The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-08-20
AMERICAS HEALTH
BARRIER THE BEST
No Country in the World
Guards Its People from
\ Disease So Well.
Especial Cable from the International
News Service.)
~ SIDNEY ESPEY

News Service.)
eY SIDNEY EsPEY
WASHINGTON, Aug 19.-Nowhere
In the world are the citizens of a
country so well protected from the
dissemination Of plague as in the
United States. Especially is this true
In protecting them from diseases
brought to this country by infected
persons from abroad. The protection
Ss afforded by representatives of the
United States government, a special
esFvice OF employees being hired for
Fats purpose. They are part of the
United States public health and hospi-
tai marine service, and extend to ev.
/cyy seaport and coastwise port Of any
consequence in the country. They
are also stationed in districts where
contagious disease of any character
becomes epidemic, the matter being
handled under their supervision, not
withstanding the fact that the United
States also maintain their respective
bureaus of health.
The United States government now
Is maintaing the strictest and the first
really scientific quarantine against
cholera that has ever been maintained
In the world. The man in the street
does not know how big force of the
Jest medical experts in the world is
working night and day at home and
abroad to prevent the spread of chol-
era.
When the cholera became a menace
In Italy over year ago there was a
good deal known about cholera here.
II was no longer a mysterious pesti-
lence that wasted at MONDAY" and
according to the old chronicles was
cMsodied In the person of the Wander.
ing Jew,and travelled at a fixed rate
of three miles day.
What Science Found.
Modern science has found a little
comma-shaped germ and knows that
cholera has to be introduced into the
human system by way Of the mouth
and that nurse taking modern SAM
tary precautions could live in a chol-
era haspital with safety.
But II was only in the last year that
the presence of the carrier was defin.
itely determined, and an explanation
offered for the seeming mysterious
cases that creep through the best reg.
ulated guarantees. This Is the end
Of the problem that the United States
has now taken hold of, and 1t explains
why this country is free Of the dis
ease, while 1t is slowly spreading in
Europe.
When the alarm Of cholera carried
by arriving immigrants was sounded
In this country, the public health
and marine hospital service was put
on the job. General Walter Wyman.
chief Of the service, sent DR.. Geddings
to Genoa, the two largest ports of en-
barkation for immigrants, and had
him see that the italian authorities en-
forced the quarantine regulations as
they were then understood. AS chol-
era spread from Russia and Germany,
and was noted at other ports of de-
parture several of the younger sur
geons Of the public health and marine
hospital service were sent abroad to
assist DR.. Geddings.
But the precautions taken abroad
were only the coarse mesh of the
screen that was built around the Unit
ed States. At first the Italian author
tiles did not like to admit that they
had cholera in Naples and Genoa at
all. and they declared that If there
were cases there they were not SER
iOus. Afterwards they found that de-
malls were not as satisfactory as san
itation, and they co-operated heartily
with the American authorities in en-
forcing the quarantine law.
Spread Into Germany
New York Is the largest port for
the arrival OF immigrants in the Unit.
Cd States, and there the local health
authorities co-operated with the I'm
tied States authorities. But the immi-
grants fleeing from the cholera in Eur
ope sought other ports Of departure
than the usual Italian exits and the
the cholera spread through Southern
Russia and along the Baltic. 1t ap-
peared in parts of Germany and now