M o d u l a r l a b benches and other furniture, easily accessible utility connections, liberal hood space, a n d tile walls a n d floors characterize the main l a b o r a t o r y rooms. Analyses r e l a t e d to f o o d and d r u g problems a r e c a r r i e d out in this particular l a b o r a t o r y . Others a r e d e v o t e d to sanitation, industrial hygiene, air sanitation, b a c t e r i o l o g y , a n d viruses
Serologic tests f o r syphilis, b l o o d g r o u p , and Rh factor a r e the principal functions o f the serology section in the b a c t e r i o l o g y l a b o r a t o r y . O n e step in the Kolmer complement fixation test (a modification o f the Wassermann test) is shown
LABORATORY OF THE MONTH
Public Health Department California's Burgeoning
Serves Population
ONE OF THE newest public health laboratories in the country is that of the California Department of Public Health recently completed in Berkeley. California's public health department consists of five "program" divisions—those responsible for administration, dental health, environmental sanitation, local health services, and preventive medical service. Serving these, as well as carrying out its own programs, is the sixth division, the division of laboratories under Howard L. Bodily. Laboratories are housed in three wings of three floors of the eight-floor, cross-shaped building. The division has a laboratory field service group and a branch public health laboratory at Los Angeles. Because of the biochemical nature of much of the work, the laboratory has some unusual features. The virus laboratory, for example, is isolated on one entire floor. Among safety precautions provided is incineration of all air exhausted from this floor. All animal bodies and other potentially infectious refuse are likewise incinerated. Each laboratory floor has a large number of walk-in refrigerator and incubation rooms whose temperatures and humidities are telemetered to a single recorder. VOLUME
28, N O . 4, A P R I L
1956
Epidemiologists trace sources o f new t y p h o i d cases b y b a c t e r i o p h a g e t y p i n g o f t y p h o i d organisms. G r o w t h on the culture media in the f o r e g r o u n d is being e x amined f o r evidence of lytic action. In the backg r o u n d , a sugar medium is being inoculated, another test to give clues as to the organism present
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Large stocks of food in t h -
