Excerpt from Sixteenth Biennial Report of the Montana State Board of Health: For the Years 1931-1932

The State Board of Health at its April, 1932, meeting, temporarily reduced the salaries of the employees 10 percent to take effect July 1, 1932. This was to help meet a state-wide financial emergency. It is hoped that when the depression is past and conditions again become normal, that the salaries can again be put back on a pre-depression basis. Our employees have technical training and cannot be retained unless they receive adequate salaries. The overhead expense was further reduced by the secretary taking over the duties of the director of the child welfare division, where a vacancy had occurred. This was made possible on account of the fact that he was relieved of much of the work in connection with Rocky Mountain spotted fever control work and also health work on the Indian reservations.

In February, 1931, an appropriation was made by Congress to purchase the spotted fever laboratory at Hamilton. In February, 1932, the United States Public Health Service took over the laboratory and much of the control work.

In January, 1932, the Bureau of Indian Affairs appointed a Medical Director for this district, locating him in Helena. The State Board of Health appointed him deputy state health officer to act on the Indian reservations.

These two acts relieved the secretary of considerable work and he felt that for the time being he could dispense with the services of a director of the child welfare division.

The taking over of the laboratory at Hamilton by the United States Public Health Service and making it a branch of the National Institute of Health, was a milestone in public health work in Montana. This laboratory will serve the Rocky Mountain states in the production of vaccine for the prevention of Rocky Mountain spotted fever. In fact, the vaccine that is produced at this laboratory will no doubt be used in the eastern states where it has been recently proved that Rocky Mountain spotted fever exists and has existed for years. There is still much research work to be done on our Rocky Mountain wood tick and also on the eastern dog tick. In our biennial report for the years 1929-30 the following statement was made:

"We predict that in years to come many of the indefinite infections which have not yet been classified will be found to be due to the bite of the wood tick. There is much work to be done along these lines."

Much has been done since this was written but there is still a big field for investigational work. It appears to us that the life history of the eastern dog tick should be worked out as completely as is the life history of the ordinary wood tick. This eastern dog tick is found in some parts of Montana.

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