Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-06-04
QUICK ACTION HALTS
DISEASE AT NAVY YARD
Strong Measures Taken to Check
Spread of Meningitis
Epidemic
BLAME GERMAN LINERS

One sailor is dead and seven other blue
jackets and a marine are IN with spinal
meningitis at tho United states Naval Hos
pltah 24OO Gray's Ferry road according to
statement made at the hospital today.
Ihe names Of the dead sailor and those
stricken with the disease were withheld by
the naval censor All Of the cases are
from warships stationed at the Philadelphia
Navy Yard. None OF the men is a Phila-
delphian
The death and sickness are due to the
crowded conditions made inevitable by mo-
hiltzation, according to DR. Henry A. Dunn
executive surgeon OF the hospital, who gave
out the statement.
No epidemic is feared he said hut every
precaution is being taken to prevent the
disease from appearing again. Immediately
upon being admitted to the hospital during
the last few days the patients were placed
in separate quarantine wards and, II was
said, there is no danger OF the ContagiOu
spreading to other patients at the hospital,
Because Of the prompt attention given by
the surgical staff all Of the men are expected
to recover. Two other cases are under
observation.
Six of the sailors were attacked by the
disease while on duty on the United States
warship Baron Won Steubeu formerly the
German COmmerCe-raiding auxiliary cruiser
Prinz l;itel Friedrich They were at once
hurried 70 the hospital where their cases
were diagnosed.
Doctor Dunn. who blamed crowded con-
ditions for the Illness. said when a large
number of men is placed within limited
space II is impossible to prevent Il certain
amount of contagiou. The medical staff is
| doing everything to minimize 1t. The same
conditions would exist if 10000 civilians
were gathered together for month or
more"
An announcement from Chicago that
| thirty deaths ~ meningitis had occurred
| at the Great Lakes training station has
made physicians connected with the Phla-
| delphia naval base douby careful \ care
fun examination is being made of all cases
| Of contagious diseases and standard reme-
| dies are being administered. Naval ply
| scans are confident that there will be no
repetition of epidemiCs of spinal menin-
| gifts and other contagious like those which
| ravaged the American fleet during the war
\ with Spain.
| The liner Won Steuben which was in
| termed at the outbreak Of the war and seized
! by the Government when the United States
| entered the conflict, is regarded at the
| navy yard as an ill-omened vessel The
| outbreak Of the cOntaEiou on board the
| ship confirmed the bluejaCkets' view that
| the raider is II bad egg" doomed to have
bad luck follow in her career. When the
| patients at the hospital learned Of the men
| ingtis cases big seaman in the mess hall
| arose and slammed his fist on the table.
THE Germans are responsible" he eN-
! claimed They left the germs on board
| when they went to Georgia
II was recalled that the Prinz Eitel and
! It's mate. the ErOnprinZ Wilhelm-now the
American warship Baron deKalb-were in
an extremely unsanitary condition when the
, interned German crews were removed tC
concentration camps in Georgia severa
months ago. 1t was found necessary tc
! give the raiders "A thorough cleaning In
addition TO the extensive repairs that were
| made.
CHICAGO, June Thirty men have died
| of meningitis and there have been eighty
one cases Of this disease in the last six
| months among the recruits at the Great
| Lakes naval training station, according to
"A report forwarded TO the Secretary of the
| Navy and members of Congress by Dr
Frank Billings, Of the State defense council
Overcrowding caused the illness and
deaths, according to the report, which fol-
| lowed survey made under Doctor
| Bllings's direction. The camp originally
| planned for 1900 men, would be ideal from
| a health standpoint but for the fact that
! 5000 men have been crowded into il, aC-
! COrding to the report, which adds that
! 10000 men have passed through the train
| ing camp since the call for recruits. At the
! time the survey was made, it was said
| there were ten cases of meningitis and a
total Of 5l3 patients \ separate hospital
| especially for contagious diseases is urged
| i'm the report, which says, however. that the
! overflow of patients from the eighty beds In
the station hospital was being cared for
in tents in a satisfactory manner,