History of medical practice in Illinois - Bushnell Historical Society

Medical Bacteriology 359Another interesting item in the report of the health department for 1894illustrates the great pressure put on public health laboratories for increasedservice at that time: "It is highly desirable that the laboratory begiven more space and more scientific assistants, because of the constantlyincreasing number of specimens received for which analysis is demanded."In the fall of that year catastrophe suddenly threatened the infant citylaboratory. The milk dealers had banded together and exerted so muchpolitical pressure on the city council that the entire laboratory appropriationfor the next year (1895) was abolished in the annual budget "as auseless and an unnecessary public expense."However, Dr. Arthur R. Reynolds, health commissioner, made a strongplea for continuance of the work and succeeded in having the appropriationrestored. Thus the tiny laboratory, precursor of the present Divisionof Technical Service and Research of the Board of Health, was enabledto continue its work.In 1895 several new items were added to the laboratory routine, viz.,examination of ice samples, examination of smallpox vaccines and theWidal test for typhoid. In 1896 the diagnosis of rabies was added to thelist, five dogs being examined, "all of which were negative."In 1896 a sublaboratory for diagnosis of diphtheria was put into operationat 4300 Cottage Grove Avenue, under the direction of Dr. W. K.Jaques. In the report of that year, detailed directions on the method oftaking throat cultures for diagnosis of diphtheria, prepared personally byDr. Jaques, were published, together with a discussion by him of thediagnostic value of the new bacteriologic methods of diagnosis. The reportalso contained a brief resume of a case of mixed diphtheritic and streptococcicangina, in which diphtheria antitoxin controlled the diphtheriticsymptoms but did not affect the symptoms of the streptococci infection,which ran its usual course.Itshould be noted that the original enactment under which the citylaboratory was created had placed the responsibility of field work in milkinspection, food inspection and meat inspection under the laboratory. Atfirst these field operations w r ere a proper and logical adjunct to the pioneertechnical work of the bacteriologic laboratory, but as time went on theburden of field activities became so great that it seriously hampered themanagement of the technical work of the laboratory. Again, with strangeperversity, the appropriations made by the city council for the inspectionservices in the field grew much faster than those for the analytic servicesfor their support in the laboratory.In the early laboratory reports concern was repeatedly expressed aboutthe safety of the city milk supply. The significance of the high bacterialcounts so continuously found was frankly discussed and the conclusion