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Correspondence
1909.
PUBLIC HEALTH.
available for reference at any time when the card is not inuse forthe purpose of a visit. (2) T h e health visitor shall under the diredtion of the medical officer of health, discharge such duties, not being duties of a sanitary inspector, as may be assigned to her by the sanitary authority in connection with and for the purposes of the administration by the sanitary authority of any Act under which powers are enforced or duties are imposed npon the sanitary authority with respect to matters relating to public health, housing, and the notification of births. (4) The health visitor shall observe and execute, in regard to matters not specially provided for in this order, any such instructions issued by the Board, and any such order or direction of the sanitary authority or the medical officer of health as may be applicable to her office. The Board's approval is required to the salary to be paid to a health visitor. T h e amount of the salary in any particular case will depend to some extent upon the local circumstances, but the Board, having regard to the important duties to be discharged by health visitors and to the salaries paid to female sanitary inspectors in London, consider that the salary should not be less than ~ i o o per annum. The Board add that they attach much importance to the appointment of health visitors in London, especially in view of the provisions of the Notification of Births Act, 19o7, and they trust that advantage will be taken by sanitary authorities of the powers conferred by the Act of 19o8 to make such appointments. T h e Act enables the County Council to pay out of the county fund and charge to the Exchequer Contribution Account any sum by way of contribution towards the salary of a health visitor appointed under the regulations not exceeding in any case one-half of the amount. CORRESPONDENCE. To the Editor o f " PUBLIC HEALTH."
SIR,--I presume most medical officers of health keep on their book shelves the current number of the annual report supplied them by other medical officers of health. In order for these to be convenient for reference, it is necessary that they should be labelled on the back edge with the name of the borough and the year reported on. It is becoming a common practice for this to be done, but the majority of health reports are still not labelled in this way, and I would take the liberty of suggesting to all those medical officers of health who have not yet commenced the practice, that they should adopt this means of rendering the report more available for reference. Yours faithfully, SIDNEY DAVIES,
Medical O~cer of Health, Woolwich.
35
THE PROVISION OF FOOTGEAR FOR SCHOOL CHILIOREN.--A great deal of illness among poor
district children must be caused by the continuous lowering of vitality produced by wearing on their feet what in damp weather can only be compared to a cold and wet compress. The provision of strong felt slippers for the children attending a small number of the poorest schools is an expedient that might be worth trying. Boots and stockings could be removed on entering school, and dried on suitable hot-water pipes in tile cloak-room or boiler-room. The children could then put on their dry stockings and boots before leaving school. These shoes would be kept at school, and might be provided by the voluntary agencies which already provide boots for poverty-stricken children (though unfortunately the supply of boots is not sufficient to meet the demand).--Anmlal
Report of Dr. Ralbh P. Wdliams, Medical @fleer, SheJfield. RECENT PUBLIC HEALTH LITERATURE.
Alcoholism. H E R C O D (Dr.). T h e legal protection of the child in the struggle against alcoholism. Med. Press, 19o9, ii, 143.
Anthrax. F O T H (Dr.). Die Diagnose des Rauschbrandes. ZeiL f. Infektiomkr., 19o9, vi, 2Ol.
Cancer. B A S H F O R D (E. F.). Address on cancer in man and animals. Meal. Rec. N.Y., 19o9, lxxvi, 3 8 I . - - G A Y (F. ~.). The problem of cancer considered from the standpoint of immunity. Boston Med. and Stag. Jour., 19o9, dxi, 207.
Cholera. B L U M E N T H A L (P.). Vergleichend-epidemiologische Betrachtungen fiber die Cholera in Moskau und in Petersburg. Zeits. f. Hyg., 19o9, lxiii, 177.
Diphtheria. CLUTTERBUCK (H. E.). Diphtheria carriers with suggestions for control. Canada Lancet, 19o9, xlii, 926.
Dysentery. P A T T E R S O N (H. S.). Endemic amoebic dysentery in New York, with a review of its distribution in North America. Amer. Jo~tr. Med. Sei., 19o9, cxxxviii, 198.
Fowl Cholera. S C H O B L (0.). Untersuchungen fiber die passive Immunit~t bei Hfihnercholera. Centralb. f~r Bakte~iol, I9o9, lii (Abt. i), Orig. p. 285.
Germination. D E L E A N O (N. T.). Recherches chimiques sur la germination. Centralb. flit Bakteriol., 19o9, xxiv, Abt. ii, #. 13o.
