PERSONNEL.

COMMISSIONED MEDICAL OFFICERS.

At the commencement of the fiscal year, July 1, 1912, the commissioned corps consisted of the Surgeon General, 39 surgeons, 74 passed assistant surgeons, and 24 assistant surgeons.

The act of Congress approved August 14, 1912, authorized a new grade to consist of 10 senior surgeons.

The sundry civil act, approved August 24, 1913, authorized 6 additional assistant surgeons, who have had a special training in the diagnosis of insanity and mental defects, for duty in connection with the examination of arriving aliens.

The changes during the fiscal year were as follows: Ten surgeons were promoted to the grade of senior surgeon, 36 passed assistant surgeons to the grade of surgeon, 3 assistant surgeons to the grade of passed assistant surgeon, and 13 candidates who passed the examination required by the laws and regulations of the service were commissioned assistant surgeons. On account of physical disability 2 surgeons and 1 passed assistant surgeon continued on waiting orders. Senior Surg. Frank W. Mead died at Vineyard Haven, Mass., January 18, 1913; Surg. Henry D. Geddings at Washington, D. C., February 13, 1913; Passed Asst. Surg. Thomas B. McClintic at Washington, D. C., August 13, 1913; and Passed Asst. Surg. Samuel C. Hotchkiss at Washington, D. C., August 6, 1912. Asst. Surg. R. H. Lyon resigned March 27, 1913; A. C. Reed, May 20, 1913; and N. D. Brecht, May 31,

1913.

At the close of the fiscal year the commissioned Medical Corps consisted of the Surgeon General, 10 senior surgeons, 63 surgeons, 40 passed assistant surgeons, and 30 assistant surgeons. One senior surgeon, 3 surgeons, and 2 passed assistant surgeons were upon detail in the bureau as assistant surgeons general, in accordance with the act approved July 1, 1902.

Assignments.-Among other assignments of commissioned medical officers during the fiscal year were the following: Thirty-one were assigned to exclusive immigration duty, their services being supplemented by employment of acting assistant surgeons; 6 to the quarantine service of the Philippine Islands; 11 to vessels of the RevenueCutter Service; 27 to the quarantine stations in the continental United States, Porto Rico, and the Hawaiian Islands; 7 to duty in foreign countries to prevent the introduction of epidemic diseases into the United States.

Special details.-Two commissioned medical officers continued on detail duty with the Isthmian Canal Commission. Passed Asst. Surg. V. G. Heiser, in addition to his duties as chief quarantine officer, has been continued as director of health of the Philippine Islands. Upon the request of the Commissioner of Education, Department of

the Interior, Passed Asst. Surg. Emil Krulish has been continued for duty in Alaska for the improvement of the sanitary and social conditions of the natives.

Personnel, Hygienic Laboratory.-At the close of the fiscal year there were on duty in the Hygienic Laboratory, in addition to the director and assistant director, 3 chiefs of divisions, 8 surgeons, 4 passed assistant surgeons, 3 assistant surgeons, 2 pharmacists, 1 artist, 8 technical assistants, and 32 attendants.

Quarantine inspector.-One quarantine inspector served throughout the entire year.

Acting assistant surgeons. The services of 26 acting assistant surgeons have been discontinued during the fiscal year, 3 have died, and 28 have been appointed, leaving on duty at the end of the fiscal year 226 such officers.

Medical inspectors. One female inspector served during the entire year for the inspection of women passengers at Honolulu, Hawaii. Internes. At the beginning of the fiscal year there were 16 internes on duty at the various marine-hospital stations; 12 were appointed and 13 were separated from the service by reason of resignation, leaving 15 on duty at the close of the fiscal year.

Pharmacists.-At the beginning of the fiscal year there were on duty 46 pharmacists, divided as follows: Pharmacists of the first class, 16; second class, 21; third class, 9. Four pharmacists of the third class resigned; 4 pharmacists of the third class were appointed, and 3 pharmacists of the third class were promoted, leaving at the close of the fiscal year 46 pharmacists on duty as follows: Pharmacists of the first class, 16; second class, 24; third class, 6.

Pilots and marine engineers.-At the beginning of the fiscal year there were on duty 16 pilots and 21 engineers; 2 pilots resigned and 1 was appointed; 1 marine engineer resigned and 1 was appointed. The number on duty at the close of the fiscal year were as follows: Pilots, 15; marine engineers, 21.

Hospital and quarantine attendants. At the beginning of the fiscal year 968 attendants were employed at the various marine hospitals, quarantine stations, and on epidemic duty, including 72 such employees on duty in the Philippine Islands, and at the close of the fiscal year there were so employed as follows:

Twenty-six boards were convened at different times and at various stations through the United States for the physical examination of officers of the Revenue-Cutter Service and applicants for entrance therein; 14 for the physical examination of detained aliens; 18 for the examination of commissioned officers to determine their fitness for promotion to the next higher grades of the service; 28 for examination of applicants for appointment as assistant surgeons; and 2 for the examination of pharmacists to determine their fitness for promotion to a higher grade.

Boards were convened for the revision of the regulations for the government of the service and of the regulations governing the uniforms to be worn by officers and employees.

A commission composed of officers of the service and a number of gentlemen of high scientific attainments was formed for the determination of a standard of purity for drinking water for use on common carriers in interstate traffic.

A board of commissioned officers was convened to make an investigation, under the act of July 1, 1902, of a preparation for the cure of tuberculosis.

