[Government health activities between 1922 and 1936]. / Le renforcement des interventions gouvernementales dans le domaine de la santé entre 1922 et 1936: le Service provincial d'hygiène de la province de Québec.

The 75th birthday of the Service provincial d'hygiène was commemorated in 1997. However we do not have a comprehensive history of this Service which succeeded the Conseil supérieur d'hygiène of the Province of Quebec (1887) and which eventually led to the institution of the Ministry of Health in 1936. Yet there have been significant changes in the field of public health in Quebec between 1921 and 1936, the period during which the Service provincial d'hygiène operated. We will show that through this organization, the Province played an essential role in establishing the first public health system and commencing the process of rnedicalization of the society. By 1919, federal intervention was added to provincial intervention through the establishment of the Federal Ministry of Health. But what was the structure of this provincial public health organization? How did it function? What resources did it have at its disposal to put in place a health and prevention policy? Although some recent studies have addressed the question of the appearance of a health policy at that time, there is still no analysis on the structure of this state sanitary agency, nor on its organization, functions, and means of actions. This study presents an example of the thesis adopted by the authors in previous works -i.e. that the historical vision of an unchanging health system in a static Quebec society before the Quiet Revolution must be rectified- it must also challenge the idea that, absent from this field, the state would not have adopted a health policy due to its own inertia or to the resistance of "liberal" forces and the opposition of the clergy.

[Spatial and ethnic differentiations of infant mortality: Quebec 1885-1971]. / Différenciations spatiales et ethniques de la mortalité infantile: Québec 1885-1971.

The aim of this paper is to present an overview of the evolution of Infant Mortality in Montreal and in the whole Province of Quebec, from 1885 to 1971, and to highlight factors which may have determined the differential decline during this period. Based on civil registers, quality and fiability of the results are first discussed. Compiling statistics on infant mortality was of great importance in so far as it enabled hygienists to justify baby welfare clinics and county health units. In Montreal, cultural context showed a powerful influence on infant mortality: more French Canadian infants died in their first year than in British and the Jews. Between 1920 and 1930, infant mortality rates in the Canadian metropolitan area declined in rural areas of the Province. After this period, these rates have declined even more rapidly.

Echotomographic and serologic screening for hydatidosis in a Tunisian village.

Echotomographic and serologic screening for hydatidosis was carried out in 1,650 subjects aged over 5 years in a village located in a high risk region of central Tunisia. Echotomography detected liver cysts in 6 subjects (prevalence rate: 3.6 per 1,000). These 6 cases were among the 7 positive cases detected by ELISA. In all 6, the diagnosis of liver cysts was confirmed. No other localization was found in any of the subjects including one with a positive ELISA and a normal echotomographic examination. This work demonstrates the high feasibility of echotomography in the field and confirms the high prevalence rate of hydatidosis in the community.

Seroepidemiology of hepatitis B in a population of children in central Tunisia.

The prevalence rate of HBV markers in the overall population was 18.0%. The prevalence rates of HBsAg and anti-HBs were 3.3% and 12.2% respectively. 2.5% of the children were negative for these markers but positive for anti-HBc alone. Of the 17 HBsAg positive children, 10 were HBeAg positive and four were anti-HBe positive. The statistical study using multifactorial correspondence analysis and the chi 2 test showed a positive relationship between the prevalence rate of anti-HBs and age, and a negative relationship between the prevalence rate of 'absence of markers' and age. The male sex and urban dwelling were related to higher prevalence rates of HBsAg and anti-HBc alone and to a lower prevalence rate of 'absence of markers'. No relationship was found between geographical zone, father's education and HBV markers. The implications of these results in terms of prevention are discussed.

[Cost of hydatidosis surgery at the Sousse University Hospital (Tunisia)]. / Coût de l'hydatidose chirurgicale à l'Hôpital universitaire de Sousse (Tunisie).

Hydatidosis is a very common disease in Tunisia, with a great economical importance for the health care system. In 1983, for Sousse Hospital, the total cost for hydatidosis was 125,000 US $. More than half of these costs were for "hospital days". A more rational in the services administration would make decrease these costs, but the best is a special attention to primary prevention.

[7th epidemic of cholera in Maghreb. Epidemiologic data compared]. / La 7e pandémie de choléra au Maghreb. Données épidémiologiques comparées.

Epidemiological characteristics are very similar into the concerned countries. From official data of Algeria and Tunisia, authors described the main variables: distribution in age, seasonal variations and secular trends. Case fatality rate is similar in the two countries (between 5 and 8%).