Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1911-01-03
To- STAMP OUT TYPHOID
Washington Officials Praise
Work OF Naval Academy
Surgeons
MEDICOS ADOPT PRECAUTION
Chief OF Bureau OF Medicine Aad Sur.
gerry COmmeuds Drs. Mccormick Won
Wedekind And Butler - Two
Hundred Cadets Were
Vaccinated

The typhoid epidemic at the Naval
Academy has been handled by the
medical officers here to the success
and qualification of the high officials
of the Navy Department at Washing
ton.
That the outbreak should have been
confined to twenty-siX cases and
stamped out without the loss of
single life, is especially pleasing to
Surgeon-General Charles +. Stokes,
chief of the Bureau of Medicine and
Surgery. The epidemic, it is now
learned, was traced to some outside
milk which was bought for use at the
Naval Academy, and Surgeon Cen
eral Stokes is planning preventive
campaign for protection against an
cher incursion of the disease.
The outbreak dates back to the be-
ginning of November. Surgeon Gem
eral Stokes at once sent Surgeon
Charles St. j. Butler, an expert bac-
teriologist, to Annapolis for duty.
The midshipmen with typhoid or its
symptoms were at once placed in
quarantine in the hospital. and DR..
Butler brought along with!him a suffi-
cient quantity of anti-typhoid vaccine
to use upon the midshipmen.
The middies could not be forced to
submit to vaccination with this
serum, but to their credit. it may be
said, that approximately two hundred
midshipmen volunteered and were vac
cinated. Regulations were instituted
which made it impossible for the epi-
demic to gain any headway, unless it
should come through the channel of
the cook shops to the table, and even
that source of the disease was block
ed. The Army-Navy game of football
was coming on, and every MILDLY"
wanted to attend, and several conceal
ed their symptoms until after the
game. But they were soon tabled
and sent to the hospital.
Surgeon Albert NJ. Mccormick,
chief medical officer at the Naval
Academy, and Surgeon Luther L. Won
Wedekind, in command of the hos
pital at the Naval Academy, are
praised very highly for their splendid
work in combating the disease and
preventing the outbreak from becom-
ing virulent. Surgeon Won Wedekind
has charge treatment of the typhoid
patients and handled them so we'll
that all have recovered. Surgeon Nc
Cormick, assisted by DR.. Butler and
DR.. Won Wedekind meanwhile CO.
operated in preventing the further
spread of the disease.
A board of officers, of which Medi-
cal Inspector John M. Edgar, who was
in charge Of the naval hospital at
Boston, is chairman, has been for
some weeks making an investigation
of the whole situation. The other
members of this board are DIR. But
Ter, the bacteriologist; Medical Di.
rector Joseph B. Parker and Passed
ssistant Surgeon Owen ]. Mink.
They have made a complete study
of the sources of milk supply here,
examined the milk bacteroiogicalIy
and traced the recent typhoid to its
original source, on a farm from
which some milk came to the Acad-
emy. This board is still in session.
Within few weeks the board
will submit its report, making such
recommendation as it deems prudent
and proper. Surgeon General Stokes
will review it and make such recon-
mendations to the Secretary of the
Navy as will reduce to a minimum
all chance of the future introduction
of typhoid at the Naval Academy.
Secretary Meyer is highly pleased
with the way in which the Academy
situation has been handled.