=Responsibility of the Private Practitioner in Tuberculosis.= In the pursuit of his calling, the private practitioner comes into contact with certain diseases which by their nature are a matter of public as well as private concern. In so far, therefore, he is expected to interest himself in the general welfare of the community, but there is no way of compelling him to do this. The State grants him a licence to practice medicine, and in exchange for this licence or permission, he is expected to serve the State more or less gratuitously. At best, it is volunteer service, and therefore intermittent and unsatisfactory. That the State expects this service is shown by laws referring to transmissible diseases, the notification of births and deaths, and other matters which in one sense belong to his private business, but which in another sense are part of his public responsibility. Physicians who have no taste for research work are not forced to undertake it, nor are they coerced into any other line of service. Yet the State obliges those who are least inclined, as well as the others, to assume a graver responsibility; care of the public health. It takes no account of the many reasons which may prevent their doing this, or prevent their willingness to assume any part of this responsibility. It is thrust upon them just the same, but the expected results are not forthcoming. The State, therefore, is in the position of making an unfair demand upon the private practitioner, and at the same time relying upon an unfulfilled requirement for the security of the public health. In regard to tuberculosis, there are certain regulations which all physicians are supposed to comply with, no matter how little interested they may be in public welfare, or how unwilling to consider any other than their personal interests. These laws require, first, that all cases of tuberculosis be registered with the local or state health department, since in dealing with a transmissible disease it is necessary to learn its distribution and prevalence. Second, the physician in charge of a tuberculous patient must give this patient full prophylactic supplies, and teach him how to use and dispose of them. These supplies are furnished free of charge by the Health Department, so that the physician is under no expense in distributing them. Third, all houses vacated by a consumptive, either through death or removal, must be reported to the Health Department for fumigation. If these regulations could have been thoroughly complied with, they would doubtless have insured a system of complete and satisfactory supervision of tuberculosis. As it is, most of our large cities have found it necessary to place special workers in the field, to give exactly the same supervision and control which these regulations were designed to secure. The private practitioner, endowed with special education, special opportunity, and special authority, has not used these