THE FEDERAL AGENCIES IN PUBLIC HEALTH WORK The principal agency in this field is the Bureau of the Public Health Service of the Treasury Department, which has developed out of the old Marine Hospital Service. Other bureaus whose activities are related to public health are the following (a) Census Bureau, Department of Commerce. The Cen sus; Statistics of Births and Deaths.
(b) Children's Bureau, Department of Labor. Child Hygi ene and Maternal Hygiene.
(c) Bureau of Animal Industry, Department of Agriculture. Federal Meat Inspection.
(d) Bureau of Chemistry, Department of Agriculture. Food Inspection.
(e) Bureau of Biological Survey, Department of Agriculture. Coyote eradication (rabies).
(f) Department of Labor. Industrial Hygiene.
(g) Bureau of Mines, Department of Interior. Industrial Hygiene in the mining industries.
(Ii) Bureau of Education, Department of the Interior. School hygiene and sanitation.
The activities of the Public Health Service are more diverse, including control over interstate and international quarantine, supervision of the manufacture of biological products for hu man use, and inspection of immigrants. It also co-operates with States and Local Governments in epidemic control upon the invitation of the latter, and undertakes demonstrations of practical sanitation, and conducts field and laboratory tigation into the public health problems of the United States.
It can thus be seen that there has been no systematic or co ordinated plan in the development of our federal public health work. Effective work is being done, but there is much over lapping; departmental rivalry cannot stimulate economical or efficient work. There is great need for a co-ordination of all existing federal agencies, which probably can best be accom plished by their segregation into a single Public Health Department. Lack of more definite federal control is due to the fact that all authority that the federal government possesses has been delegated by the individual states. The present trend
of national policies seems to be towards a stronger central government. Where this will end, or what public health ac complishments will results cannot be accurately forecasted.
Before going further it might be well to briefly speak of the administration of maritime quarantine. All vessels either domestic or foreign which contemplate touching at an American port from abroad, are required to secure from the American Consul a document known as a bill of health. This is a state ment of the health conditions aboard ship during her stay in foreign ports, the number of passengers discharged, embarked, etc. Upon her arrival at an American port, the vessel first drops anchor at the quarantine station, where the boarding officer of the public health service receives the Bill of Health and examines the passengers, crew and vessel (Fig. 135). If no quarantinable diseases are found on board and the vessel has not come from a plague or yellow fever port, the boarding officer discharges the vessel from quarantine by the issuance of a certificate known as pratique. She is then free to proceed to her designated wharf or moorings. On the other hand, if any of the quarantinable diseases (cholera, yellow fever, plague, typhus, small-pox or leprosy) are found the passengers and crew are detained in quarantine for the period designated in the regu lations, while their baggage and effects are fumigated. If the vessel comes from a plague or yellow fever port, the vessel is fumigated with sulphur dioxide or hydrocyanic acid to kill mosquitoes or rats. After these requirements are met pratique is granted.