DR. GURDON W. RUSSELL FUND.

Amount of fund at last report, May 25,

1910, .

Interest to date,

$6,853.17 183.39

Total on deposit in Union-New Haven Trust Co., $7,036.56

Respectfully submitted,

JOSEPH H. TOWNSEND,

Treasurer.

This is to certify that we have examined the accounts of the Treasurer, compared the expenditures with the vouchers and find the cash on hand as stated.

W. H. CARMALT,

SAMUEL M. GARLICK.

Auditors.

Hartford, Conn., May 24, 1911.

(6) Report of the Committee on Public Policy and Legislation, by Dr. Everett J. McKnight (Hartford):

REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC POLICY AND LEGISLATION.

Mr. President and Gentlemen of the House of Delegates:

The House of Delegates, at the annual meeting in New Haven a year ago, referred three matters to the Committee on Public Policy and Legislation, namely, such a change in our present Medical Practice Act as should secure one examining board for this state; some change in the present practice of expert medical testimony and the establishment of a legal fee for reporting contagious diseases. Your Committee, after due consideration, did not think it advisable to introduce any of these measures into the General Assembly at this session. It was found that we could not get the other medical societies to agree to one examining board without such excessive concessions that we did

not feel it was advisable to take the matter up at this time. It seems almost impossible to secure any change in the present practice as regards expert medical testimony. No bill was introduced by your Committee, as H.B. 662, providing for the appointment of a state insanity commissioner, whose duty it shall be to inquire into the sanity of an accused who is to be defended upon the ground of insanity, was sufficient to bring the matter properly before the Legislature. This bill was objectionable in many ways and an attempt was made to substitute the bill which was recommended in our Transactions about two years ago. It was found, however, that a similar bill had been declared unconstitutional in a neighboring state. Our attorney and one of the judges of the Superior Court have gone over the matter very carefully and have decided that this is not a proper matter for legislation. Any change in the present practice must come through the Bar Association. At the last meeting of the National Legislative Council of the American Medical Association the Council on Health and Public Instruction was requested to establish a standing committee to give this matter thorough consideration and, if possible, to confer with a Committee of the American Bar Association. The bill now before the General Assembly is still in the hands of the Committee.

Your committee decided that it was not advisable to introduce any measure calling for legal fees for reporting contagious diseases at this session.

The matters which have been of most interest and importance to us are the optometry bills, H.B. 14 and S.B. 167, the antivaccination bill, H.B. 347 and H.J.R. 56, allowing Stephen B. Sweet to practice bone setting in the state. At the hearing on the optometry bills we were very greatly assisted by Dr. John C. Bossidy of Boston, who has given this subject very careful consideration, and who only charged us his traveling expenses. The Senate Bill was reported unfavorably and rejected in the senate on March 29, and rejected in the House on March 31 without opposition. The H.B. 14 was reported unfavorably and rejected in the House on April 27 and rejected in the Senate on May 3 also without opposition. The anti-compulsory-vac

cination bill, H.B. 347, was reported unfavorably and rejected in the House on April 26 with only slight opposition. On May 2 the motion to accept the report of the committee and reject the bill was lost in the Senate by a vote of 19 to 14. Senator Spellacy moved to reconsider, he having changed his vote before the result was announced so that he could be in the majority and move a reconsideration. The motion to reconsider was laid upon the table and the matter was made the special order of the day for 12 o'clock, May 4. At that time the bill was rejected by a vote of 20 to 6, with 7 members absent.

H.J.R. 56, allowing Stephen B. Sweet to practice bone-setting in this state, was reported unfavorably on March 23 and the motion to accept the report of the committee and reject the bill was laid upon the table. It was taken from the table April 6 and again tabled. On April 12 it was passed, reconsidered and the motion to reconsider laid upon the table. It was later taken from the table and an amendment to the Medical Practice Act exempting bone-setters from the provisions of that act was passed by the House on April 13. The resolution was tabled in the Senate April 19, no further action having been taken.

