UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
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1581 Stamboul will be much more suitable. Then, again, medical men have comparatively little work to do in Haidar Pasha, which is far from being densely populated. It would be altogether a wise plan if the medical faculty were removed to Stamboul. May 24th. ___________________ UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENTS.) Bubozic Plag1le still a Menace to the Country. NOTWITHSTANDING the successful efforts of the health authorities of San Francisco, aided by the officers of the National Public Health Service, to control the bubonic plague in that city there are evidences that the infection has been carried to different localities over a wide area by ground squirrels. Dr. Colby Rucker of the Public Health Service has been organising a scouting expedition to determine just how far the infection has spread, and preliminary reports of his work show a somewhat alarming condition, infected squirrels having been found in widely separated places in one county, with evidences that other counties are also involved. As the extermination of the squirrels is apparently impossible, the spread of the disease by the squirrels, prairie dogs, and other rodents depends solely upon whether they have sufficient tolerance to keep the bacilli alive, or whether they will die off so quickly as to prevent the germs being carried. Much blame is attached to the authorities of San Francisco for their efforts to conceal the presence of the plague long after it was identified by the sanitary officers, thus prevent- ing active measures for its control and possible extermination at an early period. 2ampering with the Xe7v PkarmaeoT&-ia,. Physicians and druggists throughout the country are looking to the decennial meeting of the United States Pharmacoposial Convention, which is soon to meet in Washington, as the most important in the history of that organisation. This is the first meeting since the Food and Drug Act" was passed, which adopted for all drugs used in the United States the standards of the United States Pbarma- copoeia that is owned by the Pharmacopoeial Convention. Meeting at the same time as the Convention is its most im- portant committee, known as the "Revision Committee," which consists of 26 of the chief pharmacists and physicians of the country, and is charged with the decennial revision of the Pharmacopoeia. So far-reaching is this meeting expected to be that for months the medical and pharmaceutical journals of the country have been flooded with articles bearing on the problems to be met at this time. It has been alleged that when the Eighth Convention met in 1900 repeated efforts were made to bribe members of the Revision Com- mittee in the interest of some particular drug or prescrip- tion, and that the temptations for unscrupulous manufacturers to repeat those methods of securing favourable mention as to their particular drugs are twofold greater now since the United States Government has adopted the Pharmacopoeia standards. The chairman of the committee, Mr. Remington, of Philadelphia, spoke at a recent meeting of the Phil- adelphia branch of the opportunities of its members to take bribes on the occasion of the last revision ; one man offered him 5000 dollars if he would change only two words in the Pharmacopoeia ; another man said he was willing to give thousands of dollars for changes. Professor H. H. Rushby, of Columbia University, a prominent member, says that when it was suggested about a year ago that attempts were contemplated by interested parties to obtain action at the next revision which would favour private interests, the suggestion was treated with ridicule, but it is now being repeated from various directions. A person who is exception- ally well informed affirms that the attempts to manipulate the ninth revision will exceed in strength and determination all preceding efforts combined. Compulsory Yaccmation against Tuberculosis. At the recent meeting of the " National Association for the Study and Prevention of Tuberculosis," Professor A. S. Knopf called attention to two recently enacted State laws designed to prevent the spread of tuberculosis. The first of these is in force in Nebraska and provides that poor persons in that State suffering from tuberculosis must submit to vaccine-therapy. Professor Knopf obtained the opinions of a large number of leading physicians in regard to the pro- priety of this law and found that it was universally con- demned. Dr. Trudeau, our highest authority on the treatment of tuberculosis, replied that it seemed to him difficult to understand how any State can make compulsory any treat- ment of disease, and more especially a treatment like tuber- culin in tuberculosis, the benefit of which is as yet an open question, for tuberculin is not at all generally accepted by the great majority of the profession. Dr. Simon Flexner, director of the Research Institute, said that he did not believe we possessed an experimental or observational basis which suffices to justify any Federal, State, or muni- cipal legislature in prescribing any- specific treatment for tuberculosis. The second law was passed by the legis- lature of the State of Oklahoma, which prohibits any physician suffering from tuberculosis, however slightly, from practising his profession in that State. The law provides that every physician who applies for a licence to practise in that State must make an affidavit that he is not suffering from tuberculosis in any form ; that he has not in the last three years lived in the house with or nursed anyone suffer- ing from that disease. This affidavit must be accompanied by the certificate or endorsement of a physician legally practising in Oklahoma to the effect that he has known the applicant for three years, and has made a thorough exa- mination and has found him to be free from tuberculosis. This law was pronounced ludicrous, oppressive, absurd, incredible, and unjust by Professor Welch, Professor Jacobi, Professor Osler, Dr. Flexner, and many others from whom replies to a letter of inquiry were received. Notable Honours tn a Martyr to Science and Humanity. Last week I mentioned the death of Dr. Howard Taylor Ricketts of Chicago, at the age of 39 years, in the American Hospital, city of Mexico, on May 3rd, from typhus fever con- tracted while pursuing investigations regarding the causation of that disease. He is known to have been a tireless worker, and was not in good physical condition when he went to Mexico in April to complete work which he had begun. It is believed that he contracted the disease from lice contaminated with the germs of typhus. His death caused great sorrow in the city of Mexico, especially in the Department of Public Instruction and Fine Arts and in the medical corps. I have now the pleasure of recording the fact that the President of the Republic has resolved that the follow- ing honours should be shown the memory of this heroic investigator : 1. The laboratory where he made his investigations will be named Dr. Howard T. Ricketts Laboratory." 