exercise every possible effort to procure the enactment of laws in their respective cities, villages and towns to prohibit the sale of the socalled long rubber tube nursing bottles, as being a perniciously active agent in the causation of preventable diseases of infancy of the most. serious character and fatality." Your Secretary presented two papers; one entitled "What Constitutes an Epidemic," and the other, "An Epidemic of Diphtheria traced to an Infected Milk Supply." He also had the honor of supporting a resolution introduced by ex-President Horlbeck, urging the National Government of the several peoples represented in the association to establish farms or colonies, in which the unfortunate victims of leprosy could find a refuge, appropriate treatment and nursing care. As this is a matter which your Secretary has no more than one occasion brought to the attention of national sanitary bodies, it is particularly pleasing to him to be able to report that it was passed with very slight opposition. LEGAL OPINIONS AND DECISIONS. Opinions and decisions on sanitary questions of considerable importance have been delivered in this and other states during the year. They are as follows: Separator Milk is Not Adulterated Milk. The opinion of Justice Mitchell of the Supreme Court in the case known as vs. Mrs. Hufnal, is to the effect that skimmed milk is not adulterated milk. Mrs. Hufnal was convicted in the quarter sessions court, of selling adulterated milk, whereupon an appeal was taken to the Superior Court, where the former decision was sustained, but, when the case was brought before the Supreme Court, the decision was reversed. The prosecution was enforced under the act of June 26, 1895, P. L. 317, entitled "An act to provide against the adulteration of food, etc." Board of Health of Philadelphia has Authority in Determining the Fact of a Nuisance. In the case of Adams vs. City, C. P., No. 1, September Term, 1895, the Superior Court decided that the Board of Health of Philadelphia is the proper body to decide whether or not a privy may or may not be a nuisance, and has authority to order the necessary things to be done to prevent its becoming a nuisance, and further decides that if cleaning the well does not abate the nuisance, the Board may order the well filled up. Oleomargarine May be Sold. The United States Supreme Court, on May 23, 1898, decided that convictions under the oleomargarine laws of Pennsylvania and New Hampshire were invalid. The decree deals alone with the sale of oleomargarine in the original package. The case of the plaintiff company, in which other firms were also interested in securing an opinion was outlined upon the dissenting opinion of Justice Gordon (now deceased) of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, in 1886, when the manufacture of oleomargarine was declared illegal, and the constitutionality of the law of May 21, 1885, was upheld. The Supreme Court declared the laws a restriction of interstate commerce and in conflict with them. COMMUNICABLE (CONTAGIOUS AND INFECTIOUS) DISEASES. Small-pox. The somewhat alarming prevalence of this disease in the southern states in the early part of the year impressed your Secretary with the necessity for the adoption of unusual precautions by local boards of health against its possible invasion. The following circular was therefore issued to every board of health in the State, and was also published in all the prominent daily papers: "In view of the fact that small-pox, introduced into the United States more than a year since from the Island of Cuba, where it always runs riot, has been gradually making its way northward, the State Board of Health deems it its duty to call your attention to the subject in order that your vigilance in protecting your community against the ravages of this disease may be stimulated, and that the importance of vaccination may be generally urged upon the public. The following is a brief statement of the progress of the infection. It appeared first in Florida, and in that state from January 19 to February 20, 1897, there were 13 cases. During the spring there were 40 cases. After that it appears to have been checked until January 24, 1898, when it broke out again and 12 cases were reported in Washington county. In March, 1897, it appeared in Mobile, Alabama, became epidemic in and near Birmingham in May, and has since prevailed with little diminution. ville. On March 11, 1898, 400 cases were reported at HaynesIn all 1,161 cases have occurred in that State. In Tennessee the epidemic appeared in April, 1897, continuing through October, and beginning again in January, 1898, with increased force. Total number of cases 152. In Georgia it appeared in October, 1897, continuing steadily up to April, 1898. In Georgia and Alabama the disease was almost wholly confined to the colored race, among whom vaccination is extremely difficult to accomplish, as they evade the law in every possible manThe number of cases reported in Georgia has been 374. ner. In South Carolina it was reported in January, 1898, 33 cases having been observed up to March 25. In North Carolina it appeared also in January, 1898, 9 cases occurring during January and February of this year. In Kentucky an epidemic broke out with violence at Middlesborough, 176 cases being reported from February 3, to March 14, 1898. One case also occurred at Butler, making the total number 177. In Virginia two cases and in West Virginia 5 cases were reported in February, 1898. In the District of Columbia 2 