S.B. 273, an act providing that doctors practicing their profession in the State of New York be allowed to practice in this state without passing any medical examination upon the payment of a license fee of $20, gave us some little uneasiness, until we found out the source from which it originated. This bill was reported unfavorably and rejected in the Senate April 19 and in the House April 20.

H.B. 336, providing for an amendment to Section 3, Acts of 1909, so that the physician signing a death certificate, or in case of removal therefrom of such person, notice shall be given to the health officers and the apartments so vacated shall be disinfected as provided in said section, was reported favorably by the committee and has passed both houses. H.B. 341, providing that no person shall distribute any medicine, pills, powder, envelope, or package containing any drug or poison in any street, highway, or from house to house, and providing a penalty for violation of this act, was reported favorably and has passed both Houses.

H.B. 346, providing for amendment to Section 2549 General Statutes so that the health officer of any town, city or borough may cause any person infected with any malignant, infectious, or contagious disease to be removed to a hospital whenever in his opinion such person is or may be a menace to the public health, and providing for his detention so long as may be deemed necessary, was reported unfavorably and rejected in both Houses, as the Committee on Public Health and Safety felt that the matter was covered by existing statutes. No action has been taken on H.B. 349, providing for the regulation of the use of drinking cups in public places by the State Board of Health. A substitute for H.B. 350, providing that all towels for the use of guests in a hotel must be individual towels and when used and discarded by the individual must not be again used until thoroughly washed and dried, has been reported favorably and was tabled for calendar and printing on May 11. H.B. 522, authorizing the State Board of Health to procure and distribute antitoxin and vaccine lymph to town health officers for free use, is still in the hands of the committee, as is the case with H.B. 527, providing that the body of any deceased person shall not be embalmed by anyone by the use of any preparation containing arsenic in any form. H.B. 774, providing for the appointment of a school physician in every town for the examination of public school pupils, defining his powers and duties and fixing compensation, was reported unfavorably and rejected by both Houses; the same action was taken with H.B. 775, providing for condemnation of all open wells situated in district schools and other public buildings. H.B. 330, providing for the repeal of Chapter 209 of the Public Acts of 1909, being an act for the prevention of procreation, was reported unfavorably by the Judiciary Committee and has been rejected in both Houses.

A number of bills were introduced relating to the inspection and importation of cattle which have not yet received final action. There were two bills providing for the inspection and regulation of tenement houses. Senate bill No. 220, providing that no hospital building or apartment shall be maintained for the public treatment of contagious diseases within two thou

sand feet of any church or school house, has been reported upon unfavorably and rejected in the Senate. A number of bills relating to the inspection of meat, milk, cream, etc., are still under consideration; also several bills in relation to the pollution of streams. A bill to prevent the sale of carbolic acid in solutions stronger than 5 per cent., which was introduced by your Committee, has been rejected.

Your Chairman desires at this time to express his sincere thanks to the members of this Society, who have responded so promptly and effectively to his requests for assistance in this work.

E. J. MCKNIGHT,

Chairman.

(7) Report of the Committee on Medical Examinations and Medical Education, by Dr. Charles A. Tuttle (New Haven):

REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS AND MEDICAL EDUCATION.

Mr. President and Gentlemen of the House of Delegates:

Your Committee on Medical Examinations and Medical Education in this state presents herewith its eighteenth annual report. The Committee have examined during the past year 84 candidates for certificate of qualification in General Practice, of whom 61, or 72.6 per cent., have qualified, and 23, or 27.4 per cent., have failed. This is the highest percentage of failures ever recorded in this state and would seem to be due to the combination of many causes, of which the following three are most prominent, viz. :

First. The advanced requirements for qualification. This is desirable, even necessary, in order to secure for the Commonwealth of Connecticut that quality of medical service to which it is entitled. Connecticut must not be satisfied with a standard below that of contiguous states.

Second. The fact that our neighboring states, as well as practically all states in the Union, have so advanced their stand