2. The National School of Medicine, the Bacteriologic, the Medical, and the Pathologic Institutes were put in mourning three days. 3. A special commission of those institutions accompanied the body to the railway station where a special car was provided. 4. The Depart- ment of Public Instruction and Fine Arts sent a special delegate to present to Mrs. Ricketts the expression of the Mexican Government’s sorrow for the death of her eminent husband. 5. The same department sent a flower crown with this inscription, ° To the heroic investigator. Dr. H. T. Ricketts. Homage of the Department of Public Instruction and Fine Arts, Mexico, May 3, 1910." The National Academy of Medicine suspended its weekly session and the President made a public panegyric on the courageous and unfortunate Dr. Ricketts. May 19th. NOTES FROM INDIA. (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENTS.) Plague. THE plague returns for the week ending April 9th show that throughout the whole of India the deaths numbered 27,311, a decrease of 1182 as compared with the deaths in the previous week. The mortality in the different provinces was as follows :-Bombay Presidency, 779 ; Bengal, 2379 ; the United Provinces, 6893; the Punjab, 10,900 ; Burma, 422 ; the Central Provinces, 322 ; Rajputana, 2110. The worst areas in the United Provinces were Muttra district, 821 ; Azamgarh district, 557; Ballia district, 602 ; Unao
Transcript of UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
1581
Stamboul will be much more suitable. Then, again, medicalmen have comparatively little work to do in Haidar Pasha,which is far from being densely populated. It would be
altogether a wise plan if the medical faculty were removedto Stamboul.May 24th.
___________________
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENTS.)
Bubozic Plag1le still a Menace to the Country.NOTWITHSTANDING the successful efforts of the health
authorities of San Francisco, aided by the officers of theNational Public Health Service, to control the bubonic
plague in that city there are evidences that the infection hasbeen carried to different localities over a wide area by groundsquirrels. Dr. Colby Rucker of the Public Health Service hasbeen organising a scouting expedition to determine just howfar the infection has spread, and preliminary reports of hiswork show a somewhat alarming condition, infected squirrelshaving been found in widely separated places in one county,with evidences that other counties are also involved. As theextermination of the squirrels is apparently impossible, thespread of the disease by the squirrels, prairie dogs, andother rodents depends solely upon whether they havesufficient tolerance to keep the bacilli alive, or whether theywill die off so quickly as to prevent the germs being carried.Much blame is attached to the authorities of San Franciscofor their efforts to conceal the presence of the plague longafter it was identified by the sanitary officers, thus prevent-ing active measures for its control and possible exterminationat an early period.
2ampering with the Xe7v PkarmaeoT&-ia,.Physicians and druggists throughout the country are
looking to the decennial meeting of the United StatesPharmacoposial Convention, which is soon to meet in
Washington, as the most important in the history of thatorganisation. This is the first meeting since the Food andDrug Act" was passed, which adopted for all drugs used inthe United States the standards of the United States Pbarma-
copoeia that is owned by the Pharmacopoeial Convention.
Meeting at the same time as the Convention is its most im-portant committee, known as the "Revision Committee,"which consists of 26 of the chief pharmacists and physiciansof the country, and is charged with the decennial revision ofthe Pharmacopoeia. So far-reaching is this meeting expectedto be that for months the medical and pharmaceuticaljournals of the country have been flooded with articles
bearing on the problems to be met at this time. It has beenalleged that when the Eighth Convention met in 1900 repeatedefforts were made to bribe members of the Revision Com-mittee in the interest of some particular drug or prescrip-tion, and that the temptations for unscrupulous manufacturersto repeat those methods of securing favourable mention asto their particular drugs are twofold greater now since theUnited States Government has adopted the Pharmacopoeiastandards. The chairman of the committee, Mr. Remington,of Philadelphia, spoke at a recent meeting of the Phil-
adelphia branch of the opportunities of its members to takebribes on the occasion of the last revision ; one man offeredhim 5000 dollars if he would change only two words inthe Pharmacopoeia ; another man said he was willing to givethousands of dollars for changes. Professor H. H. Rushby,of Columbia University, a prominent member, says thatwhen it was suggested about a year ago that attempts werecontemplated by interested parties to obtain action at thenext revision which would favour private interests, thesuggestion was treated with ridicule, but it is now beingrepeated from various directions. A person who is exception-ally well informed affirms that the attempts to manipulatethe ninth revision will exceed in strength and determinationall preceding efforts combined.
