have been made by a large number of our associates who are now actively engaged in "carrying on" the great work in which we are all vitally interested. Respectfully submitted, GEORGE R. MILLER, Chairman. (II) Report of the Committee on a Sanatorium for the Nervous Poor, by Dr. Frank K. Hallock (Cromwell): REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON A SANATORIUM FOR THE NERVOUS POOR. Mr. President and Gentlemen of the House of Delegates: As the legislature has not been in regular session during the past year, no meetings of this Committee have been held, and consequently it has nothing of importance to report. With the country at war the time is not propitious to attempt the accomplishment of the purpose of this Committee. Respectfully submitted, FRANK K. HALLOCK, Chairman. (12) Report of the Committee on a State Farm for Inebriates, by Dr. F. H. Barnes (Stamford): REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON A STATE Mr. President and Gentlemen of the House of Delegates: The chairman of your committee on a State Farm for Inebriates desires to inform you that there has been no meeting of said committee since the May, 1917, meeting of this society. The chairman did not call a meeting of the committee as he felt that there was little use to do so at the present time. Physicians generally throughout the state have been very busy on war work and kindred other community activities. They have had little time for consideration of special matters. At the same time I feel quite confident that it would be useless to ask for an appropriation for future work in the line of a State Farm for Inebriates at the coming Legislature. Am sure that such a measure would be side-tracked until after the war. Perhaps my judgment in this matter has been wrong, but there are so many things before the people at the present time that it did not seem advisable to go any further with the work just now. There is also a possibility that the State will go dry within the next five years. Under such conditions a new institution would not be needed. At the present time two new buildings are being added to the State Farm for Inebriates at Norwich, Conn. They are principally of fireproof construction, in other words, slow burning. Each will accommodate twenty-five patients, also have necessary rooms for nurses and assembly rooms. They are erecting a water tank with a capacity of 25,000 gallons for fire protection, also for irrigation of lawns and gardens and use in the buildings. The present census is between sixty-five and seventy. Patients are committed there for terms of six months to three years. On the six months' sentence one month is cut off for good behavior. At the same time they have organized a follow-up plan so that they can keep in touch with the men after leaving the institution. The last session of the Legislature gave an appropriation of fifty thousand dollars for a State Farm for Women Inebriates. This money was appropriated to be used for land and buildings. The last report I could get from the committee in charge was that they have practically decided on a site now and will go ahead with the work shortly. These two institutions will fill a long-felt want, and it would seem to me that they will be able to demonstrate the necessity for future buildings. Am very sure that the efforts of your committee have been helpful in getting appropriations for this work. Respectfully submitted, F. H. BARNES, (13) Report of the Committee on Medical Inspection of Schools, Dr. Edward W. Goodenough (Waterbury): REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON MEDICAL Mr. President and Gentlemen of the House of Delegates: The Committee on School Inspection presents the following report:-Routine report: Routine inspection of schools inspection of schools for communicable disease by physicians employed by the Boards of Health began in the larger cities of the state about the year 1900. In 1907 a law was passed permitting the school authorities to appoint physicians and nurses. This law remained without essential change until the session of 1915 when it was amended making the appointment of school physicians and nurses compulsory in all towns of over 5,000 population. According to the school census, we have at present fifty towns in the state of over 5,000 population; twenty-four of these are reported as having some form of school inspection, and twentyseven towns of less than 5,000 population also have more or less regular school inspection in force. In the largest cities of the state the inspection has remained under the control of the Boards of Health; in the cities of the next group, it is in most cases under the control of the school authorities and some of the towns have inspectors appointed by the schools, and in others the work is done by the Town Health Officer. Thirty-four towns and cities have school nurses, a total of fifty-one nurses being employed. Each community which has taken up the question of school inspection has apparently worked it out along the lines of least resistance, using the material most readily at hand and in most cases stressing some particular line of work to the partial exclusion of others so that there are hardly two communities in the state in which the work is done in exactly the same way. In some cases most of the work is directed toward the control of communicable disease, in others towards tonsils and adenoids; in others the teeth or the mental condition is receiving most attention. A large number of schools are doing something towards making physical examinations and recording results. In some schools this is confined largely to the lower grades and in others in which it is carried on by the physical directors, examinations are only made among the older children who are taking gymnastic work. Attempts have been made at every session of Legislature since 1907 to amend the bill in some particular, but owing to the differences of opinion among the groups represented, the bill has remained in its original form with the exception of the amendment of 1915. At the last session of the Legislature, upon the recommendation of the Legislative Committee of the Society, no attempt was made to alter the bill, and legislation introduced by the State Board of Education towards this end failed of passage, although it was not opposed by the members of the Society. While public opinion is reasonably alive to the need of school inspection as a means of stopping epidemics of communicable disease, there is not yet sufficient knowledge concerning the need of at least superficial examination of each pupil for physical defects and for constant supervision by the physician and nurse. Changes in community public sentiment are of slow growth unless stimulated, and it would seem that this could best be done by giving the State Board of Education authority to enforce standards of school inspection. Respectfully submitted, EDWARD W. GOODENOUGH, Chairman. C. P. BOTSFORD, Secretary. (14) Report of the Committee on National Legislation, by Dr. D. Chester Brown (Danbury). REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON NATIONAL Mr. President and Gentlemen of the House of Delegates: I am unable to determine by perusal of the Proceedings of last year that there were any other members appointed upon this Committee. If there were others appointed I now express my regrets at not having had the benefit of their judgment and direct coöperation on the only matter that has come up that particularly interests the medical profession in National Legislation. I refer to the so-called Owen Bill, which was first introduced to Congress on July 20th, 1917. The bill was brought to the attention of the Connecticut State Committee of the Council of National Defense, Medical Section, with recommendation that the matter be brought before State and County Societies for their endorsement and these with a number of endorsements and telegrams be sent to the Representatives of the State in both Houses. Portions of a letter to the Medical Section of the Council of National Defense will indicate the action taken: "The State Council of Defense has sent an indorsement of the proposed amendment to each of the State Senators and Congressmen. The State Committee of the Council of National Defense, Medical Section, has sent an indorsement to each representative in each branch of Congress. The Governor of the State has been seen and his personal influence secured." "The Chairman of the State Council of Defense, who is in Washington frequently and in contact with men of influence, has promised his personal efforts in a proper consideration of the merits of the bill." "Mr. Homer S. Cummings, late chairman of the Speakers' Committee of the last presidential campaign, has promised his personal endeavors." Acknowledgment and commendation of the action was made by the Medical Section. The bill was not acted upon during that session of Congress. On February 5th, 1918, almost identical bills were introduced to the Senate and House by Senator Owen and Representative |