1 62  United  States  Public  Health  Service.   \  Am  jour  pnarm. 
\      April,  1914.^ 
Six  bulletins  deal  specifically  with  the  physiological  standardization 
of  drugs,  four  deal  with  the  chemical  or  physical  standardization  of 
official  substances,  nine  discuss  the  use  and  standardization  of  anti- 
septics, disinfectants  and  germicides,  six  refer  more  specifically 
to  sera  and  vaccines,  and  six  involve  comprehensive  studies  of 
chemical  tests  and  other  problems  of  interest  to  pharmacy. 
In  addition  to  the  work  done  in  the  Hygienic  Laboratory  prac- 
tical observations  of  interest  to  pharmacists  are  from  time  to  time 
reported  by  individual  pharmacists  attached  to  the  several  stations 
in  different  parts  of  the  country. 
The  present  corps  of  pharmacists  includes  16  pharmacists  of 
the  first  class,  24  pharmacists  of  the  second  class,  and  6  pharmacists 
of  the  third  class. 
Sanitary  reports  and  statistics  and  the  results  of  scientific  inves- 
tigations are  of  value  only  as  they  are  made  public  and  used.  Among 
the  publications  issued  by  the  Service  are  the  Hygienic  Laboratory 
bulletins,  bulletins  of  the  Yellow  Fever  Institute,  Public  Health  bul- 
letins, the  weekly  public  health  reports,  and  miscellaneous  docu- 
ments. The  Hygienic  Laboratory  bulletins  represent  the  results  of 
scientific  investigations  conducted  in  the  laboratory.  The  public 
health  bulletins  are  popular  in  character,  and  are  utilized  to  convey 
sanitary  information  to  health  officials  and  to  the  public  generally. 
The  weekly  public  health  reports  are  issued  primarily  for  the  benefit 
of  health  authorities  as  an  aid  in  administration. 
Another  important  function  of  the  Public  Health  Service  in 
relation  to  the  public  health,  and  perhaps  the  most  important  one,  is 
the  conduct  of  scientific  investigations. 
By  an  act  of  March  3,  1901,  investigations  of  contagious  and 
infectious  diseases  and  matters  pertaining  to  the  public  health  were 
given  definite  status  in  law.  Provision  was  made  whereby  laboratory 
investigations  would  be  systematically  carried  on.  Through  this 
provision  and  in  connection  with  the  enforcement  of  the  quarantine 
laws  investigations  have  been  made  in  Washington  and  different 
parts  of  the  country.  In  order  to  comply  with  the  law,  however,  this 
work  was  carried  on  largely  through  the  Hygienic  Laboratory. 
By  an  act  of  Congress  approved  August  14,  1912,  broader  powers 
were  conferred  on  the  Public  Health  Service  to  "  study  and  inves- 
tigate the  diseases  of  man  and  conditions  influencing  the  propagation 
and  spread  thereof,  including  sanitation  and  sewage  and  the  pollu- 
