16 



THE BUREAU OF SCIENCE 



contact with those who succumbed to the disease. During the 

 past year numerous specimens were examined in a systematic 

 effort to eliminate "carriers" from among persons engaged in 

 handling foods. Each sample was examined for the presence of 

 cholera and typhoid organisms as well as for entamoebse and 

 other intestinal parasites. Among the latter were found chiefly 

 Ascaris, Trichuris, Oxyuris, Strongyloides , and hookworm. By 

 such methods people who consciously or unconsciously harbored 

 infectious material were made aware of its presence, and the 

 public was protected from contamination. These procedures 

 help to prevent epidemics and are reducing the large percentages 

 of cases of intestinal parasitism. In October the examinations 

 showed many throat swabs positive for diphtheria. The number 

 of diphtheria carriers increased, as is usually the case before 

 an outbreak of an epidemic. However, by stringent sanitary 

 measures, which necessitated the examination of a large number 

 of contacts and a great deal of overtime work on the part of 

 employees, the outbreak was aborted, and no serious epidemic 

 resulted. Besides the various routine tests for pathogenic or- 

 ganisms, other examinations were made. Mineral and other 

 waters and milk were examined bacteriologically. The United 

 States Hygienic Laboratory phenol coefficient test was applied to 

 a number of disinfectants. The diagnostic work imposed upon 

 the Bureau of Science by law and carried on during the year and 

 made during the fiscal year 1914 is given in parallel columns 

 in the following table : 



Nature of examination. 



Waters 



Gonococci . 

 Widal test . 

 Blood 



Blood cultures - 



Faeces -. 



Leprosy 



Calendar year. 



2.118 



16, 383 



599 



6,398 



392 



' 126, 022 



1,142 



64 



Plague - -- -- 



Rats for plague all3,337 



Sputum 2,095 



Urine 4,275 



35 



1,288 



181 



412 



Rabies -. 



Wassermann test --. 



Histological examinations - 

 Necropsy 



Miscellaneous 



1,649 



2,985 



15, 832 



5,168 



27 



50,021 



569 



1 



79, 298 



85 



2 



21 



633 



473 



117 



9,989 



■ Suddenly increased by more than 50 per cent due to examination during an epidemic. 



