The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1904-11-20

tary authorities arst had some fairly COM
prehensive Information as TO the preva-
lonce and distribution of the disease, SUCH
as can only be gathered from
the systematic notification OF cases.
AS this problem is not simply a prob
lem which concerns New York. hut one
which almost equally concerns all the
large cities Of the United States. il vas
felt 20 be important that this commission
should ha3s a distinctly representative
character, IN the hope that the influence
and more effective. II IL seems desirable
- the commission 10 arrange for carrying
on any Investigations IN other laboratories
In other cities, as seems to me quite likely,
il Is believed that suitable arrangements
can be made for ~defrGying the expenses OF
those Investigations by the Board OF
Health OF New York City. The facilities
OF the laboratories of the Department OF
Health here will be at tho Of
the commission
MAPPING OUT ITS WORK.
At the first meeting the commission re-
solved itself into Two committees bacte-
r.ological and clinical, each OF these to
zeal with :he problems falling under their
respective ne aids. The Clinical Committee
then through the medium OF the medical
journals appealed 10 the medical PROBES
sion throughout the United States Tor as
s;stance in carrying on nvestigations
along these lircs:
The clinical evidence of the communion
0AAAIN ~ lhAtbAAlOIId - AN' N4AlTNAADAA W
cases in private houses and public .nsti-
tutions. in which apparently the disease
was communicated rom one TO another,
ana especially reports OF ward or hospita.
outbreaks.
y study Of sporadic cases OF pneumonia
/. e, those occurring in isolated houses in
country districts. OF when pneumonia is
not p!eva.ent IL the community and wien
there has been 70 evidence OF contact with
other cases OK probability Of II.
The. following special topics were re
fLT--GI 10 ~ NLA t-a- N-- nit
tee Tor investigation, and they invite in
formation bearing Oh any OF them:
Clinical evidence Of the mi Ity
OF pneumonia ny the collection OF cases in
private houses aud public institutions.
Seasonal relations to pneumonia.
Collections Of statistics OF pneumonia IN
hospitals, special attention being paid to
terminal pneumonia.
Collection Of The evidence as 10 the pro
portion OF cases IN which pHeumon.a v5h
be regarded as an auto-!nfcctaon and the
dence OF communicabiiity of the infec-
tous agent.
4 study Of tho sporadic cases of pneu-
monla. special attention being given 20 the
relationships OF the individual 10 crowds
OF exposure 10 other cases OF pneumonia
The presence of the pn~eE:pococcus tpneE-
monia b%acillns) in the mout in those cases
and cases associated with them.
Evidence for the belief that pneumonia
Is ~lntrecuect In Arctic regions.
While the Clinical Committee IS Crap
I.4hS IiIbsc pItbItI!lS me bdClETID!OElCA-
Committee vii! busy itself with tnese,
which were referred to it Tor investIsa-
ton:
\ study OF the occurrence and virulence
or the p?eumoCocCuS and organisms re
lated 10 or resembling this in the human
mouth in health and disease.
The evidence Of variations in vtrulence
or the pnCunococCus.
Tho occurrence OF the pneumococcus in
chlldren's hospitals, homes and asyIurns,
with 4 study OF the bateria of months
before and after outbreaks OF pneumonia.
me vitality OF the pneurnococCus under
various conditions.
y study of mouth disinfection.
A study Of the air of public places. eE-
these public places TO embrace public con-
veyences-tram cars and steam cars
stores, factories. large Office buildings.
theaters, hospitals. and private
When the commission held its second
session. on November 3. great progress
mad been made in the preiiminaries OF rs
task Reports showed that arrangements
mad been MADE for the special observance
OF pneumonia cases and detailed reports
thereon by competent medical men In
uy.
Some Of those whose cooperation has
been enlisted are: Bellevue. the New
St. L.uke's. Mount Sinai, the Founding
and the Babies hospitals of this CITY. In
Brooklyn, the Seney. 81 GATHERINGS and
sie Long iSiaru college hospitals. In Bal
tinror". the Johns Hopkins. tho City and
the Mary!and University hospitals. In CHI
cage. the Presbyterian. st. Luke's and
Eook County hospitals ana the Memorial
institute of Infectious Diseases. In Ros-
ton- the Massachusetts, General. the Chill
drens and the City hospitals: ST. Luke's
Hospital OF 81. Louis, Mo-: the Buffalo
pitai, 81; Paul City Hospital. Fargo Uni
versity Hospital. the Royal yictora and
ne Genera! Hospital OF Montreal. Can
ada: the Winnipeg General Hospital and
tho New Orleans Charity Hospital.
In these Institutions many thousand
cases In. the aggregate will come unde.
expert observation during the coming win
ter. and OF each a complets and conppre-
hensiiye report VIII be made TO the COM
mission by means OF 4 blank form pre-
pared foE that purpose. each batch Of
these blanks gent out being
oy q letter OF instruction to the chosen
mediea! officials and investigators OF lie
various institutions selected.
Mako DETAILED RECORDS.
Each record. in addition 10 the usual
data IS to the name. age. race and resi-
osnce OF the oatent. will give Il ~synopsis
OF the patholostca. history OF his case and
Us treati5en, 1t VIII tell his usual occu-
piuon: whether. as IN the case OF bakers
ana stokers. he had been exposed to sud
den temperature changes or to un1Is1si
strain or fatigue: whether or not he uas
an iabitual user OF tobacco or slcoholio
stiTulants: whether his residence was In a
private house. a tenement or q lodging
house: what was the usual tIITa
OF his apartments and whether thev were
heated by gas. oil stove. hot afr furnace
steam Or oren freolace.