Review of Public Health Work in Indiana. 



J. N. HURTY. 



I'or the present Indiana health law, and consequently for all the good 

 which may have come from the same, the Indiana Medical Association has 

 all the credit and praise. 



The first effort to secure a public health law in Indiana was made by this 

 association in 1855. The effort failed at that time and was not seriously 

 attempted again until 1875. In that year, Dr. Thaddeus M. Stevens, of 

 Indianapolis, made a motion that a Committee on State Board of Health be 

 appointed. The motion prevailed, and to the said committee the following 

 named gentlemen were appointed : 



Thaddeus M. Stevens, M. D., Indianapolis; James S. Anthon, M. D., 

 Indianapolis; J. W. Hervey, M. D., IndianapoHs; Z. W. Burton, M. D., 

 Mitchell. All of these gentlemen were busy, indeed very busy practitioners. 



This committee drafted a bill to establish a State Board of Health, and 

 introduced the same into the Legislature of 1875. It failed to pass. The 

 same committee introduced a similar bill at the next session of 1877. It 

 passed the Senate, and, after certain amendments, passed the House, but 

 the senate failed, for some reason, to concur in the bill so amended. 



Until the year 1878, the idea of the formation of a State Board of Health, 

 or the enactment of State laws regarding public hygiene, was too often 

 confounded with efforts to have laws passed regulating the practice of medi- 

 cine. Seeing the difficulties that would result from such a confusion of sub- 

 jects. Dr. Stevens introduced the following resolution at the session of the 

 Indiana State Medical Society, 1878: 



"Resolved, That a committee of three be appointed to draft a bill for the 

 'Regulation of the practice of medicine in Indiana, and also to define the 

 duties and privileges of pharmaceutists and druggists within the State, and 

 that such bill shall be put upon the basis of equal recognition of all schools 

 and sects of medicine so far as the examination of candidates for practice 

 and their privileges are concerned, they to have separate boards.' 



A committee was formed in accordance therewith, since which time the 

 two subjects mentioned have been intelligently separated. 



At the same meeting of the Society the following resolutions were offered 

 by Dr. Stevens : 



"Resolved, That the Committee on State Board of Health as now con- 

 stituted by this Society, shall be called the State Health Commission, with 

 power to associate with them a competent civil engineer, and that the State 

 Geologist shall be an ex-officio member of such commission. That the duties 

 of such commission shall be to make investigation as to the causes and means 



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