1936, service. This Public Health service film shows activities of the diseasefighting service. This Program Includes graphic scenes of disease that may be disturbing to some viewers. music the United StatesPublic Health service as it exists today is a product of experience extending over nearly 150 years. It was initially created as a Marine Hospital service for the care of sick and disabled seamen. It was activated in an active congress signed by president john adams in 1798. The service was originally supported by a tax on american merchant seamen, but this was later abolished. The tax was collected by the treasury department. The Marine Hospital service came under the jurisdiction of that department, where it remains today. The first Marine Hospital in norfolk, virginia, the second built in boston, massachusetts. Some medical personnel were utilized by both the union and the confederacy for the care of wounded forces. It frequently happened that medical officers of the early Marine Hospitals were the first physicians to diagnose diseases such as cholera. The work of the service became of such increasing importance that congress extended its duties until it became in function a federal Health Service. Wrecking recognizing the value of mobility, congress authorized the organization along military lines, with Officers Holding positions in great similar to the army and navy. In 1912, the name was changed to the United StatesPublic Health service. It is administered by the Surgeon General, who is responsible to the secretary of the treasury, congress and the president. We will now hear the Surgeon General outlined the work of the Public Health service. Although the first responsibility for Public Health represent desk rests upon the states and localities of our country, the federal government does much to prevent disease and improve the health of all the people. This is done in many ways. One. Skilled group of men and women study disease and the means of preventing. They prevent the introduction of disease from abroad, to prevent the spread of infections within our own territory. Physicians in the Public Health service are cooperating with every state and territory in the republic with a National Health program. Cooperative work between the federal, state and local governments should provide new standards of health for the people. The manufacture of all serums and vaccines sold in the country is closely supervised by the Public Health service, as well as drug addiction and mental hygiene. It conduct Marine Hospitals, in which are treated american sailors. In addition, the service keeps in constant touch with physicians throughout the world at the weekly report from every consular officer. It encourages Health Education in disease prevention. You will see in much more detail the ways in which this organization operate for human good. music for centuries, it has been known epidemic diseases follow the lines of commerce and travel. During colonial times in the early days of the republic, the introduction of yellow fever, smallpox and other diseases by ship was by no means uncommon. Yellow fever occurred in baltimore as late as 1832 and philadelphia as late as 1853. Any outbreaks of small pox on cholera were a result of cases brought in by vessels. The danger of introduction of diseases from abroad has imperiled the Remarkable Development of transportation on the sea, on the land and in the air. The transportation of disease has been facilitated by improved mechanical methods for the transportation of persons and property. Maritime quarantine was first undertaken by states and cities, but is now administered by the Public Health service at all the ports of the United States and its possessions. To perform these functions, the service has been given quarantine jurisdiction over all shipped and people coming from abroad. The u. S. Public Health Service remains boarding tugs which carry quarantine officers up to vessels arriving at United States ports. When a vessel arrives at quarantine, the medical quarantine officer, nurse and inspector go out in a boarding tug wellknown to seamen and ocean travelers. They draw alongside the vessel and go aboard. The quarantine officer meets the ships doctor and the purser. The purser turns over the bill of health and the Health Record on route to detail all cases of illness occurring on board during the trip. Ah, the list here shows a suspicious case of illness and member of the crew. Let us see now what happens. The quarantine officer is taken to the sick bay and the crew quarters to examine the patient. His experience and training in detection of the symptoms of rare as well as common diseases tells him the sick patient is suffering from typhus fever. He orders the patient to be removed from the vessel. And put aboard the quarantined tug to be taken aboard. To be taken ashore. All person incontact with the patient at thus exposed to the disease are also ordered on board the tug. The patient and the contacts are taken to the detention hospital, in this case in new york harbor. On arrival, the sick patient is taken directly to the hospital. Here he is given appropriate treatment and cared for until he has recovered. Every facility is made available in such cases, both for the benefit of the patient and the protection of others. As this happens to be a case of old