246 THE BIOLOGY OF DISEASE 



scientific evidence which justifies the use of patent 

 medicines, or of alcohol unless definitely prescribed by a 

 physician. 



188. Headache and Anti-pain Patent Medicines. — Many 

 preparations advertised under these general names are 

 taken by persons ignorant of the fact that these medicines 

 generally contain harmful drugs. It should be sufficient 

 to know that no reputable doctor will ever give any of 

 these preparations except in a mild form, and in case of 

 extreme pain. No person except a trained physician has 

 a right to prescribe drugs ; and he only after a knowledge 

 of the patient's symptoms. Many of these preparations 

 affect the heart and blood, and none of them has any 

 beneficial effect on the real cause of the pain. 



189. Boards of Health. — Communities and physicians 

 have endeavored to prevent the spread of communicable 

 diseases by the formation of boards of health, by quaran- 

 tine, vaccination against smallpox, immunization against 

 typhoid fever, the use of antitoxin in diphtheria, disin- 

 fectants and fumigants. 



The term Board of Health is applied to a number of 

 individuals, appointed or elected by a nation, b}^ a state, or 

 by a community, to enforce the national, state, city, or town 

 health laws and regulations. The local officer of this board 

 is a physician, and in some states, New York for example, 

 is appointed according to the regulations governing the 

 city or town in which he is to serve. The New York state 

 law defines his work as follows : 



" Every such local officer should guard against the intro- 

 duction of such communicable diseases as are designated 

 by the State Department of Health by the exercise of 

 proper and vigilant medical inspection and control of all 

 persons and things infected with or exposed to such 

 diseases, and provide suitable places for the treatment and 



