Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-09-29
CHECK SPREAD OF
DREAD EPIDEMIC
Miss Isabella Poritsky, Nurse in
Health Department of New York,
Tells of Infantile Paralysis.
20 PER CENT CASES FATAL
Declares Scare Which Poorer Glasses
Received Resulted in Cleanh-
ness Being Established.

The infantile paralysis epidemic in
New York City is well under control.
according to Miss Isabella Poritsky, a
nurse connected with the department
of health of that city, who is spending
a part of her annual vacation in Rock
Island at the home of Mr.. and Mrs.
Louis Andich. 1922 Fifth-anda-half
avenue.
Miss Poritsky when seen by rep
reseutative of The Argus stated that
one of the most interesting incidents
that occurred at the outbreak of the
epidemic was the great rush of refu-
gees from the city TO outside places,
and especially the flight to the Catskill
mountain region. II was not only a
departure of the Weather classes, but
thousands OF those families in poorer
circumstances also packed up and left
to cast in their fortunes with the
boarding house keepers in the summer
resort region. 1t was d common thing
for health department canyassers in
going through the various tenement
districts TO learn that many of the
families had hurried away to escape
The contagion.
Almost Immediately as a direct re
suit of the departure. surrounding
communities got their respective
health officers busy and rigid rules
were passed with regard to allowing
families with children to come into
these communities.
Preventing Spread of Disease.
The rules of the CITY health depart
ment require immediate reports from
physicians who discover cases of the
disease. A plaCard is placed at the
entrance to the tenement. calling at
tention to the fact that a case has
been found in the building when the
entrance to the apartment in which
the case is, confined is also pIacarded.
No one is allowed to remain in the
room with the patient except a nurse.
Oftentimes the mother. in the case Of
the poorer families. Rules require that
the apartment be Tenovated-that is,
the woodwork painted, walls repa-
pered, toys and articles commonly
handled by the patient washed in boil
ing water. the latter being about the
most efficient germicide used. Another
requirement is that all windows of the
apartment to be covered with screens
10 prevent the ingress or escape of
flies or other insects that could carry
the disease. Necessity for absolute
cleanliness is specially emphasized.
20 Per Cent Fatal.
According to present statistics,
about twenty per cent of the cases
proved to be fatal; this is considered
an average per cent of mortality.
Commencing with the number of fifty
or sixty fresh cases a day after the
epidemic started, it gradually grew to
40, then 30, etc, until at the height of
the epidemic the number per day was
zoe
Much Good Obtained.
As Miss POritsky stated, much good
comes even from the bad" and so it
was in the case Of the recent epidemic.
Nothing on earth could have aroused
the poorer classes to q realization of
the necessity Tor cleanliness like this
epidemic. The habit of keeping chill
dren off the streets grew to an aston
1shlng degree Clothing was changed
oftener and cleanliness among the
people in the tenements improved I
wonderfully.