clerks of villages and towns fail or neglect to collect and properly transmit to the register of deeds of their respective counties a complete record of the births and deaths occurring within their respective jurisdiction as herein provided, then the state board of health may cause same to be properly collected and the necessary expenses incurred by so doing shall be charged to and paid for by the city, village or town wherein this expense is necessarily incurred. SECTION 5. Chapter 415, laws of 1903 is hereby repealed. SECTION 6. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage and publication. CHAPTER 208, LAWS OF 1905. AN ACT to provide for the collection of vital statistics in cities and incorporated villages. The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows: SECTION 1. The health officers of all cities except those of the first class, and the clerks of all incorporated villages shall collect, as now prescribed by law, and keep a complete record of all births and deaths occurring within their respective jurisdiction. The blank forms in the record books shall conform to the birth and death certificates now in use. SECTION 2. It shall be the duty of the health offcers of all cities, and the clerks of all incorporated villages to make a full report quarterly to the secretary of the state board of health on blanks furnished for this purpose so that the state board of health may make a comparative table of the healthfulness or unhealthfulness of all cities and all incorporated villages. SECTION 3. Any health officer or clerk who refuses or neg lects to comply with the provisions of this act shall, upon con viction, be fined not less than ten dollars ($10.00) nor more than fifty dollars ($50.00) for each offense. SECTION 4. It shall be the duty of the district attorney to prosecute such delinquent officer, upon complaint to enforce the provisions of this act. SECTION 5. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage and publication. REPORT OF SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS. Abstracts from some investigations made by members of the State Board of Health from October first, 1904 to September 30, 1906. Beaver Dam, Dodge County: Small-pox Diagnosis. Investigation by Dr. Q. O. Sutherland. The only question at issue in this case was regarding the nature of the disease. The attending physician diagnosed the case as chicken-pox, while the health authorities believed the disease to be small-pox and therefore established qarantine as provided for in the rules. After a thorough examination of all suspicious cases it was found that in only one case was the diagnosis of chicken-pox correct. There were seven cases of small-pox all of which were quarantined and a further spread of the disease avoided. Beloit, Rock County: Small-pox Diagnosis. Investigated by Dr. Q. O. Sutherland. This was another case of dispute between the attending physicians and the health authorities. It was found that there were some fifteen to twenty children residing in a certain part of the city, and all attending one school who were sick with a disease which was called small-pox by some physicians. By others it was diagnosed as chicken-pox. The most typical cases showed a temperature of from 99 to 100 1-2 and were covered with a rash and pustules, many of which were umbili cated. At all stages of the disease there was a rash and all children afflicted showed that about half of the eruptions were water blisters. All had been vaccinated within two or three years. In most cases the scars were quite marked. The disease was diagnosed as chicken-pox. Beloit, Rock County: Small-pox Epidemic. Investigated by Dr. Q. O. Sutherland. There were thirteen cases, all reported in three days showing some probable common sources of infection. Nine cases were examined. The trouble was undoubtedly small-pox. Eight of the cases were so well marked that no one could mistake them. After visiting the cases the city council was called together and they were urged to take prompt action. I first asked for a house to house canvass so as to be sure to discover all concealed cases. I also urged general vaccination and requested that the superintendent of schools place in the hands of each pupil a request to the parents that the child be vaccinated at once. I recommended that a competent physician be sent to the schools and vaccinate free of charge all pupils who had obtained permission from their parents to be vaccinated. I also recommended that all employers of labor be asked to urge employes to be vaccinated and requested that the homes where cases were found to exist be thoroughly fumigated after recovery of the patient. After the council meeting I had a meeting with the board of health which is composed of the health officer and two aldermen. It was impossible for the health officer to conduct the work of his office as he wished on account of being under the direction of the board of health. Both members of the health board were strongly of the opinion that the disease was not small-pox and in this opinion they were supported by several physicians and laymen. Cobb, Iowa County: Epidemic of Scarlet Fever. Investigated by Q. O. Epidemic of Scarlet Fever. Investigated by Q. O. Suther land. At the request of the president of the board I visited Cobb in order to investigate the scarlet fever situation which had been seriously complained of. I found a village of three hundred and fifty people, with ten cases of scarlet fever. There were no signs on any of the houses in the village where the disease existed to show that scarlet fever was present in the home. A farmer living close to the village limits had been quarantined, but he refused to obey the quarantine rules because none of the other families where the disease existed had been quarantined and the members of these families who were not ill mixed freely with other people. I ordered signs placed on all houses where scarlet fever existed and gave instructions that quarantine should not be removed until after death or recovery of the patient, and the home had been thoroughly disinfected. I requested the health officer to insist that the quarantine rules be rigidly observed and that no one should go or return from the quarantined household, except the attending physician, nurse, or members of the health board. Camp Douglas, Juneau County: Scarlet Fever. Investigated by Dr. F. C. Suiter. He con This was another case of disagreement among physicians regarding a proper diagnosis of the disease and also extreme laxity in enforcing quarantine. I am strongly of the opinion that Dr. is at fault in not reporting cases. tended, however, that reports were unnecessary under the quarantine regulations as they were being carried out. He stated that the quarantine signs were nailed on the rear of the houses where the disease existed, and in many cases the sign was intentionally hidden by hanging dish pans and other household articles over the card. Adults were allowed to go to and come from the quarantined homes at will. The health officer now |