cases have occurred. One in February and one in April, 1898. In Ohio seven cases were reported on April 8, 1898. It will be seen therefore that the epidemic has gradually worked its way up through the following states: Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, the District of Columbia and Ohio. Our own State has now been reached. Two cases have recently appeared in the city of Philadelphia, the subjects being operatives in a cotton mill. The inference seems a natural one that the contagion may have been brought to this city in cotton from the south. This indicates the necessity for a careful supervision of all cotton mills. It would be well to institute vaccination of all unprotected employes in such mills. A case has also been reported at Johnsonburg, Elk county. Although, owing to the general enforcement of the law for the vaccination of school children, our State is better prepared to meet an invasion of this disease than ever before, yet there is a large number of persons within its borders who are still unprotected and who are a direct menace to the health of the community." Five outbreaks of small-pox have occurred during the year. These were at: Philadelphia, Philadelphia county. Johnsonburg, Elk county. Tioga, Tioga county. Sayre, Bradford county. Spring City, Chester county, one outbreak. East Vincent township, Chester county, one outbreak. The following is a tabulated statement: In the outbreak which occurred at Spring City and East Vincent township, Chester county, and Royersford, Montgomery county, the disease was brought to this State by two soldiers, members of Battery C, U. S. V., who were encamped near the borough of Phoenixville. The prompt suppression of the threatened epidemic in the neighborhood of Phoenixville, was due to the energetic and wise supervi sion of the County Medical Inspector, Dr. J. G. Shoemaker. Notification was given to all newspapers in Pennsylvania, to the boards of health of large cities and those of boroughs in the immediate neighborhood of Phoenixville. In response to this communication, special precautions were taken by the vigilant board of health of Philadelphia. As a result no cases have developed in that city. Anthrax. Anthrax has occurred at four points during the year, as follows: Proctor, Lycoming county. La Porte, Sullivan county. New Holland, Lancaster county. Carlisle, Cumberland county. The cases which occurred at Proctor, Lycoming county, and La Porte, Sullivan county, were traced to infection from hides. The resolution suggesting the expediency of communicating with the Secretary of the Treasury of the United States, with the view to the establishment of a more thorough inspection of hides before shipment from foreign ports, was sent to his Excellency, the Governor, with the request that he would represent the matter to the National Government. The Governor has since forwarded documents received from the Secretary of the United States Treasury, stating that this subject had received careful consideration by that Department, and making reference to section 25 of the act of July 24, 1897, prohibiting the importation of hides of neat cattle from any foreign port, which reads as follows: "Section 25. That the importation of neat cattle from any foreign country into the United States is prohibited: Provided, That the operation of this section shall be suspended as to any foreign country or countries, whenever the Secretary of the Treasury shall determine and give public notice thereof that such importation thereof will not tend to the introduction or spread of contagious or infectious diseases among cattle of the United States; and the Secretary of the Treasury is hereby authorized and empowered, and it shall be his duty, to make all necessary orders and regulations to carry this section into effect, to the proper officers in the United States, and to such officers and agents of the United States in foreign countries as he shall judge necessary." The Secretary of the Treasury further stated that, although this section authorized him to prohibit the importation of the hides of neat cattle from any foreign country, he did not feel warranted in exercising the authority conferred upon him by directing, at the present time, the prohibition of the importation of all hides of neat cattle shipped from Asiatic ports. In connection with the subject of anthrax in Pennsylvania, the Secretary had also addressed a communication to the proprietors of all tanneries in the State requesting information as to the relative merits of the "sweating" and the "lime" process in tanning hides, so far as relates to the health of the operators, and stating that the Board had been led to conclude that the majority of the cases of infection had occurred in tanneries where the "sweating" process was used. To this letter seven replies were received from companies using only the liming process. Two companies used both the sweating and liming processes, and explained the necessity for making use of the former on the ground that it was impossible to produce satisfactory leather from certain dry flint hides by the liming process. Green salted hides are usually limed, while dry flint hides-in fact all dry hides-are sweated. Diphtheria. The advice or assistance of the Board in the repression of outbreaks of diphtheria has been solicited in thirty-three places during the year, as compared with sixty-one during 1897. The points at which the outbreaks occurred were as follows: Summit Hill, Carbon county. Weissport, Carbon county. |