AAuJg°ust  i9iom' }  Pharmacy  and  Public  Health  Service.  375 
ized,  is  a  bureau  of  the  U.  S.  Treasury  Department,  and  had  its 
origin,  as  the  "Marine-Hospital  Service/'  in  1798.  This  service 
was  reorganized  in  1870  and  in  1902  its  duties  were  materially  aug- 
mented and  its  name  changed  to  "  Public  Health  and  Marine- 
Hospital  Service."  The  varied  activities  of  the  service  are  in  a 
measure  reflected  by  the  titles  of  the  administrative  divisions  which 
include :  Marine  hospitals  and  relief,  domestic  quarantine,  foreign 
and  insular  quarantine,  sanitary  reports  and  statistics,  and  scientific 
research, 
More  detailed  information  regarding  the  activities  of  these  sev- 
eral divisions  is  to  be  obtained  from  the  service  publications,  which 
are  classified  under  five  heads:  (1)  Annual  Reports,  (2)  Weekly 
Public  Health  Reports,  (3)  Public  Health  Pamphlets  and 
Brochures,  (4)  Bulletins  of  the  Yellow  Fever  Institute,  and  (5) 
Bulletins  of  the  Hygienic  Laboratory. 
The  importance  of  the  work  done  in  connection  with  quarantine 
service  at  domestic  ports,  is  evidenced  by  the  fact  that  during  the 
fiscal  year  ending  June  30,  1909,  no  less  than  8266  vessels  were 
inspected  and  520  were  disinfected  as  a  precaution  against  yellow 
fever  or  plague.  Foreign  quarantine  work  includes  investigations 
into  the  sanitary  history  of  vessels  destined  for  ports  in  the  United 
States,  the  inspection  of  vessels,  crews  and  passengers,  and  the 
fumigation  or  disinfection  of  ships  when  necessary. 
The  Division  of  Sanitary  Reports  and  Statistics  of  the  Public 
Health  and  Marine-Hospital  Service  collects  information  regarding 
the  existence  and  prevalence  of  quarantinable  diseases  and  the 
nature  and  effect  of  sanitary  measures  adopted  by  other  countries. 
Much  of  the  scientific  research  work  done  in  connection  with  the 
Public  Health  and  Marine-Hospital  Service  is  carried  on  in  the 
Hygienic  Laboratory.  The  original  building  of  this  laboratory, 
located  at  25th  and  E  Streets,  N.  W.,  Washington,  D.  C,  was  occu- 
pied in  1903,  and  the  more  recent  extension  was  completed  in  1909. 
It  is  a  brick  and  sandstone  structure,  230  feet  long,  two  stories  in 
height,  with  basement  and  attic,  and  contains  41  rooms. 
The  personnel  of  the  Hygienic  Laboratory,  at  the  close  of  the 
last  fiscal  year,  comprised  a  total  of  55  persons :  A  director,  an  assist- 
ant director,  3  chiefs  of  divisions,  8  commissioned  medical  officers,  2 
pharmacists,  11  technical  assistants,  an  artist,  and  28  attendants. 
To  facilitate  the  pursuance  of  the  scientific  work,  the  laboratory  is 
