Proceedings of the quarter-centennial celebration of the establishment of the Michigan State Board of Health : held at Detroit, Michigan, August 9, 1898.
- Michigan. State Board of Health
- Date:
- 1898
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Proceedings of the quarter-centennial celebration of the establishment of the Michigan State Board of Health : held at Detroit, Michigan, August 9, 1898. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.
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![3n oj)enitioii and quic-kly available, the resources of an ell'ective labor- ;iIory, that, without delay, the profession can contirni or dismiss cases in doubt. The value of this method is now no longer (piestioned by the most extreme i)ractitioner, and to a i>rogressivel>y enlightened public, interested in sanitary matters, acquiescense in it is accomplished, if not <lenianded by the }»ublic at large. The system in vogue in Buffalo represents what is believed to be as j>ractical and stringent as circumstances will iiermit. It is obligatory upon physicians to report to the Department of Health (at all times) by telephone, which is free of exjtense to them, each case of diphtheria im- mediately ui)on discovery as they come under their notice. At least, 24 hours is saved by the telephone, and notification to the ]>ublic by i)lacarding the house is accomplished just so much sooner than reporting to the dej)artment by mail; thus possibility of further spread of the disease is materially reduced. If doubt as to the nature of the malady exists the ])hysician has at his <-ommand, in all sections of the city, the resources of the laboratory and <1 rei)ort within 24 hours. This ]>rocedure is made more available by the <‘o-operation of the l*olice Department. In each I’olice Station of the city culture tubes and swabs, compactly ])ut up in a small box with ])rinted directions for inoculating, so simple that a novice is capable of following them, can be had by any physician. The culture outfit contains a blank to be filled out by the physician, furnishing the laboratoi’y with name of patient, address, duration of <liscase, location of membrane and such other information as the depart- ment records require for a full knowledge of the case. Through this same channel the culture outfits are returned to the Health Department, ]>assed upon and within 24 hours or less, the medical man is furnished with a diagnosis of his case and the house placarded if necessary, without further cognizance on his ]»art. Through this sys- tem of co-o])oration between the I’olice and Health Departments the service is kept entirely under municipal control, and rapidity and free- dom from error made definite. The placai'd is maintained until a bacteriological examination demon- strates the absence of the diphtheria bacilli. The placarding of the house for the public information is immediately followed by a visit from a Sanitary Inspector who institutes such other sanitary measures as seem indicated. A detailed report upon the premises is presented by the Inspector, including all such features as defective ])lumbing, unhygienic surroundings, possible source of the infection, together with such recommendations as, in his judgment, the conditions demand; the Department immediately ordering rectification of all sani- tary defects. Further aggressive action is instituted following the In- spector’s report, notably, notification to school principals of all cases occurring in their districts and thus interdicting school attendance by ])upils from quarantined houses; and notification to public libraries that the circulation of infected books may be prevented. The source of milk is also noted and the possibility of this medium as the infectious channel considered. On account of the importance of the milk supply as a possible source of infection, a special ledger is pre- served in the Department office detailing each milk dealer’s route, families supplied, source from which milk is obtained and such other data as](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b22335213_0079.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
