New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-04-05
SHORT SCHOOL DAY PLEA.
CHILDREN ARE VICTIMS.
Hard Study Said to Make Pupils
Prey to Meningitis Germ.

~ was reported yesterday by one of the chief
Olneials OF the Health Department that the ply
slelans OF the Presbyterian Hospital had with
OUT success repeated on a patient suffering from
cereDro-spinal meningitis the operation tried for
'iie HEs1 tlme few days ago at the Flower Hos
PlIal oy Dr. William Tod Helmuth. The opera
'iOn consisted Of trephinng the skull in order to
puHcture the dura mater. or membrane. about
the brain and remove the serum which was
caused to accumulate by the action OF the men,
nights germs Last night doctor connected
Win the Presbyterian Hospital said the official
OF the Health Department had mistaken the in
stitution at which the operation had been per-
formed
OF the cases Of death from cerebro-spinal
meningitis" said a doctor of the Health De-
partment yesterday. 'about S71s per cent are
children between five and nineteen years of age
the school age. 1t is believed that the mem
nights germ is always in the nose during these
epidemics, as the pneumonia germ is always in
the throat 1t Is further believed that the germ
has power to do harm only where the body is
worn out by mental or physical overwork. am
father and my children attend the public
schools They have to work very hard. I be-
Heve that it would be advisable to cut down the
school day at such time as this and give the
children chance to get out into the sunshine
and keep in health. Let some philanthropist
take the children from the slum districts to
the parks. and let the Park Department lay aside
its Keep or the Grass signs and permit the
children to have good roll on the turf"
Associate City Superintendent Davis usually
acts as city superintendent in DR.. MaxweIPs
absence. and the doctors remarks were reported
to him. This ground for cutting down the
school day is entirely out of my sphere Of
knowledge" he said. eft is matter of hygiene.
suppose the medical world is divided as to
whether good health is preventative Of menin-
gitis anyway. Why cut down the day now,
when DR.. Darlington and the other officials Of
the Health Department announce that the warm
weather will check the epidemic? If it is true
that the short school day gives the children re-
lief from mental overwork the children on the
lower East Side ought to be free from men
ingids since so many OF them are on part time.
Still. it is these very children. who have the
most freedom from school work and the most
time to play, that have always been chiefly sub
ject to meningitis. You may as we'll declare
play to be a cause of meningitis. from the re-
SUITS
Patrolman Frank Sisson. attached to the
Westchester station. died yesterday morning, in
Fordham Hospital, Of cerebro-spinal meningitis.
after suffering great agony. He had been Ill
for three weeks. He leaves wife and two
children. He lived in Main-st West Chester.
the station.
The Jersey City Health Board has directed
that in future all houses or apartments in which
there have been cases Of consumption influenza,
pneumonia and cerebro-spinal meningitis be dis
infected.
The Chemists Club. at No. 1OS West 55th-
st. held meeting last night chiefly with the
purpose of introducing it's members to Health
Commissioner Darlington. The meeting also
had in view the organization Of physicians
society. The speakers OF the evening were Dr.
Thomas Darlington. DR.. Hermann NJ Biggs,
medical officer of the Health Department; Dr.
Walter Bensel. assistant sanitary superintend-
ent, and John P. Cronin. assistant chief inspec-
tor. There was some discussion of the menin-
gifts epidemic.