Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-12-23
1900 VICTIMS
OF GRIP IN CITY;
HUNDREDS DIE
rn;demic Assumes Alarm
ing Proportions and Hos
pitals Are Filled
PNEUMONIA IN IT'S WAKE
cnburban Sections Hard Hit.
Camden Suffers Severely.
Undertakers Busy

4 Tho death rate from pneumonia devel-
.,sd by grip is rising ny Ieaps ana
epends| IN this city. according to Chief
plYsor pounuY NJ the Bureau of Health and
w. citv health officials. More than
+ o'n, soea coses of grip and kindred maladies
NM ~ heine treated in Philadelphia 1t Is
.srnated six hundred cases are in the
hospltals alone.
i rho hieh-water mark in the number of
- renorted in this city was reached
"a. ,.dsy when. up to noon, so new cases had
s.sn reported. This makes total OF lS4
: ssses in the last six days.
/ Tho health authorities, however. have
..iy n faint idea of Just how great the
endemic Of grip and pneumonia is. GRIP
!. moi reportab.e disease and physicians
=. likewise not compelled 10 report GER
.sln other forms of pneumonia. which are
l,ss violent in nature.
| arbere are many more cases of pneu-
-,onia IN the city than are reported"
..N Or. A. A. Cairns, chief medical IN
srec,or of the Bureau of Health. today.
~~rreouently the disease is not recognized
and therefore we are not notified. The
.ondltions are much worse than are
sbown in the statistics.
MANY CASES OF PNEUMONIA.
The number of cases of pneumonia
nns far reported i'm six days is greater
han for any week i'm the year, and there
4 still another day to 20 to complete the
r,ek During the whole of last week
there we're only 12S cases. the week be-
fcre 1Oi. and the week before that 6l so
that the figures show the wave of pneu-
monia has been increasing in severity
ranldy. and no official of the health de-
partment could be found to say that he
hleyed Il had yet reached it's height.
Doctor Cairns was asked what part
Kissing played in the transmission of grip
and pneumonia. He replied that 1t was
undoubtedly a factor in the transmission
q disease, but that the health authorities
could not Interfere with individual rights.
Philadelphia is not the only victim. The
zip epidemic Is spreadii . with startling
rapidty throughout the northern and
central sections of the country. Drastic
measures have been taken in many cities
10 prevent the increase of the disease
week ago Camden health authorities
warned citizens that kissing spreads grip
and colds more rapidly than anything
else Milwaukee officials followed suit
today and similar warnings have been
Issued In several other cities.
The number of deaths reported to City
Hall SO far this week. 1t was said today,
oi the fact that it is for only five days.
chef Vogelson says that every day this
week has shown n startling increase i'm
The death rate. especially Of pneumonia
cases, In nearly every instance this dis
tase is an outgrowth of an attack of the
grip, which in itself is not serious.
In some sections of this city and in the
Suburbs the conditions are even worse
than In Cal.-den. Glenolden, Delaware
County, officials have been forced to close
The pub c school there until after Janu-
ary ., owing to an epidemic of measles
and scarlet fever, and IL may be neces-
sary for the Presbyterian and Congrega-
tional churches there to abandon contem-
plated Christmas entertainments.
CITY EMPLOYEES STRICKEN.
Employees at City Hall who issue burial
certificates are swamped with applica-
tens from undertakers, in this city.
Several of them have been stricken with
grip Nearly every department in the
municipal government is shorthanded, in
Aet, and the situation Is becoming
serious.
throughout the North department stores
have been the hardest hit. At this season
Oh their greatest rush they have been
compelled to fill the places of experienced
clerks with statesmen and women who
knew nothing of the stock. This has
caused much confusion and delay nearly
everywhere.
health official in this city said today
mat when he visited am office employing
large number of stenographers to find
OUT why so many of them had been
stricken with grip, he found the tenn
pefature In the room 20 degrees. This, |
ne says Is much too high. II should not /
iuh over 70. Keeping the temperature at ,
ihe me right point when indoors is one of |
ne most important methods of fighting |
VII 'he grip, 1t is said by physicians,
CAMDEN SUFFERS SEVERELY.
Camden's health situation as regards |
me grip epidemic Is much worse than |
bad as II Is here. On the |
o.her side of the Delaware the cases ,
sre re turning into pneumonia much faster. |
,l rn'een Camdenites died of pneumonia in
ms last "a hours, according 10 reports |
made 70 health officers today.
Twelve funerals were held today. there
w .,i De . tomorrow and 30 on Sunday
~ TOT grip-pneumonia victims. Camden
.sunoertakers have a job almost bigger
man man they can handle. Thus far no
.uhefais have been arranged for Christ
mas Day.
me fire and police forces of Camden are
cclo MT. Ten OF each force are dying.
49, Vi Folice Elisha GraYnor is In
AZ sy serious condition. Many OF Cam
ZEN sls.h mayor Ellis, Congressman George
cOsahelder and Jacob Gnang, leader of
samaen's German-American element and
',cvninent eminent In the Masonic organization.
ssnden has had 81 deaths since Mon
~ ~ rom grip-pneumonia- The Cooper
luIospitai has 60 cases, the Homeopathic
sospital has 80 cases, besides the many
-, oI ordinary grip. In all, there are
lsn OVoo persons sick with grip in Cam
zen, Today brought In reports Of similar
! PAD situations in Palmyra, Beverly,
.,s.aaonneld, MorristoWn Woodlynne and