and eradication. In all five officers were engaged in the duty and the outbreak was limited to a small section. As at San Francisco, special emphasis was placed on rat eradication and the rat-proofing of buildings and docks. A general clean-up and enforcement of sanitary measures have been instituted. What might have been a situation full of deadly peril for this country was averted by the prompt and effective work of the service.
The report of the Secretary of the Treasury for the fiscal year of 1911 presents an optimistic picture of the operations of the Public Health Service and recommends certain features which should be further encouraged. Attention is called to the necessity of enlarging
the available fund for fighting epidemic disease. There should be ample provision for emergency measures which may be necessitated at any time by the sudden appearance of epidemic disease, before there is time for Congress to pass special appropriation legislation. Special appropriations are requested for the investigation of pellagra, a disease of serious menace which is spreading widely in the United States, and which threatens to become endemic at terrible cost in lives and money, as it has already done in Italy. Another building is required for the Hygienic Laboratory to provide more room for special researches, disinfection experiments and the housing of small laboratory animals. The secretary invites particular attention to the "Personnel Bill"
