The Washington herald., 1912-06-30
BY JAMES b. MORROW.

were more dangerous and harder to de-
feat than a visible enemy coming in
warships The attack may be repeated
this summer. Italy continues to have
cholera though not in an epidemic form.
Its soldiers, however, have carried the
germs to Tripoli. Italy may be infected
again as its soldiers come back 10 their
homes. The menace to the United States,
therefore, is grave, with immigrants
pouring in from Naples and Genoa and
the Slcilian port OF Palermo.
The disease was beaten in 1911, but only
BY the hardest kind Of work. No medals
Of honor were given the surgeons. who
stopped it at the Eastern edge OF the
United States. Their names even are
unknown TO the public. Unromantic was
their victory, but it was immeasurable
in its importance. Lives were spared.
Property was protected. No harm oc-
CURED TO business And the triumph OF
1911 will be paralleled in 1872 II there is
an opportunity. The army Of defense
this year is in command Of Rupert Blue
The Blues are strong and courageous
men. There are two OF them. victor
Blue. now a commander in the navy
then a young lieutenant, took message
TO Gomez, chief OF the insurgent army
Of Cuba With twelve men in cutter
he crossed the Spanish water lines and
was lost among a thousand little Islands
that separated the ocean from the main
land He found Gomez, carried the
American flag ashore and delivered the
war message. Five Spanish gunboats
were near at hand and patrol boats
sailed through the water in all direcuons'
In returning to his ship he captured Two
schooner yachts, anchored near an island.
The Spaniards fed to the shore when
Blue opened fire, the officers leaving
their swords behind. John D. Long.
Secretary Of the Navy, sent Victor Blue
a letter Of commendation- Later the
daring Young lieutenant was advanced
five numbers in rank for extraordinary
heroism-"
Victor Captured Two SchOenerS'
Rupert Blue. the brother of Victor, and
two years younger, is a broad shoulder
ed. gray-eyed. six-footer. He dresses like
a railroad president instead OF IKE a
doctor Many time he has faced death
not from bullets. but from germs. He
il was who personally led the fight IN
rv-o cau7paIgns against the bubonic plague
on the Pacific Coast. Also he served at
New Orleans during serious eE:delhlc
Of yellow fever. President Tart recent
IN appofnted him Surgeon General OF the
Bureau Of Public Health anu the Marine
Hospiral Service. It is his duty 20 guard
sHe country against contaE .oUs and IN
fecrious diseases. Forty-fpUr national
quarantine stations are under his control,
not counting those in the Philippines
Hawaii, and Porto Rico He sends med
ical officers-he has nearly 80 OF item
altoCether-tO Europe and ASIA TO South
America. Cuba, and Mexico 10 any coun-
try, indeed, that endangers the health OF
the United States. He watches the car
avans in Arabia and the Oumboats -
China. Meanwhile he is microscopins
and experimenting with various kinds o.
insects
DO anv diseases" I asked Gen. Blue,
put this country q peril?'
Not at present, but We are preparing
to meet cholera II it should appear. We
had a narrow escape last yea-. There
was more reason TO fear cholera in the
summer of 1911 than at any time since
1892 and 1898. It is estimated that 10000
parsons died IN Russia of that disease
alone from 1892 to 1886 There were $500
deaths from cholera in Hamburg during
the former year. We have escaped so
far. I am confident We can prevent
cholera from making any headway in the
United States should cases again De
brought to our shores"
Seven Lines of Defense.
What measures of prevention will you
take?'
they are called. First. the inspection
and detention Of immigrants from in
fected regions at the foreign ports
whence they purpose to sail. They are
detained five days, their baggage is ex-
amined. and they are prohibited from
carrying food or water into the vessel
which is to bring them to this country.
The work is done by our own medical
men. with the assistance of local physi-
clans when needed. Yet We had thirty
five cases Of cholera last year and twen-
ty deaths, but thirteen Of the cases de-
veloped in quarantine on this side of
the Atlantic So the first line of de-
fense was not entirely effective, but We
had six bther lines and they were SUI
fiCient in the aggregate.
Second. passengers en- route to this
country from Italy-and that is the place
Of our future danger-are under the su-
pervisiOn Of medical officers connected
with the Royal Italian Navy, the work
being performed according to special in
structions issued in conformity with the
quarantine laws of the United States.
Such medical officers have no official
relations with the ships on which they
serve. They look after the health Of the
immigrants, the quantity and quality Of
the food, which they taste themselves, |
and the sanitary surroundings of the
passengers If sickness occurs they
watch the cases and take precautionary
mea sures.
When an immigrant reaches this |
country he meets our third line Of de-
fense- He is inspected at the quaran-
tine station, and a meteorological exam |
ination is made of his body waste that
We may learn If he Is what is known as
a bacillus carrier. We made thousands
Of such examinations last summer and
found twenty-seven carriers, eighteen of
whom were Italians. They were not i'll, |
but had they been permitted to go |
ashore they would have probably spread !
the disease far and wide.
Health Officers Watch Him.
Then there is another special exam
ination Of the immigrant after he reaches |
the station at which he is to board a 4
train for his final destination in this |
He may intend to remain in
New York or Boston, or to travel on to
St Louis, but no matter where he pur-
poses TO settle, he is compelled to submit
to this final examination. Thus he safely
passes the fourth line OF defense but only
TO enter another. The health officers Of
the place to which he is bound are noti-
fed Of his coming. They watch him for a
time after his arrival II taken i'll, he is
treated as a suspect until he is shown
not to have the cholera An Italian last
summer passed the first four lines Of de-
fense and got as far as Auburn, N Y,
where he developed cholera The fifth
line revealed him and he was promptly
Isolated and given medical treatment