Early records consist primarily correspondence concerning routine matters. Some local correspondence, however, when used with material derived from... Show moreEarly records consist primarily correspondence concerning routine matters. Some local correspondence, however, when used with material derived from two town surveys, is useful to researchers interested in community or state health conditions. The most controversial early issue involving the State Board of Health came after the legislature passed an act in 1880 requiring eye examinations for railroad employees. Correspondence directed to the Secretary concerning the implementation of the law, together with 133 petitions protesting against its harshness, provide an excellent example of the work of the Board of Health in its efforts to promote health and safety. Further material in the record group includes divorce statistics from 1878 to 1883, occupational breakdowns for employment in four counties, copies of legislation and petitions, vital statistics forms, copies of circulars, and copies of speeches written by Dr. Chamberlain. More recent records cover the broad spectrum of programs administered by the department including the Nation’s most comprehensive tumor registry and the licensure of health professionals and institutional programs in the state Show less