ess now furnishes cards in duplicate to a large
number of centers, thus saving time to the investigator and giving
information often not otherwise obtainable.
The Farmers' Bulletins of the Department of Agriculture are also most
valuable to the people who are in search of help. Such agencies might
be extended without fear of trespass on any existing agencies.
Just as the individual, if he is to do and be his best, accepts his
limitations, obeys Nature's law, and thrives in body and estate in
consequence, and as the community banding together makes and carries
out with penalties for deviation certain regulations for mutual
benefit, so must the still larger groups--the state and the
nation--use their larger wisdom and wider knowledge for the benefit of
all. The individual should recognize the value to himself of this more
complete investigation, and instead of raising the cry of paternalism
and national interference, should welcome all aids to increased
efficiency.
State hygiene is necessary to supplement municipal hygiene. Often the
rural district has no other hygiene, and the city and the country are
interdependent, the city dependent upon the country for its water,
milk, and other supplies.
Almost all the states are alive to the importance of milk inspection.
As early as 1869 in Massachusetts, Dr. Bowditch called the Board of
Health "The State Medicine," and quotes from Dr. Farr: "How out of the
_existing_ seed to raise races of men to divine perfection is the
final problem of public medicine." That is the function of all boards
of health. If factories are incorporated under state laws, they must
also be governed by the state regulations for health.
Here in America we are always locking the stable door after the horse
has been stolen. Not until many "accidents" had occurred in the use of
antitoxins did Congress pass an act (1902) regulating the manufacture
and interstate sale of the viruses, serums, toxins, etc. The
supervision and control were vested in the Secretary of the Treasury
through the Public Health and Marine Hospital Service. Previous to
April 1, 1905, there was no official standard for measuring the
strength of diphtheria antitoxin. Previous to October 25, 1907, there
were as many units or standards for tetanus antitoxin as there were
producers. One was labeled "6,000,000 units per c.c." and another
"0.75 unit per c.c.," while, according to official standard, the first
had only 90 and the latter
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