Evening star., 1916-08-17

In the absence of Surgeon General
Blue, who is i'll, Assistant Surgeon Cen
eral A. H. Glennan opened the confer
ence at the headquarters Of the public
health service. The conference is ex-
pected to last two days.
McAdoo for Cooperation.
AS state official after state Official
made concise reports of the situation
regarding poliomyelitis. as the disease
exists in their various states. it was
seen and realized by the physicians
present that truly infantile paralysis is
a disease concerning which there is no
surety. and that the words of Secre-
tary McAdoo were more than true
when, in welcoming the delegates. he
of cooperative effort by federal and
state authorities
The public health service is trying
to bring about more intelligent COM
bat with this mysterious enemy" said
Secretary McAdoo. Il have great
hopes that you gentlemen will concert
some regulations which will be so rea-
sonable that they will impose the mini
mum of discomfort and the maximum
of benefit.
Reports of state officers show more
than 10000 cases of infantile paralysis
York. New Jersey, Connecticut and
Pennsylvania the situation is pra ctical-
ly normal. Aside from the vicinity of
New York city, where more than 5000
cases were reported since the outbreak
of the epidemic in June, there was no
specific evidence that the transmits
sion of the disease could be traced back
to the metropolis. ..A
Of + cases mss eeSM eseur .n shas sS
teen years of age, but that the disease
can and does occur In older persons In
a seemingly most mysterious manner:
DR.. Emerson Reports.
Interest centered in the report of Dr.
Hazen Emerson, health commissioner of
New York city. DR.. Emerson reported
$3.50 cases OF. infantile paralysis there
since the outbreak of the plague, Of,
which. to date, more than 1,400 had re-
suited fatally.
Parents cannot be too careful to have
doctor called at the slightest sign of
illness in their children" warned DIR.
Emerson.
He also warned doctors to be suspicious
these days over the seeming slight ailings
of children, citing many cases of New
York mothers who brought their children
to the various milk centers, complaining
that their babies had not been able to
lift their arms for the past few days"
These cases occurred, DR.. Emerson said,
in the various districts where the health
officials were most vigilant.
In almost dramatic contrast to the
truly terrible report of the delegate
from New York were reports of health
die west and far west, who reported
some seven, some twenty and thirty
cases of the disease in their states, less
than recent years. DR.. Guy E. Man
cases in his state. DIR. w. P. Orr of
Delaware reported two cases, although
so close to New York.
Situation in Washington.
DR.. Woodward of the District of
Columbia health office reported sixteen
cases for the District of Columbia
since July 1. from which two deaths
have resulted. One case. he said, was
traced to New York, and the other to
New Jersex In 1914 there were six
cases of infantile paralysis in the Dis
trict. No quarantine regulations have
been established here as yet.
The relation of the sweat shop" to
infantile paralysis is question which
DR. j. n. Mccormack Of Kentucky
asked the conference to consider. He
declared that while there are but eight
cen cases of the disease In Kentucky,
he has an opinion that clothing from
sweat shops" may have something to
do with the spread of the disease and
that his fear is that there has not been
rigid enough supervision of these
shops.
REPORTS were also heard from DR.. G.
Andrews of Alabama, DIR. c. w. Garri
son of Arkansas. DR.. Guy E. Manning
of California and DR.. S. L. McKelvey
of Colorado.
Reporting Delegates.
Reports were heard TODAY from the
following: Alabama, DR.. Glenn An
drews; Arizona, DR.. E. P. Palmer; Ar
kansas, DR.. C. w. Garrison: COLORADO. |
DR.. S. R. McKelvey; Connecticut. Dr.
John T. Black; Delaware. DR.. A. E. |
Frantz: District of Columbia, Dr. W. C. |
Woodward; Florida, DR.. =. Y. Porter:
Illinois. DIR. c. ST. Clair Drake: Indiana,
DR.. W. F. King; Iowa, DR.. Henry AL
bert: Kentucky. DR.. A. T. Mccormack;
7 louisiana, DR.. Oscar Bowling; Maine.
DR. A. c. Young: Maryland. DR.. John
6 Fulton; Massachusetts,. DIR. A. H.
Michigan. DR.. John L.
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