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Show 24 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN BFFAmS. tion, prepared an exhibit of which the main feature +as the charted result of a special and recent investigation by Dr: Ales Hrdlicka of the National Museum and a bacteriologist, who visited five reserva- ., tions and examined a group of typical families on each. Among the 403 Menominee Indians examined, only 78.5 per cent were found free of all suspicion of tuberculosis; of the 428 Oglala Sioux, 75.5 per cent; of the 62 Quinaielts, 81 per cent; of the 331 Hoopas, 77.6 per cent; of the 357 Mohaves, 88.2 per cent. These figures, as well as others presented by Doctor Hrdlicka, may be regarded as establishing the truth of the assertion founded on many authorities, that although its prevalence may vary greatly in different neighborhoods and groups, yet in general the tubercu-losis scourge is the greatest single menace to the future of the red race. The ottice is confronted by the urgent necessity of doing more than has ever been done before in the way of protecting the Indians against the ravages of the disease, not only for their own sakes bdt because the infected Indian community becomes a peril to every white com-munity near it. I t i s of course almost hopeless to try to change the ways of the old-fashioned Indians past a certain point. What can be done in that line will probably be done through the work of the agency and school physicians, who several months ago were con-stituted health officers with large authority to direct and control the sanitary conditions on their respective reservations. For the younger generation, and for such members of the older generations as may, here and there, be disposed to take advantage of them, I have estab-lished and am continually authorizing the establishment of sani-tarium camps, where the inmates can fairly live in the open air, be constantly under the eye of the physician, have their diet, clothing, etc., carefully regulated, and be subject to the most stringent regula-tions as to those matters which make for cleanliness of the person and surroundings and. affect the spread of infection. Having been sntis-fied by Doctor Hrdliclra's investigation that the mind instruments used by the boys' bands in the schools have in the past been vehicles-for the conveyance of the tubercle bacilli from pupil to pupil, I have ordered all use of these instruments suspended till measures can be talcell to prevent the further operation of this medium of evil. These are only a few of the projects under way or under consideration, look-ing to the same general end. They are outlined here, though in their crude stage, merely for the purpose of showing how the Indian office is attacking the task before it. SALARIES IN TIIE INDIAN SERVICE. Thc nearness of the end of four years of service as Commissioi~ero f . Indian Affairs mill perhaps justify some comments on the needs of this office which might, nt an earlier stnge, have been liable to |
