Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-02-01
WAVE OF FEVER IN
CHICAGO SPREADING
hr 90 Hundred and Fourteen New
Gases, and D|plhsrIa Reports
Double In One Day.
MAY HAVE 10 CLOSE ALL SCHOOLS
spidemie's sreep Calls Out All state
and City Health Authoritles-Pub.
lie Asked 30 Give Up Balls, PARTED
and Other Amusements Until Scar.
let Fever Can be Checked.

CHICAGO, ILL, Jan. 31.-W:th TO-
700 to $4,000 cases Of contagious dis
case, mainly scarlet fever. in Chicago
and the suburbs. Extraordinary pre-
cautions are to be taken to cheek the
spread OF the epidemic. Alarmed be.
cause they have been unable to con
trol the situation and prevent new
centers of contagion, the city health
authorities today appealed to tho pub
lie for aid by asking Temporary
suspension Of all social activity in
the city.
No order yet has been given for the
closing OF the public schools, the
tLeatres and churches. Int u IL quite
within the probabilities that II the
epidemic spreads as rapidly during
the rest of this week as 1t has for
several days that these precautions
will be resorted to.
q Appeal to the public was made in
a proclamation by DIR. Charles !.
Whalen. Commissioner OF Health.
who asks, in the name of the public
health and safety. that all balls, par.
ties and public gatherings of social
nature be abandoned for few
weeks. or until the health authorities
consider 1t safe to resume such gath
erlngs.
Prominent medical men, believing
that grave emergency exists, have
rendered their assistance and coun.
sci to assist in an inquiry by the City
Council into the causes and dangers
OF the epidemic and to devise meas
ures by which the plague may be
checked
Milk Supply is Bad.
The State Board OF Health has TAX
en- official cognizance of the situation
here and Is cooperating with the
municipal authorities. 1t has sent in
spectors to several milk supply sta
tons outside the city and there found
conditions specially favorable to the
genesis and propagation of scarlet
fever. Shipments of milk to the city
are being watched. and every effort
is making to minimize the dangers
from this source.
Three hundred and fourteen new
cases Of scarlet fever, ffty-five of
diphtheria and twenty-five of measles
were reported to the Health Depart
ment Besides these there were three
cases of typhoid fever and two cases
OF whooping cough.
There was decrease in the num-
Der of scarlet fever cases, compared
with Wednesday, but the cases of
new alarm to the officials.
ut must be admitted now" said
DR.. Whalen, that the epidemic is on
the increase I was in hopes that
yesterdays figures simply meant that
more reports were coming In. The
new record today shows I was mis-
taken. The conditions are most Sc
rious, with three hundred cases
day. One or two days of sucn re-
turns leaves no room for further
doubt. 1t means that during the
incubative period of twenty-four hours
to seven days thousands of persons
have been infected"
Factory Inspector Davies has re-
ported to Commissioner Whalen sew
cral cases in which sweat shop cloth
ing has been exposed to contagion
He reported three cases of scarlet
fever in thehome of Mrs. 8. Fran
cha, No. 81 Larrabee street. where
garments are made regularly for a
sweat shop. He reported another case
at No. 35 Crosby street, which he as
serted was equally dangerous. Here
sick baby in her lap while working
on clothing.
Schools In Danger.
President Ritter, of tho School
Board, in letter made complaint to
Commissioner Whalen that children
lin the "peeling'' stage Of scarlet few
er congregated in stores near school
buildings. He said that in many of
the stores the children in whose
homes there were cases OF scarlet
fever and diphtheria, were mingling
with pupils from the schools. He re-
quested that the condition be righted
at once.
DR.. George w. Webster, president
Of the State Board of Health, has be-
gun plans for an emergency. public
health conference" which will be
held next week in the Art Institute.
1t will be under the auspices of tho
State Board, city Health Department,
the Chicago Medical Society and sew
eral other organizations, including
many women's clubs.
The death rate from contagious dis
eases has not been alarmingly heavy,
but 1t is high enough to have broken
all records last week for January
since the days of the Worlds Fair.
Scarlet fever has been confined al
most entirely TO children.
Treatments thus far have been at
tended with satisfactory results in
most cases. but SO many centres OF
infection have develoDed now that
there is danger the epidemic will get
beyond the possibility OF the best at
tcntlon to patients.