Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1917-12-19
Suffer From Over
Crowding in Tents and In
Sufficiency of Clothing for
Winter,
PNEUMONIA MENACE
TO CERTAIN CAMPS
Recommends That Sanitary
Appliances Be Installed at
Earliest Possible Moment
to Prevent Disease.
10y MORNING JOURNAL SPECIAL LEASED WIRE,

lsY MORNING JOURNAL SPECIAL LEASED wIREl
Washington, Dec. 1S.-Insufficient
clothing, overcrowding and bad sani-
tary conditions are held largely re-
sponsible for disease epidemics a.
Camp Bowie, Tex, Camp Funston,
Kans., Camp Doniphan, Okla, and
Camp Sewer, S, c., by Surgeon Cen
eral Gorgas in reports to Secretary
Baker today in his personal inspection
of these camps.
At Camp Funston none of the camp
base hospitals has been completed,
General Gorgas says, and this is hand
icapping the medical officers in treat
ing patients.
General Gorgas points out that Nr-
tually all the disease is brought to the
camps by incoming men and recon-
mends the establishment of observa-
ton camps for all newcomers so that
they may be observed for such time
as the division surgeon shall deem
necessary. To aid sanitary conditions
he recommends that fifty square feet
of floor space be furnished for each
man at all camps In some cases now
only twenty feet is provided.
Remedy Is Provided.
Steps to remedy existing unfavor-
able conditions have been taken by
division commanders as far as pos
sible, the reports say while winter
clothing is being supplied as rapidly
as possible. Lack of warm garments
during the cold weather of the late
fall is believed by General Gorgas to
have contributed largely to the spread
of pneumonia.
At Camp Bowie, where the Thirty
sixth guard division is training, Gem
eral Gorgas reported forty-one deaths
during the past month from pneu-
monia, out of 400 cases admitted to
the hospital About 1000 cases of
have developed in the same
length of time.
There is a great deal of uneasiness
and criticism among the people with
regard to conditions here which are
worse from the sanitary point of view
than in any of the camps l have visit
cd" General Gorgas says.
Sanitary Conditions Needed.
''The base hospital is unfinished, |!
without water, plumbing or sewerage |
I recommend that tele
graphic instructions be sent to the di- |
vision commander at once to put in |
plumbing, water and sewer connec-
ions and electric cookers in all the
wards.
ct think the recommendation II
lave made will tend to correct the
existing sanitary errors, but cannot |
lrge too strongly that they be put
nto effectFa once. The camp sites
md surroundings are all that can be
iesired. The troops and general con-
litions are good with the exception of
uch conditions as regard the epidemic
# disease at present prevailing"
At Camp Funston in the Eighty
ninth national army division there
lave been forty-three deaths from
'neumonia with 1S9 cases and twenty
wo from meningitis with seventy
ases.
Condition Is Serious.
This indicates the most serious con-
ition as far as infection from menin-
tits and pneumonia is concerned"
General Gorgas said.
"As emphasizing the situation, 7
all attention to the fact that they had
ighty-four deaths from all causes
1hen the normal death rate of such
command should be about twelve"
The general reports that among the
hirty-six thousand drafted men in
'ere many meningitis carriers, this
art of the country being known, he
aid, to all health officers as having
cen for several years the principal
pidemic center in the civil population
)r meningitis.
General Gorgas recommends obser- ,
alton camps, the relieving of over
rowded conditions, the oiling of near
y roads to keep down the dust and ,
he erection and heating of am mbulance ,
1eds to obviate the present difficult ,
es FOUND in getting the motor ambu-
noes started during the cold weather ,
ecause Of the freezing of the water !
the radiators.
Camp i'm Bad shape. /
Sanitary conditions at Camp Sewer, {
the Thirtieth guard division, are @
escribed by General Gorgas as seri- {
is. Sixty men have died of pneu- 2
onia In the last month and the camp c
as been exposed to a general epi-
smic of measles, about 1000 cases {
iving occurred during the month. f
uring the month there, have been h
% cases Of pneumonia and fifteen d
ses of meningitis. d