Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 9.djvu/673

Rh when the maximum daily temperature never fell below 92°, while on July 1 and 2 it reached 100°. During the week ending July 6, 1901, there were 989 deaths from sunstroke, of which 689 were in Manhattan and the Bronx.

War against tuberculosis.—As a communicable disease the treatment of all forms of tuberculosis properly belongs under the direction of the Division of Contagious Diseases. Under the present administration, however, the work was deemed of sufficient scientific importance to be transferred to a special bureau of the department's work under the charge of the assistant director of the diagnosis laboratory (Division of Bacteriology). Special attention was first given to this work by the New York Board of Health in 1895, and the necessity of taking more radical measures of checking its onslaughts is now a recognized duty of the department. For this purpose Dr. Lederle has sought the co-operation of many private authorities, notably the Tuberculosis Committee of the Charity Organization Society, and a vigorous campaign is now being waged to stamp out this dread disease by arousing public sentiment generally, as well as by vigorous health-department measures.

For this work the bureau has a special corps of medical inspectors whose duty it is to investigate all cases of tuberculosis referred to the department by any one of the following agencies: (1) private physicians; (2) hospitals or other institutions, public and private; (3) district health inspectors in the course of their regular work; (4) private citizens or other persons. Each case so reported is at once personally visited by one of the department officials, who reports full particulars to the bureau chief. If the case is already under the care of a private physician, there is no interference on the part of the inspector. Where there is no private physician the inspector may offer advice and treatment, or, at his discretion, refer the case to the Charity Organization Society. In any case it is his duty to see that after the death, recovery, or removal of the patient, his room, clothing, etc., are thoroughly disinfected with formaldehyde by one of the department's regular disinfectors. A full record of the name, address, etc., of every case of tuberculosis reported to the department is kept on file by the bureau.