Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-06-07
THE SANITARY SITUATION.
Medical Aspect of the Disaster at Johns.
town as Given by an Expert.

From Dispatch to tie Med cal News
JoHSsTowS, Pa, June Notwithstanding
the fact that many of the reporters of the daily
papers have sent messages from here Indicating
that diseases, the result of exposure. are ex-
ceedlngly common. the fact is that in the three
largest hospitals very few cases of any kind ex-
LIST, and in over 90 per cent of these. the indi-
viduals are suffering from injuries occurring
both during and after the food. The cases Of
pneumonia are very few, and the report that
measles Is, to a large extent, epidemic is en-
tlrely false. The truth Is that one or two chill
dren have exhibited symptoms of this disease,
the reports of which, in the present state of
popular excitement have grown in their sever
lty with each mile that they have Travelled. SO
far as the spread of any disease. such as this
is concerned, we feel quite confident that the
conditions present are. with few exceptions,
emlnently prophylactic in their character The
children who suffer are living in tents which
are necessarily very thoroughly ventilated.
and crowding is impossible. SO lar as We have
been able to learn, the history OF anv exposure
on the part of the children affected with
measles is very dim.
NO DANGER OF MALARIAL POISONING.
The danger of malarial poisoning is, we be-
heve, not present simply because the condi-
tons favorable to the production Of such mi
asms are absent. The water. sweeping through
the valley with enormous force. has carried IN
a majority of cases, the soft mud of the river
banks to distant and low-lying bottom lands,
and has covered the entire site of Johnstown
with layer of pure sand and gravel varying
in depth from few inches 10 foot. As the
consequence of this all cosspools have not only
been thoroughly washed out, but afterward
filled with sand; every particle of dirt AMI city
filth has been washed away, and 1t would be
hard to find, hygienically speaking. a more
Clearly spot than the main portions OF what
was once Johnstown. The danger will be the
accumulation OF new filth, owing to tine large
number OF strangers living in tents and the out
door life of the survivors.
DECOMPOSITION OF HUMAN FLESH.
There is absolutely no use in sending more
physicians here, save that by their training
they may assist in the carrying out of meas
ures belonging to the realm of preventive
medicine. With the exception of few WHO
are assisting in hospitals. the majority of Phil
adelphla physicians have been detailed for the
purpose OF overseeing the thorough cremation
of all dead animals. The only other measures
which are adopted are those directed against
the decomposition of human flesh. which popu-
lar clamor will not allow to be touched by fire.
All other attempts to dlsinfect such sources of
disease, without the aid OF great heat. cannot
prove but useless, for the bodies a general
rule, are piled up in a mass of rubbish made up
of old lumber. which is arranged in such a way
that It is doubtful if a river of disinfectants
"a.
In an endeavor TO obtain the id MITIGATION of
bodies they have been kept, prior TO this date
for too long time previous to burial. This has
been largely done away with by improve
rules, ordered by cooler heads from outside re-
lief corps.
MUCH INSANITY THREATENED.
The mental condition OF almost every former
resident OF Johnstown is one of the gravest
character, and the reaction which Will set in
when the reality of the whole affair is fully
comprehended can scarcely fail to produce
many cases of permanent or temporary insan-
ity. Most of the faces that one meets. both
male and female, are those OF the most pro-
found melancholia associated with an almost
absolute disregard OF the future. The nervous
system shows the strain il has borne by trem-
ulousness of the hand and of the lip. in man as
well as in woman. This nervous state is fur
ther evidenced by peculiar information of
words, the persons speaking mechanically
while the voices Of many rough-looking men
are changed into such tremulous notes of 80
high pitch as TO make one imagine that a
child, on the verge of tears, is speaking.
Crying Is SO rare that your correspondent
saw not a tear on any face in Johnstown, but
the women that are left are haggard, with
pinched features and heavy dark lines under
their eyes. Indeed, the evidence OF systemic
disturbance is SO marked in almost every indi-
vidual who was present at the time of the catas-
trophe that it is possible with the eve alone to
separate the residents from those outside.