New-York tribune., 1912-02-15
GAVE AID TO DALLAS
nr Sophian Home After Fight
Against Meningitis.
SERUM FURNISHED HERE
rooltb Board Physician Says
valuable Data Were Obtained
During Stay There.

Abraham Sophan, Of the Research
otories Of the Department OF Health
-.,,,rred to this city from Dallas, Tex
nss he went early in January 10 assist
VIZ starping out of an unusually severe
u -. NJ cerebro-spinal meningitis DR..
ep'T' supervised the administering Of
sOt'' Meningitis serum purchased from the
inch inch laboratories by the city OF Dallas
Ies.a I..a instance Of the medical authorities
9 -" The results from the injections, DR..
u -S,., said Yesterday, were remarkable.
S'P- i-rsa fatality" said DR.. Sophian, was
b hn,ow previous figures in epidemics
m"sH ser,,no was used. Including those
W. hyought to the hospital in Dallas
~. victims were in dying condition,
...aI death rate from the disease was
1t p5 per cent Excluding the moriound
,hs mortality was only 10 per cent"
-. feature Of the epidemic was its spread
-, persons Of middle age, rather than
on,opg children. Negroes represented about
AZ ner cent Of the cases.
NJ sophian said when he reached Dallas
A. citv was somewhat panicstricken.
rhsra had not been an epidemic of the dis
80. for nearly fifteen years previous to that
49, Immediately preparations we're made
- sAeregate the cases in hospital
..ptsb and poor alike" said Dr.. Sophian,
...,,,,sr riIy went there. About 1S5 cases
/. 80 ssrresated there. OF course, IL looked
1.,,ops for time, with such large
,r,,bar Of cases in a city Of 100000 popu-
,.,ion but a number Of patients, some in
diving condition, were broaght 10 the huS-
AZ far as the cleanliness Of the city was
concerned. Dr. Sophian said that Dallas was
n GOOD sanitary condition. Just what start
~ the endemic has not been determined
The winter was an unusually rigorous one
there. where, Dr. Sophian said, winters are
generally ideal But it was likely, he de-
c,sred that climatic conditions had some
hing TO do with the outbreak. After 1t mad
IN, a start the infectious nature of the dis
esse brought about an epidemic condition.
Money was nothing to the authorities IN
naIas. Dr.. Sophian declared, and the
TJaaItb Board there got free hand in the
matter Of expenditure Of money necessary
"a hiring the disease under control
81 think the city officials should be com
y,spded" he said. 'for the way they took
crate in every way. Only few small and
unimportant places declared a quarantine
against Dallas.
DALLAS was the central distributing point
for the meningitis serum sent 10 Texas by
the laboratory here. In all about o,0VV
doses of serum we're sent there. In num-
her of cities there were scattered cases or
the disease.
"New data regarding the control oI
serum treatment" said Or. Sophian, as
well as in the guarding Of serum treatment
preyenting the spread Of the disease and IN
controlling quarantine were obtained.
Dallas is now as healthy as any city in
the country. DIT sophan declared. lie said
ne had visited San Antonio, Houston ana
Galveston. In san Antonio he conferred
with the authorities of the army post there
regarding the possibility Of an outbreak oi
the disease.
The citizens Of Dallas presented Dr.
sophian with d silver loving cup and the
Dallas County Medical Society presented
him with a silver tea set
All the serum used was manufactured In
The laboratories oC the Department OF
Health. at whose head is Dr. William Park. /
II was sold at 45 cents dose to those who
could afford il, but TO the poor was admin
ttered without charge.
DR. Sophian is a man about thirty years
old He Is a graduate Of Iount Sinai Hos
pital. and for the last two years has oeeh
attached to the Research Laboratories. lie
has attracted considerable attention by his
work along the lines Of meningitis preVen-
ton and remedy.