604 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



offered for sale as a food for our citizens, or as a feed for their 

 stock, we are able to prevent fraud and deception and to keep down 

 the sale of such articles which are not worthy of being produced or 

 sold. 



The stalks, tissues and tibers of plants, the cell structure of woods 

 and barks, hair, wool, fruits and their seeds and hundreds of other 

 products of the vegetable and animal world have special characteris- 

 tics of structure known to the trained microscopist. By reason, 

 therefore, of his special knowledge, he is called upon to tell whether 

 or not a product sold as wheat middlings contains 26 per cent, of 

 ground corn cobs, if the pepper which he is using contains vegetable 

 ivory, cocoa shells or some inferior bean, and whether or not the 

 many spices are as pure as advertised. He is asked to tell us the com- 

 position of paper and to state the proportion of linen rag or wood 

 pulp used therein. By a knowledge of the structure of the vegetable 

 and animal fibers, the composition of fabrics can readih' be told. 

 Thus, it will be seen that the microscopical investigations which have 

 been made and which are continually going on are of great value, 

 and this work in conjunction with chemical analysis has made it 

 possible to keep the food products sold in our Commonwealth up to 

 a high standard. 



The work of a hygienist should be devoted to that branch of sani- 

 tary science which has to do with the keeping of the communities in 

 which we live in a sanitary and healthful condition. Work of this 

 nature covers a wide range of subjects, and it is unnecessary to state 

 its value. For several years large and small cities have devoted a 

 great deal of time and money to this line of work, and the work 

 done by our present State Department of Health is well known 

 throughout the land. When investigations are made as to the sani- 

 tary conditions of some places of abode, it is almost amazing to 

 learn how little attention is paid to this work. Laws have been 

 passed in nearly all the states of our country, regulating the sale 

 of food products. In man}^ of our cities we have milk inspection 

 and of course food inspection, but very few cities or communities 

 have what might be called sanitary inspection, which, to my mind, 

 is as important and possibly more important than the analysis or 

 examination of foods. This might be illustrated by conditions which 

 can in many instances be verified by visiting a restaurant to obtain 

 a meal. The food served there might be of the best (luality and may 

 have been in a cleanly condition, but, on the other hand, it often 

 happens that the sanitary conditions of the kitchen and those serv- 

 ing us are such that would make the spread of disease or sickness 

 possible. I personally have been an observer of these conditions, 

 possibly noticing them more thaii some, by reason of being very 

 much interested in this line of work. 



I have visited cafes, restaurants and places where food is sold 

 and have noticed that the sanitary conditions and the methods of 

 handling food were not as they should be. Many illustrations might 

 be given but these conditions are too well known to the careful 

 observer to bear repetition here. 



The State of North Dakota enacted a law of 1909. known as the 

 Sanitary Inspection Law, which, it seems to me, is one of the most 

 important laws which has to do with the preserving of the public 

 health which has been passed for some time in any state. This act 

 provides for the sanitation of bakeries, canneries, packing houses, 



