Evening star., 1909-05-12
GIVE A WRONG VIEW TO BOOM ALEXANDRIA
Health Reports Declared to Be Citizens of the Virginia City
Misleading. Are Wide Awake.
NEGLECT BY PHYSICIANS SOUNDING A WATCHW0RD
Promptly Make Returns Of Expect Gen Like Transformation Of
Recoveries. Quaint Town.
MEASLES MUCH EXAGGERATED NEW MANUFACTURING CENTER
Now in Suggestion Thriving
CITY, Prob nifty "the
ably 15o Workshop Of Washington"
PHYSICIANS SOUNDING A WATCHW0RC
Do Not Promptly Make Returns Of
Recoveries.
MEASLES MUCH EXAGGERATED
Records Show 5000 Cases Now in
the City, But There Are Prob
ably Not Over $50.

Failure Of physicians OF the District to
report the recoveries of patients suffer-
ing from contagious diseases has resulted
in misleading reports concerning the
prevalence Of the diseases in the city,
and Health Officer w. c. Woodward this
morning took steps to prevent such con-
ditions in the future.
The discovery of the fact that many
cases are being carried on the records OF
the health department which have long
ago recovered has been made In the last
few days For instance, couple OF
weeks ago the records indicated that
there were nearly 200 cases OF typnolo
fever in the city. Then cards were sent
out to the physicians in charge OF all
those cases asking whether or not the
patient had recovered. The result OF the
inquiry has been to reduce the number OF
cases OF typhoid fever in the District to
90. The same conditions have been found
to exist in regard to other diseases.
The records now show that there arc
5000 cases Of measles In the city at
the present time, but DR.. E. L. LIE Merle.
acting superintendent Of the contagious
disease service, declared today that there
Of measles under treatment at present.
Cards will be at once sent to physicians
to report on these cases.
Recoveries Must Be Reported.
To prevent repetition of such condi-
tions, DR.. Woodward said this morning
that he would instruct the head Of the
contagious disease service to send out
the notices as soon as it became appar-
ent, from the lapse Of time. that the
patient should have recovered or died.
IN tho of measles. q
notice will be sent out to the physician
four weeks after the case has been re-
ported, asking what the condition OF the
patient is.
considered. DR.. LIE Merle pointed out
that the law requiring the registration
of contagious diseases prescribes fine
of not more than 500 for physicians who
fail to report recoveries After providing
for the reporting of contagious disease.
the law declares that when said patient
recoyers or dies, said person in charge.
as soon as possible thereafter. shall send
to the health office of said District a
certificate, written In Ink, certifying 10
that fact
Another section of the law says that
"any person who violates or aids or as
sists in violating any Of the provisions OF
this act shall be punished, upon convic-
ton thereof by a fine not exceeding 500
or by imprisonment for not more than
thirty days"
This negligence on the part of some
physicians Of the National capital and
weekly mortality report Of the health de-
partment for the week ended May g.
made public today. "The situation with
respect to contagious diseases" says the
report, 80 far as the record indicates.
has undergone marked Improvement
since the last report This unusual re-
ductfon in the number OF cases on hand,
as shown throughout the entire list. Is
largely due to the registration during the
week of many cases Of recovery, the re-
ports Of which had failed to reach the
health department. The analysis Of the
prevalence of contagious diseases. as
shown below, is still probably worse than
the actual condition. and also shows that
the abstracts which have been issued
from week to week for some time past
have been misleading, and have not re-
fected the actual state OF the public
health. A circular has been addressed
to the physicians of the District request
ing more prompt and careful attention to
this requirement, and it is hoped will re-
suit in the future in a more accurate ac-
count and report Of the situation with
respect to reportable diseases.
"A detailed statement Of the changes
which occurred during the week. with re-
spect to each reportable disease, follows:
Diphtheria Shows Increase.
"Diphtheria shows a slight increase
over the record for the preceding week.
There were 6 new cases reported, as COM
pared with 4 during the earlier period,
and the discharges numbered 4, against
8, leaving II cases Oh hand-an increase
of Q over the last report. Scarlet fever.
on the other hand, shows decline. there
being 13 new cases, against 16 during the
earlier period, and q discharges. as COM
pared with IL, making total Of 70 cases
In quarantine which number Is less
than shown In the previous report. I'm
proved conditions are also noted in the
record Of cases of whooping cough, there
being a reduction in the total number
from 233 at close Of the preceding week
to 1874. During this report period there
were II cases reported e legs than during
the earlier period) and 60 cases were
THE record Of typhoid fever during the
current report period shows but new
cases reported, while there were 81 cases
discharged. This reduces the total num-
Der of cases of record from 175 at the
close OF the preceding week to 80. This
number compares very favorably with the
record for the corresponding period of
last year. when there were 81 cases Of
typhoid fever Of record. During this pc
riod there were 10 new cases reported and
5 discharged.
There were 81 new cases Of measles
reported (5 less than during the earlier
period and 100 cases discharged, making
total OF 3OS5 on hand at the close OF
this report. This is reduction OF 80
cases since the week previous. Chickens
pox cases were reduced by Al discharges
against Z new cases reported. making a
total Of 1S0 cases of record. No change
occurred upon the record of cases Of epi-
demic cerebro-spinal meningitis, no new
cases being reported. There are at pres
ent. as shown by the record Of this de-
partment 3 cases of this disease under
treatment. No smallpox is Of record.
The number of deaths In the District
during the week was 141, the diseases
most fatal being pulmonary tuberculosis.
which caused % deaths: pneumonia. with
II deaths; diseases of the heart. with 10
deaths, and apoplexy, IL deaths. There
were 1913 births in the District during
the week.
GIRLS PRANK ENDS FATALLY.
Child Crawls Under Trestle at Balti-
more Suburr and Is Killed.