Compulsory Yaccmation against Tuberculosis.At the recent meeting of the " National Association for the
Study and Prevention of Tuberculosis," Professor A. S.Knopf called attention to two recently enacted State lawsdesigned to prevent the spread of tuberculosis. The first ofthese is in force in Nebraska and provides that poor persons
in that State suffering from tuberculosis must submit tovaccine-therapy. Professor Knopf obtained the opinions ofa large number of leading physicians in regard to the pro-priety of this law and found that it was universally con-demned. Dr. Trudeau, our highest authority on the treatmentof tuberculosis, replied that it seemed to him difficult tounderstand how any State can make compulsory any treat-ment of disease, and more especially a treatment like tuber-culin in tuberculosis, the benefit of which is as yet an openquestion, for tuberculin is not at all generally accepted bythe great majority of the profession. Dr. Simon Flexner,director of the Research Institute, said that he did notbelieve we possessed an experimental or observationalbasis which suffices to justify any Federal, State, or muni-cipal legislature in prescribing any- specific treatmentfor tuberculosis. The second law was passed by the legis-lature of the State of Oklahoma, which prohibits anyphysician suffering from tuberculosis, however slightly, frompractising his profession in that State. The law providesthat every physician who applies for a licence to practise inthat State must make an affidavit that he is not sufferingfrom tuberculosis in any form ; that he has not in the lastthree years lived in the house with or nursed anyone suffer-
ing from that disease. This affidavit must be accompaniedby the certificate or endorsement of a physician legallypractising in Oklahoma to the effect that he has known theapplicant for three years, and has made a thorough exa-mination and has found him to be free from tuberculosis.This law was pronounced ludicrous, oppressive, absurd,incredible, and unjust by Professor Welch, ProfessorJacobi, Professor Osler, Dr. Flexner, and many others fromwhom replies to a letter of inquiry were received.
Notable Honours tn a Martyr to Science and Humanity.Last week I mentioned the death of Dr. Howard Taylor
Ricketts of Chicago, at the age of 39 years, in the AmericanHospital, city of Mexico, on May 3rd, from typhus fever con-tracted while pursuing investigations regarding the causationof that disease. He is known to have been a tireless worker, andwas not in good physical condition when he went to Mexicoin April to complete work which he had begun. It is believedthat he contracted the disease from lice contaminated withthe germs of typhus. His death caused great sorrow in thecity of Mexico, especially in the Department of PublicInstruction and Fine Arts and in the medical corps.I have now the pleasure of recording the fact that thePresident of the Republic has resolved that the follow-ing honours should be shown the memory of thisheroic investigator : 1. The laboratory where he madehis investigations will be named Dr. Howard T. RickettsLaboratory." 2. The National School of Medicine, the
Bacteriologic, the Medical, and the Pathologic Instituteswere put in mourning three days. 3. A special commissionof those institutions accompanied the body to the railwaystation where a special car was provided. 4. The Depart-ment of Public Instruction and Fine Arts sent a specialdelegate to present to Mrs. Ricketts the expression of theMexican Government’s sorrow for the death of her eminenthusband. 5. The same department sent a flower crownwith this inscription, ° To the heroic investigator. Dr.H. T. Ricketts. Homage of the Department of PublicInstruction and Fine Arts, Mexico, May 3, 1910." TheNational Academy of Medicine suspended its weekly sessionand the President made a public panegyric on the courageousand unfortunate Dr. Ricketts.May 19th.
NOTES FROM INDIA.
(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENTS.)
Plague.THE plague returns for the week ending April 9th show
that throughout the whole of India the deaths numbered27,311, a decrease of 1182 as compared with the deaths inthe previous week. The mortality in the different provinceswas as follows :-Bombay Presidency, 779 ; Bengal, 2379 ;the United Provinces, 6893; the Punjab, 10,900 ; Burma,422 ; the Central Provinces, 322 ; Rajputana, 2110. Theworst areas in the United Provinces were Muttra district,821 ; Azamgarh district, 557; Ballia district, 602 ; Unao
