Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-12-20
SPRAYING NO GOOD
FOR INFLUENZA
Only Removes Natural Protection
Public Health Experts
Declare.

This report is based upon all papers and
discussions At the recent conference IN
Chicago and has been prepared by a
special committee which Investigated every
phase of the subject. State Health
Commissioner Chester II. Wells, who
attended the conference, believes that the
following extracts from that report should
be of interest 40 this particular time.
Some of the preventive measures rec
ornmendtd d are as follows:
Compulsory reporting.
Widespread publicity and education
viii respect 10 respiratory hygiene,
covering such facts rs the dangers from
coughing, sneeaing. splitting, and the
cayel~ss disposal OF nasal discharges /;
the advisahl.Ity of Keeping the fingers
and foreign bodies out Of tho mouth and
nose; the necessity Of hand-wasbing be-
fore eating; the dangers from exchanging
handkerSh hiefs: and the advantages of
fresh air and general hyg,ene. Warn
ings should he gwen regarding tho danger
Of the common cold. snd possibly cold
should be made rcportshle so as 10 per
mt the sending of foilov-up literature
10 persons suffering from them The
pubic should be made acquainted with
the danger of possible carriers among
both the sick and the well and the Tc
suliant necessity for the exercise ot un-
usual care on the part OF everybody with
respect Ia the dangers of mouth and
nasal discharges.
There should be laws against thc use
Of common cups, and Improperly washed
glasses ri soda fountains and Other
public drinking places which laws should
he enforced
There should be proper ventilation
lsvs, which laws should be enforced.
The isolation of patients suffering from
inhuenya should be prscuced. In csses
of unreasonable carelesness, il should be
lagelv enforced most rigidiy
Laws regulating coughing and sacezlnz
seem TO bc desirable for educational and
practical results
Terminal disinfectIon for infuenzs has
no advantage over cleaning, summing and
airinS
The use Of alcohol serves no Pre-
veutIve purpose
srRAYiNG DOES NOT PROTECT
SPRAYS and gargles do not project the
nose and throat from infection, for the
following reasons;
so far as the knowledge cf the eMn-
rhttec extends, no germicide strong
enough 10 destroy infec'lvc organisms
can be applied 10 tho nose and throat
without ~ the same time Inluying the
mucous membranes.
Irrigation OF the nose and throat 20
accomplish tho complete mechanical re-
nlovel of the InicctiVc organism is I'M
practicable
Their use tends 70 remove the nro-
tectiye niucu> to spresd the infection and
to increase The liability III artual entrsnc.
oi the inicctivc organisms.
Their domestic tiSe is liable ~ lead in
families 10 common employment; ol the
same utensils
The futility of SPRAYS and garsles hiss
heen demonstrated with respect 10 certain
Inown organisms, such as the diphtheria
bacillus and the meningococcus
The epidemic disease known IS in
nuenza Is believed 10 he due 10 an uu-
determined organism which causes ~
infection that lowers the resistance Of the
body as 3 whole. and 81 tho reSnirs on
organs IN particular This allow - IN
vssion Of other pathogenic micrc-organ-
i>nls The moSf important compicatinz
infections arc due 10 tho Influenza bacilli
diffcren1 strains 81 pncurrrrcrci and dif-
icrcnt varieties of streptococei some
carriu' observers regard certain q :hesc
organisms - tho primsrt caJlsV
In each case one or several % these
mi-ro-o-gani>fns msv hc present, In
different portion, of the country thc
dominating variety Of organism has hccn
found 10 differ
Assuming that the cause of the
cpidcmic Is an unknown virus il does not
seem possible a. present n prevent the
urinary disease bv vac nation with
known organisms. Against the secondary
infections. there would seem TO be
theoretical basis for the use of vaccines,
and especially for the use of vaccines
prepared from organisms responsible for
complications which may differ in various
localities ~ various times. This variable
bacterial fora may initiate against the
practical application Of vaccination on a
large scale, because il would seem TO re-
utIire frequently repeated vaccinations
with the fora that may be met with
Ii Is impossible al present to evaluate
the reports from the use OF these vaccincs
adjusted 10 meet local conditions More
dat obtained under carefully controlled
conditions are needed.
USE or VACCINE.
The committee recommends that
until such time a. the efiicacv. or the
lack Of efficacy, Of prophvlactic vaccina-
tioL against influenza l. established,
vaccine II used. should be emploved in !
controlled manner, under conditions
that will allow q fair comparison Of the
number of cases and of deaths among the
vaccinated and non-vacclnated group-
Particular attention should be directed 10
securing data as 10 the period IN the
epidemic at which yaccinated and non
vaccinated persons developed the d!Sease
"The committees of the opinion that the
indiscriminate use OF stock vaccines
against inhuenza and influenza and
pneumonia cannot be recommended.
Nothing in these recommendations
should be interpreted as discouragiug
the use Of q pneUmococcus stock vaccine
against lobaT pneumonia
''In yiea OF the probability of re-
currences OF the disease from time 10
time during the coming year, health
departments are advised TO be ready in
advance with plans for prevention,
which plans shall eInbody the frame
work Of necessary measures and as much
detail as Is possible. Laws plainly
necessary should be enacted and rules
passed now. Emergency funds should
be held IN reserve or placed IN special
appropriations. which appropriations
can be quickly made available for IN
fuenza prevention work
...The probability that as AN after
effect Of the influenza epidemic there
viii be an unusually high pneumonia
rate for several years should be taken
into consideration.
OF measures for the control of the
FIxe.se I.o bn