FIFTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT 21 



of all those connected with the handling of food has been car- 

 ried out. 



In addition to the large number of faecal specimens for 

 cholera, routine examinations of water, milk, blood, sputum, 

 plague, leprosy, gonococci, urine, foodstuffs, etc., have been 

 performed. 



Sanitary Health Commissions. — The Bureau of Science has 

 continued the supervision of the bacteriological work of the 

 Sanitary Health Commissions. This institution does not have 

 sufficient personnel to do all of the bacteriological work, but 

 one assistant has been constantly detailed to provincial duty. 



Ge7ieral. — Twice during the year the Bureau of Science has 

 complied with a request of the Director of Health for an assistant 

 bacteriologist to be detailed for provincial laboratory work to 

 suppress severe local outbreaks of cholera. Owing to more in- 

 telligent cooperation on the part of subordinate health officials, 

 in taking and forwarding laboratory specimens, the Bureau of 

 Science has been able to detect a greater percentage of the posi- 

 tive cases of cholera and cholera carriers from the provinces 

 than ever before. Further investigations of the cholera-carrier 

 problem are being carried on. Studies in leprosy previously re- 

 ported are still in progress. Since this is a disease of long in- 

 cubation, observation must necessarily be continued over a period 

 of years. In the routine examination of rats one case of chronic 

 or resolvent plague was discovered. An extensive study of fun- 

 gus and allied skin infections is now underway. The published 

 articles are given under the Philippine Journal of Science, Sec- 

 tion B, on page 41. 



Laboratory for sera and vaccines. — By a rearrangement of 

 space three workrooms have been added to the rooms formerly 

 used as laboratories in connection with serum work. The ar- 

 rangement makes it possible to prepare and sterilize small glass- 

 ware, such as graduated cylinders, pipettes, beakers, test tubes, 

 Petri dishes, etc., without interference with the main sterilizing 

 plant, which is taxed to its maximum by the work in connection 

 with cholera examinations and general bacteriological work. 

 Large pieces of glassware and apparatus used for bleeding, fil- 

 tering, and filling of biological products are being prepared and 

 sterilized in an autoclave located in front of the serum and 

 bottling rooms. 



The manufacture of these biologic products has been facili- 

 tated by the addition of three assistants, two of whom are medical 



