Evening journal., 1915-05-12
BY HENRY WOOD,


United Press STAFF Correspondent.
Copyright 1915. by the United Press
NISH, Serbia. April 16.-(By Cour-
Ter to Salonika and mail to New York
to avoid the English censorship at
Malta and the French censor at Mar
seilles.)- For three months all Serbia
has been one great charnel house of
dead and dying Deaths to date have
reached grand total of $4,000. AL
though the epidemic of typhus is new
declared to be under control, 1t is
freely admitted that a grim harvest
of 100000 human beings will have
been reaped before it can entirely
be stamped out This is the most
optimistic view of the situation.
Escaping from the two Balkan wars
with only slight epidemics of cholera,
this heroic little state has been caught
in her third war with an epidemic of
typhus which has decimated the ranks
of her population more than have the
guns of the Turks and the Austrians
combined.
OF the 10000 victims to date $4,000
are among the Austrian prisoners of
war. The epidemic was brought by
them. Serbians assert. II broke out
early in January. High diplomatic
and Red Cross officials say that at
that time typhus was epidemic in
Austria. Blame for keeping the rest
Of the world from knowing the ter
ribe conditions which have existed in
Serbia for three months rests with
the French and English censorship
rather than with the Serbians. France
and England did not want Austria to
know to what straits their little ally
had been reduced The first real
story of the facts was brought to
England by Sir Thomas Upton who
made a personal inspection Of condi-
tions. Rough shedding over the Brit
ish censorship he openly declared
that. unless the most vigorous and
extensive help was at once given. the
little Balkan state that had twice de-
q feated the Austrians in the cause Of
the allies. stood to lose at least half
of its population.
Allies Unable to Help.
Sir Thomas Lipton's account of To-
cal conditions failed utterly, however,
TO give adequate idea of the terrible
situation. Although il must be ad-
land through their censorship pre-
vented the rest of the world from
knowing and extending tie help that
might have saved $4,000 lives. they
have extended a very great help to
their small ally. SO far. however, it
has been entirely inadequate and the
grim disease has kept steadily at
work in its toll Of hundreds of lives
daily
Even now Serbia's declaration that
the disease is under control is based
more on the hope that the measures
taken viii prove effective rather than
on any great check of the epidemic.
That there has been a slight dimfnu-
ton now for two weeks past cannot
be denied. For the fight on the dis
case Serbia must depend on foreign
help. The fifteen southern provinces
have been turnd over to the mission
of the Rockefeller Foundation. sent
out in conjunction with the Red Cross.
Inc central part of Serbia, about Us
kub and kraguyeyatz has been turn
ed over TO the English who now have
total OF 300 doctors and nurses
there. The northern part of Serbia
is IN the hands of Russians, although
al Belgrade where the disease is es-
pecially strong and fatal, the Ameri-
can Red Cross units are also fighting
the grim fight France has just sent
over mission OF 100 doctors and
sanitary experts who will endeavor
to work over the sanitation of the
whole country.
Owing to the pitiful condition in
which the little country was. even be-
fore the war started. this foreign help
is declared by the members of the
various missions themselves to be
wholly inadequate. Il is so much
more, however, than Serbia has ever
had al any time in the past that she
is pinning hopes of her continued ex-
istence TO II with almost pitiful con-
fdence
Scarcity Of Physicians.
When the present war broke out.