Important studies in nutrition were made by the Department of Chemistry. Experiments were continued to determine the influence on the growth and reproduction of the albino rat of the addition to a rice and beans diet of vitamin A, proteins, calcium and brewer's and Torula yeasts. Another aspect of this study concerned the ability of the rat to resume growth and to reproduce after a period of stunting in early life on the rice and beans diet. Trials were run to determine the biological and nutritive value of various types of yeast as well as of other protein foods. Work was completed on an investigation of the riboflavin content of some 93 items of tropical foods native to Puerto Rico and neighboring islands. The Department also offered a course of 20 lectures on the chemistry of food and nutrition. The Department of Clinical Medicine went on with its research in tropical disorders. Data was gathered on 19 new cases of sprue, and experiments were made with yeast therapy. Filariasis and schistosomiasis also received considerable attention. Deficiency studies were made of 387 hospitalized patients. During July and August of 1944, lectures were given on various tropical and deficiency diseases as part of a refresher course offered to all doctors on the Island. Three new cases of chromoblastomycosis discovered by the Department of Dermatology and Mycology were subjected to careful investigation. The therapeutic value of sulfamerazine and penicillin was tested on these patients. Seven new cases of ringworn were registered during 1944-45. A total of 557 specimens was examined for the presence of fungi. The Department of Medical Zoology completed work on the skin test for the diagnosis of S. mansoni infections and in collaboration with Army personnel in Panama and San Juan started additional studies of the immunologic diagnosis of this infection. The Department also cooperated with two visiting colleagues from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University on the chemotherapy of filariasis. Their experiments with the use of Neostibosan, a compound of pentavalent antimony, on a control group of filariasis patients have produced promising results. Studies of the biology of the cat liver fluke were terminated. The work of classifying biting gnats of the genus Culicoides was continued in collaboration with the Army. An educational film on schistosomiasis was produced in the Department through the united efforts of the Department of Clinical Medicine and Pathology and the U. S. Public Health Service. A preliminary rat survey of San Juan in connection with typhus fever research was completed by the Department of Pathology. The Department also performed 35 autopsies and received 4,239 specimens for examination. Services of the Hospital were curtailed in 1944-45 due to the shortage of doctors and nurses. In the course of the year, the nursing staff fell to less than one third of normal. It was finally necessary to discontinue using one entire floor of the hospital. The number of operations performed declined to 176. The Outpatient Department attended 10,550 persons, the largest number in the history of the clinics. Of the 911 new cases admitted, more than half were suffering from schistosomiasias and filariasis. The Dermatological Clinic treated 161 cases. All the clinics of the preceding year were continued, and a new clinic for venereal diseases was opened in May 1945 under the auspicies of the U. S. Public Health Service as a training center for clinic personnel. The control of the Blood Bank was transferred from the Office of Civilian Defense to the School. A total of 5,196 persons donated blood during the fiscal year. Plasma production amounted to 746 units, bringing the grand total to 2,661 units. The Hospital distributed on request all but 755 units among municipal, district and charity hospitals and the Army, Navy and Air Forces. The School cooperated with the U. S. Army Medical Corps in studies to determine the incidence of the blood factors Rh, M and N among Puerto Rican donors and enlisted men at the Rodríguez General Hospital in San Juan. The appropriations for all activities of the School and Hospital for the fiscal year totalled $444,446.90. This sum includes funds alloted to the School by Columbia University, the University of Puerto Rico and the Insular Government. STATE GUARD The State Guard continued to be severely handicapped by rapid personnel turnover, amounting to 89.5 per cent for the year. On June 30, 1945, officers numbered 406 and enlisted men 2,056 as compared with 400 officers and 2,300 enlisted men on June 30, 1944. Authorized armory drills were held once a week, and there were many additional evening drills. Correspondence courses, based on Army Extension Courses, were offered to officers and non-commis sioned officers. Officers' Schools were held weekly in six cities under the direction of U. S. Army officers. Schools for non-commissioned officers and unit classes were also carried on. Considerable additional equipment was obtained from the Ordnance Office of the Antilles Department of the U. S. Army. STATE INSURANCE FUND At the close of the year, the State Insurance Fund had accumulated a total surplus, including reserves, of $4,528,928.17. Of this amount, the sum of $2,250,000 is invested in United States Savings and Treasury bonds. Net premiums collected for the policy year 1944-45 were $2,612,890.69, a gain of 11.5 per cent over the preceding year. Using 1943-44 payrolls as a basis, total reductions in premium rates in 1944-45 amounted to $406,429.35, while total increases amounted to $9,520.65, leaving an estimated net gain to the employers of $396,898.65. The accident frequency rate continued the downward trend registered for the past 