The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-11-26
That May Be Necessary If Flu
Increase Continues.
New Cases Report
ed Here Today.
HEALTH OFFICERS TO MEET
Clark and Porter To Confer
With Crumbine and Sippy.
Use of Masks May Be
Insisted Upon.

| Thirty mine new cases of Spanish in
| lfluenza on the books in the office of
the public health department up to 1
o'clock today maintain the average,
| based on the report Monday, which
| showed 81 cases, or more than 20 cases
each for Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
And the report for today may be in
creased in the later hours of the after
noon.
! According to the views of the auth
critics, altho the cases are lighter than
! they were a while back, the situation
; is regarded as most disquieting and
measures are being investigated in the
hope of finding something that will
prove effective in positively checking
the spread of the disease in Topeka.
| Only eight releases were reported
| this morning. One death was reported
as occurring on Monday. The death of
| a Mrs. Smith. who lived at 420 Scot
land avenue, was reported by her hus-
fband.
] Whole Families Suffer.
| From the thirty-nine cases reported
this morning it is evident that the dis
ease continues to run in families as it
! has thruout the course of the epidemic.
This mornings reports shows that in
one family there We're four cases and
| in three families there were three
cases in each home. Another peculiar
i case is that of a woman who was in a
hospital just recovered from the dis
ease. She was to have been brought
home and her husband nad another
woman come into his home to help
take care of her and on the same day
| both the man and the woman became
ill with the flu themselves.
Up to o'clock this afternoon DR..
| H. L. Clark, city health officer. had
not found time to meet with DR.. Sippy
to the most advisable course to be
| followed in Topeka. Both DR.. Clark
| and Commissioner Porter are, watch
| ing with considerable interest results
from Emporia and Concordia. These
| towns both were placed under closing
orders similar to the one placed in
| effect in Topeka. They released the
4 hans. -as was done in Topeka when
the reports showed that number of
new cases was slackening. However
conditions became worse again in
both these towns shortly after the re-
strictions were removed and the clos
ing order was again placed in effect
If conditions as reported from these
towns indicate that the desired effect
Is produced by closing again it is
probable the closing order will be
PLACED in effect again in Topeka.
Force Use of Masks.
It might be possible. however Il
this should occur that as is now beine
done in Denver, schools. theaters and
other places of public gatherings
might be allowed to operate provided
every attendant in such gathering, was
provided with a gauze mask such as is
used universally by nurses and doctors
in caring for patients who have the
disease. 1t is said that the masks. II
properly made and worn. are very eff
~ks
of the disease. In Denver this order
of mask wearing applies even to the
patrons of street cars and people may
not board street car unless they are
equipped with a sanitary mask.
| In many parts of the country the
disease seems to be slowly increasing
again as it has done in Topeka. Some
measures will be adopted shortly b.
the city authorities if reports continue
to show no decided betterment. Moth
ing has been decided upon as yet. ac
!, cording to Doctor Clark, and it is no
known whether replacing of the re
strictions, if it should occur. would
embrace new regulations or merel!
, place in effect the old order.
, Is in Lighter Form.
According to DIR. S. J. Crumbine
altho the lifting of the closing order
about the state has in many instance
been followed by increasing number
of new cases, the disease is mucl
lighter In its attack A much smalle
percentage of influenza cases are turn
ing into pneumonia. In almost all in
stances deaths from the disease wer
caused primarily by pneumonia. In
J fluenza patients who did not also con
: tract pneumonia as a later develop
ment of the attack usually recovered
, The present brand of the disease i
much lighter and very few of the case
turn into pneumonia so that the re
sulting fatalities are much smaller.