November T, 18S4.J 



SCIENCE, 



441 



nized. Eis own belief as to yellow-fever appears to 

 be, tbat the habitat of the possible germ is in the 

 digestive tract, as in cholera. 



Professor Yaughan's paper on poisonous cheese 

 treated a subject that has for a long time been under 

 investigation, with no very satisfactory result. He 

 has not been able to isolate the poison, which appears 

 to be soluble in alcohol, but found it to be constantly 

 associated with a very decided acid reaction of the 

 cheese. In this view of the case, we have, then, a test 

 of easy application in any hand. 



Dr. B. F. Davenport, inspector of drugs for the 

 State board of health, lunacy, and charity, of Massa- 

 chusetts, and mi Ik- inspector of Boston, read a paper 

 descriptive of the work done in his laboratory, which, 

 with the work of the state inspectors and analysts, 

 has produced a very marked improvement in the milk- 

 supply of Massachusetts. 



Surgeon C. Smart, U.S.A., in a paper upon water- 

 analysis, present and future, called attention to the 

 necessary limitations of a merely chemical analysis 

 of water. The determination of the amount of or- 

 ganic matter is, after all, not of definite value, unless 

 the living organisms that may furnish it can be 

 shown to be innocuous. 



Dr. F. R. Fry of St. Louis presented the results of 

 an examination into the artificial mineral waters of 

 St. Louis, notably soda-water, which appears to be 

 generally made with water from polluted wells. This 

 is the danger that also attends the watering of milk. 

 The loss in nutriment is often of far less consequence 

 than the polluted water of the barnyard or other 

 source used. 



A paper upon cremation as a safeguard against 

 epidemics, by Rev. G. A. Beugless of Brooklyn, and 

 another by Hon. G. M. Keating of Memphis, on 

 sanitation by fire, were the occasion for the appoint- 

 ment of a special committee to consider the whole 

 subject of the disposal of the dead. 



Three conferences of representatives of twenty 

 state boards of health were held during the same 

 week. At these meetings a representative of the 

 Dominion of Canada, and one from the Province of 

 Ontario, were present. This assembly was one of un- 

 usual importance, since, in the absence of an effec- 

 tive national organization, the country must look to 

 these bodies for any concerted action in case of the 

 appearence of cholera in this country. 



Dr. Rauch of Illinois brought before the conference 

 a carefully prepared statement of his views upon the 

 value of a proper quarantine, and the claims of the 

 states to a protection at the hands of the national 

 government, and, failing this, the obligation to pro- 

 tect their own borders from invasion by contagious 

 disease. His own experience had taught him that 

 cholera in this country had invariably accompanied 

 the infected person, and the person alone, generally 

 an emigrant, surrounded by all the depressing condi- 

 tions of his journey. He regarded the disinfection 

 of rags, baggage, etc., as of minor importance. He 

 concluded by urging upon congress the rehabilitation 

 of the National board of health, or the formation of 

 some stronger and more largely representative sub- 



stitute, with power and funds sufficient to maintain 

 a sanitary quarantine on the seaboard, and official 

 inspection of the lines of travel by river and rail in 

 the interior, and to assist states and municipalities 

 in their efforts to prevent the introduction of disease, 

 or to remove it when introduced. 



Dr. Chancellor of Maryland presented his views, 

 differing apparently very widely from those brought 

 forward by Dr. Rauch. He did not accept the con- 

 tagiousness of cholera; did not believe in the value 

 of quarantine, which was always attended by the 

 danger that a false sense of security was engendered, 

 and other necessary sanitary precautions were neg- 

 lected. 



Dr. Holt, chairman of the Board of health of Louisi- 

 ana, urged a quarantine in the newer and better sense 

 of the word, — a detention of passengers and ships 

 long enough to secure thorough inspection and dis- 

 infection; the shorter the period, the better. 



A committee of five, consisting of Drs. Baker of 

 Michigan, Walcott of Massachusetts, Herrick of Lou- 

 isiana, Rauch of Illinois, and Bryce of Ontario, to 

 whom were referred all the papers read, reported cer- 

 tain recommendations which were adopted by the 

 conference, receiving the votes of all the states except 

 Minnesota; she voting 'no' by reason of insufficient 

 time to consider so important a subject. 



The main points of this report are the following: — 



That the factors essential to the disease are, — 



1°. The importation of the disease by ships more or 

 less directly from its only place of origin, in the delta 

 of the Ganges. 



2°. Local unsanitary conditions favorable to the 

 reception and development of the disease. 



3°. Persons sick with the disease, or things infected 

 by such sick persons. 



In view of the possible and probable introduction 

 of cholera in the coming year, and the constant 

 danger from other communicable diseases at foreign 

 ports, it was the sense of the committee that the na- 

 tional government should maintain a national health 

 service which should establish an effective system of 

 quarantine, the appointment of medical officers at 

 foreign infected ports, the prevention of the landing 

 of immigrants until the danger of the introduction of 

 cholera by them shall have passed. 



The inspection and quarantine service originally 

 devised by the National board was approved. It was 

 recommended that congress be urged to appropriate 

 five hundred thousand dollars, to be used, the whole 

 or as much as necessary, in case of cholera, for the 

 purpose of removing the disease and of preventing 

 its spread from state to state. A vigorous prosecu- 

 tion of the work of local preparation, by cleaning 

 foul localities and removing unsanitary conditions 

 in anticipation of disease, was insisted upon. The 

 concluding sentences of the report are, — 



" The cause of cholera is contained in the discharges 

 of persons affected by the disease or in things infected 

 by such discharges. Should the disease reach this 

 country, the first case, and after this the first case 

 which reaches any given community, should be strict- 

 ly isolated. All infective material from these and 