10 years. As of June 30, 1945, the number of claims registered was 41,577, a decrease of 2,387 over last year. Twentyone death claims were compensated and 35 were pending on June 30, 1945. Accident prevention activities were intensified during the year. Three hundred and nine inspections and 467 follow-up visits were made to factories, construction works, farms, piers, warehouses and quarries. Safety education was provided in meetings of employers, foremen of sugar cane plantations and factories and labor union groups. Data was gathered for the drafting of a new safety code for quarrying and stevedoring operations. The number of employers insured this year was 4,005, bringing the total to 13,309 as compared with 10,236 in 1944. At the end of the year, there were 164 classifications of workers. The budget approved for the year 1945-46 amounts to approximately 10.7 per cent of the premiums collected. According to law, the State Insurance Fund may use 15 per cent of the annual premium income of the preceding year. TAX COURT The work of the Tax Court is summarized in the following table: Total taxes involved in all cases which were before the Court during the fiscal year are as follows: Determined by the Treasurer. Alleged to be correct by complainants---- $8,776, 441. 22 4,757, 091. 09 4,016, 350. 13 The Court held 154 public hearings during the year. A total of 53 decisions of the Court were appealed to the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico through certiorari proceedings, of which 31 were denied, 13 were sustained, one was reversed and nine were pending on June, 30, 1945. TOBACCO INSTITUTE The activities of the Tobacco Institute represented largely a continuation of last year's projects. These included experimentation in agronomy, plant pathology genetics, chemistry and economic studies. of the industry in general. Agronomic research sought the production of a high quality wrapper or binder leaf for the cigar industry. In addition to its research activities, the Agronomy Department distributed, free of charge, 828 pounds of selected seed to tobacco growers and government agencies. The Department of Pathology and Genetics intensified its efforts to produce varieties of tobacco resistant to the blackshank disease and to mosaic, and to obtain a variety of a high nicotine content that may be used in the production of nicotine sulfate. Supplementing the experiments of the Agronomy Department, particular attention was given to the development of wrapper and binder varieties. The objective, of course, is to increase the self sufficiency of the local cigar industry. The Institute cooperated with the Federal Department of Agriculture and with various Insular Government agencies in issuing regular reports on the tobacco industry in Puerto Rico. The available cash balance at the beginning of the fiscal year was $70,004.17. The income for the year amounted to $55,912.33, of which $4,398.75 resulted from the liquidation of the "Cooperativa Agrícola Industrial Tabacalera de Puerto Rico". Disbursements totalled $52,629.60, leaving a balance on hand of $73,286.90. TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY As in the the previous year, the activities of the Transportation Authority were limited to the operation of the bus service within the Metropolitan Area of San Juan. Despite the urgent need for greater transportation facilities in the Metropolitan Area, little expansion of the bus service was possible due to the difficulty of obtaining either new buses or essential parts for the reconditioning of the old ones. Although the total fleet was increased from 95 to 138 during the year, an average of 40 units was undergoing repair at all times. Eventually, it was necessary to take more than this number out of service, since no spare parts could be purchased. Only one new bus was added. At the end of the year, the fleet was down to 98 units. In spite of these limitations, the number of passengers carried rose to 26,807,917, an increase of eight per cent over the preceding year. Although there was an increase in gross income of $200,504, net profits declined from $57,698.23 in 1943-44 to $16,144.38 in 1944-45. A general increase in wages and salaries accounts for this decrease. The work started by the Airport Committee appointed by the Planning Board in the preceding year was continued, and a preliminary plan for airports was prepared and submitted to the Committee for their consideration. Negotiations are under way for the eventual transfer of Army and Navy Auxiliary Airports on the Island to Insular control. The outlook for the coming year is more promising, as the restrictions on shipping and procurement of supplies from the Continent are relaxed. The Insular Legislature appropriated $2,500,000 for the purchase of new transportation equipment and the construction of airports. UNIVERSITY OF PUERTO RICO No changes were made in the organization of the University dur ing the past year. The institution now includes the Colleges of Humanities, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, Law, Education, Pharmacy, Business Administration, Agriculture and Mechanic Arts. Initial steps have been taken for the establishment next year of a School of Public Administration, a School of Nursing and a Social Research Center. In keeping with the University's policy of encouraging professional improvement of its teaching staff, 31 members of the faculty were on leave of absence for this purpose, 17 of them with pay. Scholarships were granted to 42 graduate students for advanced study in the United States. Nineteen visiting professors and instructors, most of them from Spain and the United States, offered courses at the University during the 1944-45 school year. |