The bureau sanitary board has been convened in 22 sessions to pass upon reports of inspections of establishments engaged in the manufacture of vaccines, serums, toxins, etc., prior to recommending a license; and to pass upon advertised remedies and appliances to determine if said advertisements should be excluded from the mails.

SERVICE PUBLICATIONS.

As in previous years the bureau has been unable to meet the requests made on it for its publications, because of limited editions. The service publications may be described under eight heads, namely: (1) Annual Reports; (2) Weekly Public Health Reports; (3) Reprints from the Public Health Reports; (4) Supplements to the Public Health Reports; (5) Bulletins of the Hygienic Laboratory; (6) Bulletins of the Yellow Fever Institute; (7) Public Health Bulletins, and (8) Miscellaneous Publications.

Annual Reports. The laws authorizing the publication of these reports are as follows:

[Act approved July 1, 1902, sec. 9.]

It shall be the duty of the Surgeon General to transmit annually to the Secretary of the Treasury, for transmission to Congress, a full and complete report of the transactions of said service, including a detailed statement of receipts and disbursements.

Joint resolution, approved February 24, 1905, section 2, provides: That there shall be printed each year 4,000 copies of the annual report of the Surgeon General of the Public Health and Marine-Hospital Service, bound in cloth, to be distributed by the Surgeon General.

Weekly Public Health Reports.-These reports are published under authority of section 4 of the act of Congress approved February 15, 1893, quoted in part as follows:

* *

*

shall prepare, publish, and transmit

The Secretary of the Treasury * * * weekly abstracts of the consular sanitary reports and other pertinent information received by him * * *

The weekly Public Health Reports, containing the above information, are published in an edition at present of 8,650 copies. These reports are arranged in three parts, the first relating to the United States and to our insular possessions; the second to foreign countries; and the third part dealing with sanitary legislation. In the first part are published articles or contributions of special importance, which are frequently reprinted as separates, the latter being distributed in larger numbers than the full publication, together with reports of sanitary operations, statistical reports of morbidity and mortality in the States and cities of the United States, special tables giving weekly reports of the greater epidemic diseases, such as smallpox, cerebrospinal meningitis, poliomyelitis, erysipelas, pneumonia, rabies, and tetanus, and special tables giving the weekly record of cases and deaths of the principal contagious or infectious diseases in the cities of the United States having a population of more than 25,000 and some under this number, there being included in this table the populations of said cities according to the last census. In the second part are published articles or contributions and statistical tables similar to the above relating to the cities and territories in foreign countries. The third part dealing with sanitary legislation

contains State laws and regulations pertaining to public health, and municipal ordinances, rules, and regulations pertaining to the public health.

Supplements to the Public Health Reports. These pamphlets contain articles on popular subjects of health, and have recently been added to the service publications. Six of these supplements have been issued during the fiscal year, a list of which follows:

1. Measles. By W. C. Rucker.

2. Indoor Tropics: The Injurious Effect of Overheated Dwellings, Schools, etc. By J. M. Eager.

3. Tuberculosis: Its Predisposing Causes. By F. C. Smith.

4. The Citizen and the Public Health. By A. M. Stimson.

5. Fighting Trim: The Importance of Right Living. By J. M. Eager.

6. Contagious Diseases: Their Prevention and Control in Children's Institutions. By James P. Leake.

There is an ever-increasing demand for literature dealing with public health and matters of sanitary importance, and the general public as well as physicians, are showing a greater interest along these lines.

Five hundred and fifty-five thousand and eighty-seven copies of the various reports and bulletins were distributed during the year. While this shows an increase of about 173,315 copies over last year, there is still a great need of more ample provisions for printing larger editions. It is estimated that not over 50 per cent of the requests could be complied with. Several important bulletins have been printed as public documents in comparatively large editions to meet certain demands in special sections of the country. This measure was necessary because of the limited funds available for printing for this bureau.

Reprints from the Public Health Reports.-Fifty-one special articles were printed in the Public Health Reports and have been reprinted. In order to make available to health authorities of the United States information relative to conditions existing in certain localities in the United States and how they have been dealt with, municipal ordinances appearing in the Public Health Reports were reprinted in separate volumes, designated Reprints Nos. 70 and 121. The following is a list of the reprints that were published during the year:

84. Leprosy in the United States. Transportation of Lepers in Interstate Traffic. Amendment to Interstate Quarantine Regulations.

85. Methods and Standards for the Production and Distribution of "Certified Milk." Adopted by the American Association of Medical Milk Commissions, May 1, 1912.

86. The Rat Guard Used in the Philippines. By Carroll Fox.

87. Rabies in the United States in the Year 1911. By A. M. Stimson.

88. The Eradication and Prevention of Bubonic Plague. By Wm. Colby Rucker. 89. The Technique of the Laboratory Examinations of Rats for Plague. By George W. McCoy. Technique Employed in the Examination of Rodents for Plague. By Donald H. Currie.

90. The Post-Mortem Diagnosis of Plague. By Rupert Blue.

91. Antirat Ordinances of San Francisco, Cal., Oakland, Cal., and Seattle, Wash. 92. Active and Passive Immunization Against Plague. By Wade H. Frost.

93. The Public Health Service Tuberculosis Sanitorium at Fort Stanton. By F. C. Smith.

94. Notes on the Bionomics of Rats and Ground Squirrels. By George W. McCoy. 95. The United States Public Health Service.-An act to change the name of the Public Health and Marine-Hospital Service to the Public Health Service, to increase the pay of officers of said service, and for other purposes.

96. Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. By W. C. Rucker.