The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-10-03
Government Health Officer Says
There Is No Danger Of
Disease in Manila.
MANY PERSONS VAcCINKTEO.
Army Surgeons Declare That Only
Twenty-Four Cases of ChOl-
era Were Reported
August {.
REPUBLIC

AN@A @[nH@H@ -
san francisco. oct A-L1eutenant Colo
mel L NJ. aIEus o. the medical department
Of the Uuited States Army. TO whose euorts
more than 10 any other cause Is attributed
TIE successful stamping out of the bubonic
plague In the PHILIPPINES and the reduc-
ton OF the cholera epidemic in Manila 10
its present sinai proportions. mas arrived
here on the transport Meade Colonel
Aiaus was successfully chief surgeon OF
TIE divisions commanded by Generals Mac
Arthur. Wheaton. Bates and Wade. and
was chief surgeon OF the Department. OF
Southern Luzon when he was selected by
the TAFT Commission 10 assume the i'm
portant post OF COMMISSIONS Of Public
Health and organize a Board OF Health for
the a
The work he accomplished IN the Islands
and providing the cities. towns and pro-
vincts with nealth regulations and health
authorities, makes an interesting chapter
In the story 90 the work OF the CiYn Gov
eminent in the Philippines. Colonel Maus
talked about II at the Occidental Hotel
Following the establishment OF the
Board OF Health" he said. we suggested
many health laws and sanitary regulations
that were speedily adopted by the COmmis
sion and proved Of incaiculable meiit and
OF disease We enacted a law providing for
compulsory vaccination throughout the
islands. In accordance with which every
person unless ~ could show that be was
protected from the disease. became subject
to vaccination Then We y~accinaSed 2.ooa,-
Do persons
MANIL-A'S HEALTH REGULATIONS.
Laws were enacted to regulate the prac-
tice Of medicine. dentistry. pharmacy and
veterinary surgery. and the Philippine Prov
inces now have the best laws on those sub
1ects that can be found in any State II this
country. Manila was provided with as COM
piete health regulations As can be found
anywhere In the world. and the wisdom OF
those health regulations has been demon
strzted since they were put into eject All
these things were new TO the Islands. Tor.
strange as Il may seem there had never
been a Board OF Health In the Philippines
during. all OF the years OF spanish rule.
Among other things. We gathered together
them In the hospitals. There are something
like 500 Of them in the Islands
The interesting thing about our work.
however, was the .hght TO stamp out the
bubOnic plague. When / took charge Of the
bubonic plague there we're hundreds Of cases
a month. We brought a Dig Snipfneat OF
virus from Toxic and ~vaccsnated f0OoO pei
sons in Manila. Then We proceeded 70 stamp
out the plague By killing rats The plaque
decided to exterminate the whole rat fam
Fly. We had the biggest rat-klling ever
heard Of We killed $500 rats in traps and
probably 200e.We more by means OF poison.
We made microscopic examinations OF the
rats first caught. and the fact developed
Toward the end OF the rat-killing We found
that not one-thirteenth Of ! per cent of the
rats were infected
DANGER IN CHOLERA
The most serious thing We had 90 con-
tend with was the cholera 1t had gone all
through the archipelago and between March
% and August there had been something
ike I0c0 or 1900 cases. OF which 30 proved
fatal We fought the disease and now II IS
on its last legs On August Z there were
only twenty-four cases In Manila IN i pop
ulation OF $1,000. and two months hence
you viii hear no more about the cholera
scarf.
Let me tell you something about chol-
era. There Is absolutely no danger OF In
lection so long as people obey a few simple
rules OF diet and sanitation I vas In the
cholera hospitals daily and gave my per-
sonaI attention TO hundreds Of cases / per
formed autopsies on cholera victims and
examined the affected organs. and / didn't
take the cholera II Is safe TO say that a
parsan could s!een alongside OF a cholera
patient without danger OF taking the dis
ease II he avoided personal contact with the
expectOration OF the patient"