Dr. Rauch said that he desired to say to the Council that in view of his official duties, he did not think he could continue any longer to act as Secretary of the Council, and therefore respectfully tendered his resignation.

After some remarks by Dr. Hyer and others, it was moved that the resignation be not accepted, and the Secretary was requested to continue until the expiration of his term.

The election of officers resulted in the following choice:

Hon. David P. Hadden, Memphis, President; J. A. Dibrell, Jr., M. D., Little Rock, Vice-President.

There being no further business before the meeting, the Council adjourned.

C. National Conference

OF

STATE BOARDS OF HEALTH.

NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF STATE BOARDS OF HEALTH.

DURING the meeting of the Sanitary Council of the Mississippi Valley at Nashville, Tenn., in 1879, steps were first taken looking to the formation of a National organization, to be composed of those engaged in the administration of the health laws in the several States, in order to secure conference and coöperation between the health organizations in all the States in regard to their methods of work, and in the investigation of the causes and the enforcement of measures of prevention of disease.

While, however, there remained the conviction with many of the leading practical sanitarians of the country that such an organization might be made highly useful in promoting the interests of the public health, it was hoped that the newly-created National Board of Health might obviate the necessity for their additional agency. Few, if any, State or municipal health. authorities were in a position, financially, to meet the expense which would be necessarily entailed in the maintenance of such an organization, and there was in many cases a want of legal authority to take any positive action. The work done by the National Board during its period of active existence demonstrated the soundness of this view; and, until the failure of Congress to continue the authority of the Board and to make appropriations for its varied duties, there was no special occasion for this volunteer organization. With the practical abolition of the National Board, however, the necessity for co-ordinating the separate organizations for the general protection of the public health again assumed pressing importance.

At the meeting of the American Public Health Association in Detroit, Mich., in November, 1883, an informal conference was had on this subject, between the representatives of various State boards of health, and, without determining whether it was best to create a section in the Association or to form a separate organization, it was decided to invite each State board of health in the Union to send representatives to a meeting to be held at Washington, D. C., May 7, 1884, to consider the expediency and methods of forming the desired organization.

Dr. J. E. Reeves, of West Virginia, C. W. Chamberlain, of Connecticut, and Stephen Smith, of New York, were appointed a committee to report a plan of organization to that meeting; and Drs. H. B. Baker, of Michigan, and J. N. McCormack, of Kentucky, were made a committee to invite the attendance and coöperation of representatives from each State board of health.