world typhus fever, the contacts, those who had association with the patient during the voyage, are first taken to the delousing tank. Here they must remove all clothing. They are sprayed thoroughly with soap and water. Next, they are sent under the shower and finally, each one is sprayed with insecticides that kills any lice that may remain in their hair. The clothing of the contacts is sent to the fumigated room. The clothing is placed in chambers and thoroughly disinfected. If necessary, the contacts are isolated in the detention hospital for isolation. Every precaution is taken by quarantine officers to prevent the introduction of disease into the United States. When the quarantined work has been completed and the ship declared free from danger, the medical officers of the Public Health service then turn to the infected immigrant. This scene shows a wellknown immigration station at ellis island, new york. During the busy period of a few years ago, more prospective citizens of the country entered through this worldrenowned station than any other station in the country. Each had to go through an examination at the hands of officers from the Public Health service. In past times, many arrived only to be turned back at our very gates because of mental or physical defects. It is necessary, but somewhat cruel and caused many heartaches, untold hardship and much unnecessary expense. To avoid this condition, a new system was inaugurated by international consent in 1925, having immigrants examined by Public Health officers in Foreign Countries who are assigned to american consulates for this purpose. An examination is arranged and if the applicant passes the physical and mental test successfully, there is little chance they will be refused admittance later. music among other old records are vivid descriptions of the many ravages of bubonic plague. music this disease is constantly present in the orient, making it an ever present threat to the u. S. And its possessions. The germ that causes bubonic plague is carried by fleas that live on rats and other rodents. Rats are great travelers, and vessels must use rat guards to keep them from coming aboard. Notice this rat and his tail, now he attempts to clear the rat guard. Will he succeed . It looks like he will make it. No, he admits defeat and returns to the wharf. Yellow fever, a fearful disease that once struck terror in the south, is an example of a dreaded disease now almost entirely wiped out. It is transmitted physically by a mosquito. With the mosquitoes that transmit the disease exterminated, yellow fever is eliminated. Although yellow fever has been banished from our shores since 1905, but still exists in south america and africa, and recent advances in air travel again make and administer the United States. To combat this menace, the yellow fever mosquito must be limited from ships and airplanes and must be detected and isolated. Although mosquitoes that spread yellow fever usually fly a short distance, they have been carried by airplanes for thousands of miles. It is only the exercise of the utmost care and conflict and constant watchfulness that this dangerous disease is kept outside our borders. When it arrives at a port of entry, an airplane that might bring in the yellow fever mosquito, passengers and the crew are inspected symptoms of the disease. An important part of the inspection is the taking of temperatures for the evidence of a fever. The plane is gone over thoroughly with a vacuum cleaner to recover any yellow fever mosquitoes that might be on board. Then the cabin and all enclosed spaces in the plane are sprayed with insecticide that destroys these dangerous pets. The opening of our roots to the orient has created Serious Problems in preventing the introduction of diseases, particularly cholera and smallpox in hawaii and the United States. music when the country was small, travel was slow and distant since in travel time were much bigger than they are today. There was less need for action on the part of the federal government itself to prevent the spread of epidemics. But with the increased rapidity of travel, expansion in territory and the concentration of populations, this work became important. With increase in interstate traffic, the need for uniform regulations became apparent, and by consent of the state sent under the Commerce Clause of the constitution, congress provided for federal interstate quarantines. Federal control over Water Supplies for drinking and culinary purpose of purposes on interstate carriers is one of the responsibility responsibilities of the u. S. Public Health Service to prevent disease. The water comes from a most 3000 servers 3000 sources. In taking supplies of drinking and culinary water on board vessels, connections are made as the possibility of contamination during this process is reduced to a minimum. Here we see a supply of Drinking Water being taken aboard steamship aboard a steamship at one of our port. Supreme sanitary precautions are carried out when Drinking Water is taken aboard trains. Frequent inspections are made of this procedure. The passenger can therefore feel a sense of security when he quenches his thirst at the water cooler, or drink water with his meals in the dining car. The fight against bubonic plague is a fight against the rat. He must be trapped, poisoned, killed off, everything