80 Background of Work and Study in Public Health 



good use of the microscope, get the pupils to do as much outside reading 

 as possible, and when we are done with each subject I require a written 

 summary of it, made without use of the textbook. Most of my pupils 

 have become very much interested in the study. We shall continue it 

 about three months longer. 



Early in March Smith had examined and shown to Dr. Baker of 

 the Michigan health board trichinae in " a small piece of muscle 

 taken from" the body of a boy who had "died of trichiniosis, 

 caused by eating uncooked pork . . . ." Material for the examina- 

 tion had been sent to the health board by a doctor, and, in part, 

 Smith's memorandum read: 



Use[d] Bausch & Lomb's Physician's Microscope C eyepiece and % inch 

 objective. Studied the sections about 2 hours. Never before saw any 

 meat so literally filled with the parasites. Counted 16 of the worms in 

 one field, 20 in another and 30 in another, seemed to be more abundant 

 in some parts than in others. In only a few cases did I detect any well 

 defined cysts. The worms were among the muscular fibers doubled and 

 coiled into various shapes. I also re-examined some of the sow's flesh 

 sent. . . . Found usually two or three encysted trichinae to a field. 

 Only one hog was diseased in this way. . . . 



During the summer of 1884 he edited, and supervised the 

 publishing of, the proceedings of the Ionia state sanitary conven- 

 tion. In the spring a sanitary convention had been also held at 

 Hillsdale; and by summer its proceedings were being printed. The 

 Board's annual report for the year 1883 was soon to appear, and 

 to contain " a compilation of all the laws relating to Public Health 

 in Michigan, for the use of local boards of health. You see," 

 Erwin wrote to his mother, " there is no end to work in this Office. 

 I am so busy, as a rule, that I do not mind the flight of time." In 

 1884 Secretary Baker reported Michigan to have between three 

 and four thousand physicians and fourteen hundred health 

 officers. ^^" Smith gathered and put together not only data con- 

 cerning their education and practice but also names and addresses 

 of secretaries of state boards of health, twenty-seven in number, 

 and the names and addresses of state medical societies, forty two 

 in all, including Canadian references. Moreover, he sent " fre- 



"■"- Sanitary News 4 (37): 11, May 1, 1884. See also San. Netrs 3 (29): 67, 

 concerning Ionia convention; concerning Hillsdale convention, p. 10. Data as to 

 Smith's work taken from his correspondence. 



