Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1916-09-15

State Authorities Probe Charges
of Lax Paralysis Quarantine

Of Lax Paralysis Quarantine
From the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Officials of Wildwood failed to take
effective steps to quarantine cases Of
infantile paralysis, according to a
charge that the State Board OF Health
is investigating. DR.. 5. D. Mayhem,
who was treating one child in a hotel
for the disease, said that DR.. N. A.
Cohen, the health officer, did not iake
the proper steps along precautionary
lines. A child not affected was per-
mitted to enter the patients room, ac-
cording to the charges and the same
freedom was given adults. DR.. Cohen
said the health ordinance had been
lost.
According 10 the testimony OF Mrs.
w. 8. Holt, proprietor of the Franklin
house, DR.. Cohen t'treated her like a
dog when she implored that a victim
Of the disease be removed from the
house.
According to evidence submitted the
authorities of both Wildwood and
Wildwood Crest, placed placards in
both towns reading, mo infantile par
alysis here. Health certificates free
by city authorities at any time"
Wallace d. Eakins, sanitary inspector
for the State Board of Health, said he
had removed several of the signs. The
signs were signed by Mayor Smith, OF
Wildwood, and Mayor P. P. Baker, OF
Wildwood Crest.
The sole copy Of the health ordin-
ance, according to DR.. Cohen, was at
one time in his possession, but he gave
it to Squire Coombs, who has since
died. Admitting he was neglectful in
not placing signs on houses where
there were cases of the plague, the
health officer said sit skipped my
memory
Mayor Smith was not sure il his mu-
nicipality had a board of health or not,
but he admitted being ont o fthose who
had prepared the mo paralysis signs.
Philadelphia, September Show
Philadelphia health authorities sue
ceeded in having conditions investiga-
ted at Wildwood, N. j., a Philadelphia
summer sesshore resort, was told today
by Director Krusen and a physician
designated by the Director as his
, spokesman.
Philadelphia, justly interested in the
inf nfiIo roroTuGia aifvtafion OF UTiId-
! wood because of the presence of child
: rem from this city at the resort, heard
/ of a fight being waged single-handed
by a Wildwood physician against the
municipal authorities of the resort and
T acted on the information. According
to Director Krusen's spokesman the
Wildwood physician, DR.. S. Dixon
Mayhem, was the only physician ia
the resort who refused to obey the city
health authorities unofficial lnstruc-
Ttions to "go easy o. t6e infanfiIe par
falysis ~f'scsre, 2 8hieA tlTeateLed &C.
riously to disturb the resorts pocket
book, already slim because of the shark
Scare"
d. Doctor Mayhew's insistence that GER
tain cases were infantile paralysis and
that quarantine be established were
mel with the intimatlon that he would
be run out of town. the physician
said. In spite OF this, he insisted that
) a quarantine be established in a small
hotel crowded with children, under
the same roof with a ease diagnosed
by him as infantile paralysis. The
echoes of that fight reached the ears of
Director Krusen, Doctor Dixon and
DIR. A. A. Cairns, chief medical inspec-
tor of Philadelphia, who communi-
Gated with DR.. J. II. Price, State Health
Commissioner of New Jersey.