Evening star., 1915-03-28

tion European war relief commission,
which is headed by DR.. WickliEs Rose,
director general of the International
Health Commission.
Their reports. cabled early in March
through the American legation in
Bucharest. Rumania,> to the Rockefel-
Ter Foundation, resulted in prompt
steps being taken. which, the Serbian
government consenting, for the de-
parture for Serbia of board Of emf
nent American sanitarians and plague
specialists at the joint expense OF the
American Red Cross and the Rookie
feiler Foundation 1t is most sincere
ly hoped that the work of this COM
mission will culminate in checking
the spread of and eventually eradl-
eating as much as possible the pesti-
lentiai diseases which are rampant.
Disease Out of Hand.
...Destitution in Serbia is great.
SAYS the report of Mr.. Bicknen and
Mr. James, but is overshadoWed by
prevalence of epidemic diseases which
have got out of hand so that 1t is i'm
possible to predict what will be dl-
mensions of emergency three weeks
hence.
That cable was received March
by the Rockefeller Foundation in New
York. was transmitted to DR.. Wickline
Rose in Washington, who has just re
turned from q tour of Europe with
the other members Of the commission
which he heads. and was by him laid
before the American Red Cross with
the advice that the Rockefeller Foun-
dation and Serbian committee were.
ready to aid in financing a campaign
to stop the pestilential scourge II the
Red Cross would serve as the medium
of direction and mana cement
a meeting OF the executive commit
tee of the American Red Cross, with
the international and war relief boards
in consultation, was held in Red Cross
headquarters i'll Washington March .,
at which DR.. Rose presented the
foundations proposal to the Red Cross
After considerable discussion of ways
motion OF Mai. Gen. William c. Gorgas,
surgeon general of the United States
Army, VINO directed the. sanitation
work in Cuba and the Panama Canal
Zone. Surgeon Gen. Gorgas is not
only.a member OF the executive com
mittee. but is chairman of the war
relief board of the American Red
Cross.
And now let US turn to a phase of
the serbian situation which. but Tor
the great Importance of the broad
relief measures outlined. should have
been stressed i'll the beginning. And
that is the inspiring and blood-tinsling
heroiSm OF a corps of American women
ana men WHO nave DeSu tie
ugly counteHance OF death every day
that they have been in service in the
Gevgelia country. as well as OF Ger
tain additional American Red Cross
surgeons and nurses who. forewarned
and fully advised about the state of
affairs i'll that section. volunteered to
go to the rescue of their fellow-.Amer-
leans and are now on their way there,
after having arranged their personal
affairs as though preparing for GER
tain death.
Having witnessed the successful re-
lief activities of the first American
hospital unit sent to Serbia by the
American Red Cross at Belgrade. this
unit consisting of three surgeons and
twelve enrolled Red Cross trained
nurses under the direction Of DR.. Ed
ward ". Ryan, the Serbian Red Cross
last fall appealed to the American
Red Cross for additional hospital units.
In response to this appeal two short
units, as they are called, consisting of
three surgeons and six nurses each,