The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-07-12


 By Thursday night it is likely that every child having come to this city from New York or vicinity will have been located by the health, police and fire forces of the city, and have been examined by physicians. They prob bably be furnished with health board certificates and all children coming to this city in future will be compelled to show certificates of health from they formerly lived or will be sub- Jected to radical, medical examination. N Drs. c. N. Haskell and Henry Blod- get who appeared beIore the board of health last told in concise terms the
 serious aspect of the infantile para lysis epidemic that is raging in New York and the septic sore throat epi- demic that has not yet been Stamped out of this city. Acting on the resolution presented
 in the common council by Alderman t1nklestone, which has been trans
 mitted to the board of health for inn
 mediate approval, committee of the board will be appointed upon the re- turn of Dr. Frank w.. Stevens to sur- vey the city and make recommenda- ticns as to cost and equipment for the municipal collection of ashes from
 
 factories and commercial enterprises A rule forcing all dealers in milk
 to equip their stores with certain re- frigerating plants or ser. in oo,tles
 only was temporarily tabled last night but may later be enforced Through Mayor Wilson John T. King. promised that more attention
 will be paid to the collection of gar- bage. Mayor Wilson said MT King
 had procured 10 new collectors. Additional digestsrs are also being Installed at the Fischer Garbage Re- duction plant to handle the accumu- lated garbage of the city. / Dr. Blodget,I in speaking before the
 board of health, on the subject of epidemic said:
 Tn a city situated as close as Bridgeport is to New York, where virulent epidemic is now raging, it seems that there is every chance that children here will be affected. This city is intensely overcrowded with many persons who are not particular about their sanitary conditions. New
 York has already appropriated ESQ., 900 for its health department, which is always well equipped with funds. If such a>thing is possible it would seem wise to-me to have the city employ
 a man who is an expert and has had experience in sanitary matters to dir ect the proper cleaning of the city and to prevent the spread of infantile par alysis in particular. Power, money
 and assistants must be provided by the city for this purpose"
 Drs. Monahan and Callahan, mem- bers of the board of health, at once approved of the idea. The question
 of finances was raised by acting Chair, man William l.. Zepp. The mayor said
 "The money will be available in this emergency" |. Z pr. Haskell said:
 "This city is confronting a most
 serious contagious, infectious and fa- tai disease. The first expenditure of money should be made to stamp 1t out l if possible"
 He then told how the ravages of the disease were affecting New York with about 33 per cent death rate. He suggested the expenditure of money and energy in an absolute quarantine with correlative sanitary precautions He advocated the work being done by l the city health officer if that were possible without affecting the routine work of the department. The employment of a special ep1- demiologist was ordered. Dr. Haskell advocated sending back to the source ! all suspects coming to this city by rail, water, trolley or other transportation |.means.
 Danger of infection does not come
 from those visibly ill., said Dr. Has
 kell, "but from those children who
 apparently in physical health are abortive cases and caYry the germs of
 disease in their npse. throat and
 mouths and spread them among oth- CTS without knowledge of their own illness"
 Question arose as to where num-
 Der of cases might be isolated. While the hospitals heretofore have volun- teered to take cases, the space for pa tients in the event of widespread epi- denic were declared inadequate. In an emergency the old almshouse will
 be turned into an isolation hospital. Later it will be razed to the ground. Dr. Mcclellan reported that three ex- 1 tremely suspicious eases were found on the New York boat yesterday.
 These have been ordered to report
 daily to the board of health offices for inspection by physicians
 It was reported that in past epidem-
 ics the police and physicians had not
 co-operated heartily with the board of | health in reporting cases Orders will
 be issued the police and fire depart merts and department of public works. All physicians in the city of Bridge port were ordered to report every sus- pected case within a limited period of l time under penalty of legal procedure. Dr. Mcclellan reported that on Hall | lett street yesterday a family who en- | tertained two children from New York was nearly mobbed by mothers in the neighborhood.
 Dr. Haskell offered his services to
 the board to make such lumbar pune
 lures as may be necessary in disputed I cases and it was theN- sense of the l board that pr. H. LeBaron Peters be
 employed as special city pathologist
 during the emergency.
 l. Full power was conferred, by the board upon Health Officer Mcclellan to ants and to- order such regulati as employ all needed physicians, assist ants and to order such regulations as
 may be needed at this jtime. l ' Dr. Haskell in concise and schol-
 arly discussion of milk certification l and pasteurization declared that every
 large city in the country will have to pasteurize milk and he hoped that EridCanort uotI1d ha fl, be lad xyffI