At a recent meeting of a sanitary association, its President gave utterance to a sentiment which has often been expressed of late years in public bodies, to the effect that while the Government of the United States is most liberal in its provision for all ordinary, material welfare of its citizens, in matters of public health it is parsimonious and its aid is stinted. This, to my mind, appears unjust and has led me to make an inquiry as to what the Government, in its various branches, actually does for the public health.
Without going into greater detail than is necessary, it will be pertinent to mention, first, what has been and is being done to prevent the introduction and spread of epidemic disease; and under this head may be cited the recent establishment, on a broad plan, of the National Quarantine Service, at an expense of more than half