PUBLIC HEALTH.
available for reference at any time when the card is not inuse forthe purpose of a visit. (2) T h e health visitor shall under the diredtion of the medical officer of health, discharge such duties, not being duties of a sanitary inspector, as may be assigned to her by the sanitary authority in connection with and for the purposes of the administration by the sanitary authority of any Act under which powers are enforced or duties are imposed npon the sanitary authority with respect to matters relating to public health, housing, and the notification of births. (4) The health visitor shall observe and execute, in regard to matters not specially provided for in this order, any such instructions issued by the Board, and any such order or direction of the sanitary authority or the medical officer of health as may be applicable to her office. The Board's approval is required to the salary to be paid to a health visitor. T h e amount of the salary in any particular case will depend to some extent upon the local circumstances, but the Board, having regard to the important duties to be discharged by health visitors and to the salaries paid to female sanitary inspectors in London, consider that the salary should not be less than ~ i o o per annum. The Board add that they attach much importance to the appointment of health visitors in London, especially in view of the provisions of the Notification of Births Act, 19o7, and they trust that advantage will be taken by sanitary authorities of the powers conferred by the Act of 19o8 to make such appointments. T h e Act enables the County Council to pay out of the county fund and charge to the Exchequer Contribution Account any sum by way of contribution towards the salary of a health visitor appointed under the regulations not exceeding in any case one-half of the amount. CORRESPONDENCE. To the Editor o f " PUBLIC HEALTH."
SIR,--I presume most medical officers of health keep on their book shelves the current number of the annual report supplied them by other medical officers of health. In order for these to be convenient for reference, it is necessary that they should be labelled on the back edge with the name of the borough and the year reported on. It is becoming a common practice for this to be done, but the majority of health reports are still not labelled in this way, and I would take the liberty of suggesting to all those medical officers of health who have not yet commenced the practice, that they should adopt this means of rendering the report more available for reference. Yours faithfully, SIDNEY DAVIES,
Medical O~cer of Health, Woolwich.
35
THE PROVISION OF FOOTGEAR FOR SCHOOL CHILIOREN.--A great deal of illness among poor
district children must be caused by the continuous lowering of vitality produced by wearing on their feet what in damp weather can only be compared to a cold and wet compress. The provision of strong felt slippers for the children attending a small number of the poorest schools is an expedient that might be worth trying. Boots and stockings could be removed on entering school, and dried on suitable hot-water pipes in tile cloak-room or boiler-room. The children could then put on their dry stockings and boots before leaving school. These shoes would be kept at school, and might be provided by the voluntary agencies which already provide boots for poverty-stricken children (though unfortunately the supply of boots is not sufficient to meet the demand).--Anmlal
Report of Dr. Ralbh P. Wdliams, Medical @fleer, SheJfield. RECENT PUBLIC HEALTH LITERATURE.
Alcoholism. H E R C O D (Dr.). T h e legal protection of the child in the struggle against alcoholism. Med. Press, 19o9, ii, 143.
Anthrax. F O T H (Dr.). Die Diagnose des Rauschbrandes. ZeiL f. Infektiomkr., 19o9, vi, 2Ol.
Cancer. B A S H F O R D (E. F.). Address on cancer in man and animals. Meal. Rec. N.Y., 19o9, lxxvi, 3 8 I . - - G A Y (F. ~.). The problem of cancer considered from the standpoint of immunity. Boston Med. and Stag. Jour., 19o9, dxi, 207.
Cholera. B L U M E N T H A L (P.). Vergleichend-epidemiologische Betrachtungen fiber die Cholera in Moskau und in Petersburg. Zeits. f. Hyg., 19o9, lxiii, 177.
Diphtheria. CLUTTERBUCK (H. E.). Diphtheria carriers with suggestions for control. Canada Lancet, 19o9, xlii, 926.
Dysentery. P A T T E R S O N (H. S.). Endemic amoebic dysentery in New York, with a review of its distribution in North America. Amer. Jo~tr. Med. Sei., 19o9, cxxxviii, 198.
Fowl Cholera. S C H O B L (0.). Untersuchungen fiber die passive Immunit~t bei Hfihnercholera. Centralb. f~r Bakte~iol, I9o9, lii (Abt. i), Orig. p. 285.
Germination. D E L E A N O (N. T.). Recherches chimiques sur la germination. Centralb. flit Bakteriol., 19o9, xxiv, Abt. ii, #. 13o.