Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-04-29
Rockefeller Foundation Wag-
ing War on Plague in Order
to Check Its Further Spread
in Country,
STRICKEN ONES MUST
BE LEFT TO THEIR FATE
Kingdom Is UndeveIoped in
Any Particular and Is Ex-
hauSted by Three Recent
Wars, Says Report,

tsY MORNING JOURNAL SPECIAL LgAsso wiHEI
New York, April 2S.--The Rookie
fellcr foundation war relief committee
made public tonight a report on des-
titution and disease In Serbia in
which IL is stated that on March 10.
probably from $4,000 to 10000 per-
sons were suffering from typhus in
Serbia and that this and other cpl
denies were swiftly enveloping the
entire nation. The report was trans
mtted from Berlin.
Cholera was at that time expected
with the arrival of warm weather
and no preparations had been made
to combat 1t. the report said. Prob
ably 100000 persons were destitute.
Neither the Serbian government,
absorbed IN the war, nor the people
themselves We're able to control the
situation, which the commission de-
scrbed as not only a menace to
the health of the Serbian people, but
Of the whole world"
Country Now Exhausted.
It was upon this report that the
Rockefeller foundation at the invita-
ton of the Serbian government join
ed with the American Red Cross in
sending to Serbia the American san
itary commission which left here on
April under the leadership of DR..
Richard i. Strong of the Harvard
Medical school
First describing general conditions
in Serbia, the report states that the
country has now, as the result OF
three successive wars, reached "a
state OF exhaustion in which II has
practically nothing to give away to
It's own unfortunates."
Country Undcycioped.
The Serbian peasant In normal
times is isolated and self sustaining
The country is economically and So
cially undeveloped and unorgansed.
The one railway through the coun-
try is mainly occupied for military
purposes and other roads are out OF
repair and almost impossible. The
richest quarter of the country has
been invaded and laid waste. other
than to Bulgaria (which harbors no
love for Siberia" the country's only
connection with the outer world Is TO
the Greek part of Saloniki These
and other circumstances are cited as
difficulties in the way OF relief
Typhus Brought In BY Austrlans.
The Serbian government. the re-
port says, attributes the inception Of
typhus TO Austrian prisoners,
The report continues:
About 275 refugees occupied al
school building adjoining and in the
enclosed grounds of u large church
in Nish." the report says. ELEVEN
small school rooms were used with
the number OF occupants in each
ranging from fifteen TO twenty-five,
There were no beds
Some of the refugees had filthy
stacks Of straw. others had only thin
blankets or ragged quilts. Some lay
on the bare floor. The building was
under the charge of janitor and
his wife. She was an ignorant peas
ant. who saw no disgrace or menace
in the awful filth of the building and
yard u
No Effort at Cleanliness.
mot the slightest attempt was
made to clean the place inside or
out
"lt is difficult to describe the con-
dition of the people in this building |
In the language OF restraint. The hall |
floors and the stairways were foul !
and grew worse with each days adj ,
dition. In the rooms the people were |
in family groups on the |
floor. The ravages Of starvation and |
disease were appalling.
Horrors of starvation.
"There remains in our minds the |
picture Of baby, whose drawn face,
the skin stretched sharply over the
bones, gave an impression Of toothless
old age, clutching weakly at the
breasts Of "A mother too weak to nour
ish or care for it. The woman IN
charge said that usually there were
three or four deaths every day
ITO the members Of the commits
sion It was obvious that several Of
The sick we're dying. Disease and star
yation were rapidly settling all prob
lens for that unhappy group"
In fact, the commission was told
hat In the whole city a hundred pa
tients were dying Of typhus every
lay and that the force of grave dig
yers was Inadequate to keep up with
he work Of burying the bodies.
Fight on Epidemic.
Consideration Of these facts" the
report continues, daily impressed
more deeply upon our minds. leads
he commission to the conclusion that
my help which the foundation may
le disposed to give in Serbia should
irst be devoted to the direction and ;
upport Of q strong, systematic fight
ipon the epidemics which now pre- /
,ai and which are swiftly enveIoping [
he entire nation I
"The conditions which have been
as existing at Nish (where [
he government is fully oognizant of (
he situation and where the mem s
,ers of the government themselves
re not only In danger, but are un- t
aware OF their danger) 1
all for emergency measures and in :
icate that It would be vain to try I
low to do anything beyond controll d
ng the epidemic. Il
at is more important TO safeguard I
hose not yet infected, by isolating r
he sick, than it is to give every care (
0 those who are already Infected, c
he work of isolation cannot wait v
ntil really comfortable hospitals or {