health. They have been most vigilant and energetic in both reporting to the Board the cases of contagious disease, or of the existence of other menaces to the public health, and in vigorously investigating and reporting on their own account any unsanitary and dangerous conditions, and in fearlessly denouncing those responsible for their existence or continuance. The Board regards the press and the medical profession as its most valuable and effective allies in the protection of the public health and the prevention of disease. SPECIAL. The only great disaster with which the State has been visited since the organization of the Board, was the cloudburst and flood at Heppner, Ione and Lexington, on June 14, 1903; this afforded the Board an opportunity for exerting its protective activities and furnished incidentally a striking illustration of the value of preventive measures. The nearest local member of the Board, Dr. C. J. Smith, of Pendleton, promptly went to the site of the calamity and took charge of the sanitary aspects of the work of clearing up and repairing for habitation the devastated town. He devoted two weeks of labor to this task, being particularly careful to insist upon the cleaning out of all cellars under houses, their disinfection with alkali from the surrounding deserts, and the thorough destruction of putrescible animal and vegetable remains left by the flood in and about the town. When Heppner had been placed in sanitary condition he prepared to devote his attention to Ione and Lexington, but was prevented from doing so from an inability to secure funds for the purpose. The results of his work was shown in a striking manner later in the season, for, in spite of the fearful damage done by the flood, the hardships, exposure and insufficient food suffered by the inhabitants, scarcely a case of typhoid fever developed in Heppner, while at Ione, the little village was simply riddled by the disease, as many as three funerals. occurring on one Sunday from typhoid. The Use of Quinine in Hay Fever. Fulton (Journal of the American Medical Association, Vol. XLIII, page 325) has had very pleasing results with the local use of quinine in hay fever. The failure of other authorities with this remedy has largely been due to the difference in the mode of application. His method of treatment consists in spraying the nares with a saturated solution of quinine sulphate |