must be done to rout this animal. The rat has been called manns most dangerous enemy. He is a dangerous threat in the case of bubonic plague, dirty and crafty at readily matches his cunning against that of his enemies the rat catcher must know the habits of the animal and it is only with experience that he cant qualify as an expert in what indeed may be called especially field. Specialized field. Rats are tagged with the locality where they were caught and are sent to a laboratory for examination. Some of the rats that are taken alive are put in bags to preserve for identification and examination any fleas that they may harbor. Here, we see a sample of the days catch of rats in one of our large cities. At the laboratory, rats are combed for fleas and the fleas are collected for study to determine whether they are infected with bubonic plague. Insurgent western states, plague is spread from rats to ground squirrels. The fight against these animals he is constantly being carried on there. music the following are typical scenes in the east of this country, where rural life is primitive, and sanitary conditions were conducive to the threat of disease because of the habits and customs of people. They did not know disease is spread by the means of hands, towels, and handkerchiefs and other articles that would take care of discharge from the eyes. Sarcoma is a chronic infection disease of the lining of the eyelids. If tthe lids are turned back, a number of small, granular bodies will be noticed in the lids. The disease produces a rough condition on the inside of the lead which irritates the eyeball, causing inflammation which often leads to blindness. For many years, the Public Health service has conducted a campaign against this ancient disease. As early as 1912, a doctor of the Public Health service was sent to kentucky to survey the situation there. Dr. Mcmullen, what was found in kentucky . More than 18,000 persons were examined in 1912 and between 7 and a percent were found to have sarcoma. Many remained in dark rooms, shielding their eyes. Some had not seen light for months, while many cases existed for years. In checking up some years later, the changes were remarkable. The state of many people, almost universally wearing colored glasses during the first examination, few new cases of active sarcoma. There is no way to estimate what this has been worth. Much of the work was done in mountain regions, where roads even now are not good, usually medical officers travel by horseback and often had to walk. The work has now been turned over to the state. Instead of painful and sightless eyes to destroy the joys of youth, we now have the precious gift of sight. Fortunately, this boy was discovered in time. Instead of blindness added to the other infirmities of old age, we have the burden we have the responsibility to assume a role in family affairs. Numerous outbreaks of typhoid fever followed the use of shellfish and contaminated waters. This danger could be contempt could be combated by examining the water where oysters were grown. Because oysters from beds in contaminated waters will not be certified, and shucking plants and canneries are required to be conducted under proper sanitary conditions, consumers enjoy a greater sense of security. music an act of Congress Authorizes an annual conference between the Surgeon General and state Health Officers to discuss Important Health matters. Here is the Surgeon General at a recent conference. [gavel striking block] this annual conference of state and territorial Health Officers will come to order. I am delighted to greet you today. The most i i am delighted to greet you today. One of the most significant events in Public Health was when president roosevelt signed legislation to create the Public Health program. It is your task and my task to see that this promise becomes a realization. It is to disperse the detailed means by which we may obtain the objective of the act for which this conference is concerned. The conferences provide opportunities for planning cooperation in attacking health problems. For many years the Public Health service has cooperated with state officers to improve state and local health work. When necessary, experienced Service Officers are assigned to aid state and local Health Officers with special problems. Under the Social Security act, provisions for cooperative aid to Health Services has been greatly extended. music the City Health Officer of a western city receives a telephone call. He picks up the receiver and finds it is a local physician. The physician has a case the symptoms of which resemble encephalitis, but some features make the diagnosis uncertain. The City Health Officer has had several similar cases were in the past few days and is concerned. The City Health Officer decides to notify the state Health Officer. He called him and outlines the local situation. Calls and outlines the local situation. The state Health Officer reports to the Surgeon General and asks for aid. The City Health Officer calls an assistant to consult with the physician and is alarmed. A telegram is received from the Surgeon General. After the Public HealthService Officers conduct a preliminary investigation, they call a conference to discuss the situation. Gentlemen, this epidemic is growing. At least 50 new cases are being reported daily. W