ing to children, as may be the evils of intemperance and vice. Knowing, as a health official, how densely ignorant the average man and woman is on these subjects, of far more practical importance to them than many of the courses that were taught them, I urge that you turn much of your attention to the future generation. These suggestions, hurriedly and crudely made, if carried out, will involve the expenditure of much intelligent labor and will cover many years of time. In fact, most of it is of a kind for which we can hope to do little more than lay broad and deep foundations in our day, but the results are so promising that it seems worth while to take some or all of them up. I also submit herewith my financial statement for the fiscal year, with vouchers for each item of expense. FINANCIAL STATEMENT FROM APRIL 1, 1899, TO APRIL 1, 1900. By payments as per itemized statement By balances on hand when overdue appropriation is paid.. $2,583 60 381 66 Total $2,965 26 Traveling expenses of members and secretary... Attorneys' fees and costs ITEMIZED STATEMENT. Salary of secretary (nine months) .$ 900 00 Printing 422 91 383 50 318 25 The financial statement was referred to an auditing committee composed of Drs. Fuller and Samuel, who, after examination, reported they had found the same correct. The report of the secretary was referred to a committee com posed of Drs. Letcher and Bailey with instructions to con-sider and report on the suggestions as to future work. After a recess taken for this purpose this committee reported advising that the various suggestions and methods for future work be concurred in and that he be authorized and instructed to take such steps as may be necessary to carry them into practical effect. In order to do this it was upon motion unanimously ordered: That the secretary be instructed to devote so much of his time as may be necessary to do all of the work heretofore done by sanitary inspectors in stamping out smallpox and other contagious diseases, to organize sanitary conventions in such towns and cities in the State as may be deemed expedient; to edit and distribute publications upon public health, and that as compensation for these increased duties he be paid the sum of $150 per month in addition to the salary now and heretofore paid him as secretary of the Board. Dr. W. W. Ranshaw, city health officer of Covington, was present and presented a detail of his work in dealing with smallpox in that city, and of the difficulties he was encountering in bringing the disease under control. The matter was referred to the secretary with instructions to visit Covington at once and give the authorities such assistance as might be needed. Dr. Eisenman, State Veterinarian, presented his annual report, which was received for publication. ANNUAL REPORT OF THE STATE VETERINARIAN. Dr. J. N. McCormack, Secretary State Board of Health: Since my report of November 8, 1899, I have been advised of several outbreaks of blackleg in cattle. In February last I visited the farm of S. O. McMakin, Bloomfield, Ky., by order of Judge Dougherty. Six cattle had died of blackleg and fifty had been exposed to infection. Inoculation was advised and vaccine ordered. This caused a delay of one week, and in the meantime no more cattle having died, Mr. McMakin refused to have anything done, and the matter had to be dropped. T. H. Thornton & Sons, Bradfordsville, stated in a letter that they had lost cattle from blackleg and that the disease was on a number of farms in that neighborhood. Cyrus Bros., Lockwood, Ky., wrote me March 15th that they had lost nine head and that several of their neighbors had lost from two to four head from blackleg. I desire to call the attention of the Board to the increase of this disease in Kentucky. Within a year outbreaks have occurred in Madison, Clark, Marion, Nelson, Bourbon, Boyd and Harrison counties. It is a disease due to a spore-forming bacterium and, consequently, when it has obtained a good foothold in a locality, will recur from time to time, and rarely disappears entirely. It is only a question of time until the bluegrass region of the State becomes badly infected and the experience of parts of Texas, in which it is estimated that at one time 20 per cent. of the calves died annually of this disease, will be repeated here. I am advised that J. W. Willroy, of Grange City, has inoculated several hundred head of cattle against blackleg, using the vaccine furnished by the United States Department of Agriculture. I desire to call attention to the necessity for some kind of State inspection at the new Covington stock yards. The traffic manager of this company writes that ticky cattle are being handled there, and unless an inspection is placed over this business some of these cattle will go out into the State and set up Texas fever. I have a letter from W. P. Barnhill, Paducah, asking permission to bring Southern cattle to that point for slaughter. In the absence of any arrangement for inspection, such permit ought not to be given unless he is willing to assume responsibility for any outbreak of fever that might occur. November 11th, last, we were advised by the bureau of animal industry that Texas fever originated in a shipment of cattle from Norfolk to Liverpool, and that these cattle had been bought in the neighborhood of Mt. Sterling and Ewington by Mr. J. B. Embry. Mr. Embry died of yellow fever before this communication was received, and his papers gave no information about the parties from whom he bought cattle. Several names were furnished by the bureau of animal industry, and the parties were written to, but did not reply except in one or two instances. The county not being willing to bear the expense of an investigation, the matter was allowed to drop. It is probable that if any of these cattle were infected they were brought to Lexington over the Q. & C. railroad, and from that point distributed. The department of agriculture now has an inspector at Lexington and the trouble will not recur. January 12th, permission was given Tatum, Embry & Co. to feed Southern cattle at the J. G. Roach distillery, Louisville, under my supervision. Nothing has been done in the way of enforcing the Louisville ordinances relating to the sale of milk from tuberculous cattle. The States of Texas and Tennessee have ,by recent orders, been added to the list of States requiring all cattle imported for daily or breeding purposes to be accompanied by a certificate of negative reaction to tuberculin. February 2d, I visited the place of T. J. Walters, Hodgensville, and found meningitis among horses. Seven had died and two were recovering. The same disease was found at Trenton, May 15th; thirteen horses died; several affected animals were recovering. Very respectfully, F. T. EISENMAN, D. V. S., REPORT OF THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE STATE BOARD OF REGULAR ANNUAL MEETING. The Board met in regular annual session at the Galt House, Louisville, at 3 p. m., Saturday, July 6, 1901. Present Dr. J. M. Mathews, William Bailey, J. H. Samuel, J. H. Letcher, L. L. Robertson, J. N. McCormack, members, Dr. F. T. Eisenman, State Veterinarian, and Drs. M. K. Allen, W. H. Wathen and B. W. Smock, visitors. Dr. Mathews called the meeting to order and presided. The reading of the minutes of the last meeting and of the intervening meetings of the executive committee was dispensed with. The secretary presented his annual report, together with the financial statement. The latter was referred to an auditing committee, composed of Drs. Robertson and Letcher, who, after a recess for an examination of books and vouchers, reported that the same was correct. The report of the secretary was as follows: REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. Gentlemen: As you are aware the duties of my office have rapidly increased in recent years, the demands for assistance and advice growing in frequency and importance as the health and life-saving character of our work is more generally recognized by the more intelligent classes of our people. As in the previous three years we have had almost constant warfare against smallpox. We have stamped it out after great trouble and expense in one series of counties time after time, only to have it reappear in other sections, frequently by importation from adjoining or distant States, often by the migration of unvaccinated persons who had been exposed in our own infected districts and left before the character of the disease was recognized, or the authorities knew of the exposure. Our chief importations have been from Tennessee and West Virginia, in many portions of which States no efforts appear to be made |