The sun., 1918-12-18
INFLUENZA SHOWS
Big INCREASE HERE
New Cases Total 341, q Gain
of 1911 Over Monday, Says
Copeland.
DISEASE SOURCE TRACED
DR.. Woods Hutchinson Charges
1t Was Brought First to
Boston by Navy.

Yesterdays official reports showed
large increase in the number of cases
Of influenza in New York city. DR..
Woods Hutchinson, medical investiga-
tor and writer, criticised unsparingly
the lack of cooperation between the
civil and military medical authorities
in the United States, to which he ac-
credited the fact that the so-called
Spanish influenza was able to gain
foothold in America and sweep from
coast to coast. f-.
Military medical officers at Allan
tic coast ports we're warned of the
menace to the nations health long be-
fore the first outbreak Of influenza in
America" DR.. Hutchinson said yester-
day. They took the attitude that a
national cold in the head could not be
allowed to interfere with the fact that
there was a war on. This national
cold in the head has cost the United
States $4,000 lives. the majority Of the
victims being snatched in the prime Of
life. and untold sufferings."
Brought Here by U. 8. Sailors.
DR.. Hutchinson recently returned
from trip to the Pacific coast. in
vestigating conditions left in the wake
Of the epidemic, and on his arrival in
New York conferred with DIR. Royal s.
| Copeland. Health Commissioner, on his
findings. The two physicians we're
| fellow students at the University Of
Michigan.
Had there been some central health
control having Jurisdiction over all the
| United States l believe this terrible
visitation from Europe could have
| been headed off or at least more easily
| controlled" DR.. Hutchinson said yes
terday. Warnings from Europe had
| reached us nine months before the
first actual outbreak here. The war
was responsible for the fact that Il
did not reach US earlier, as the bulk
Of the travel vas from west to east.
while the epidemic was travelling
westward"
While on the western front, from
which he returned last summer, DR.
| Hutchinson made a study of the cpl
! demic as 1t existed there. He as
! certained 1t was brought from Asia
through the Suez Canal and to Italy.
from which country it spread rapidly
to other countries. including Spain
tete
/ claimed only 200 lives, he said, al
though the epidemic received the name
by which it is popularity known from
there.
Early In the summer the disease
entered America and sailors in the
United States Navy were the carriers"
said DR.. Hutchinson. They were
landed at Commonwealth Pier in Bos-
ton. and from there the disease spread
to Camp Devens. Mass, where It as
sumcd its most viru;ent type on rec
ord. While IL may have subsequently
entered the United States at other
| ports the spread OF the virulent type
of the disease can invariably be traced
to Camp Devens. The navy brought
II in; the army developed II and alb
sence OF u central control, which
would have quarantined the camps
immediately, permitted II TO sweep
across the country"
Hits Younger Men Hardest.
| DIR. Copeland was in agreement with
DR.. Hutchinson that at Camp Devens
the germ of the distinctly American
epidemic type. as yet not isolated, was
developed. The appetite" of this
germ was apparently for the most
robust and healthy men, who while
impervious to other epidemics fell
easy victims to the new scourge. This
was noticeable throughout the coun-
try because of the manner in which
the disease attacked the physically AZ
men in the army camps and those In
civilian life between the ages of 20
and As years.
| DR.. Hutchinson believes that the
course of the disease has been re-
Versed and that the virulent type is
sweeping back over Europe from
America, causing about the same per-
centage OF deaths in European coun-
tries as 1t did in America. The death
rate from the original epidemic In
Europe was very small compared to
the rate In this country.
Influenza figures reported to the
Health Department yesteId day show a
large increase. This is due to physi-
clans Withholding their Sunday reports
and TO the fact that simple colds are
now diagnosed as influenza by doctors
who want to be on the safe side. ac-
cording to d.. Copeland. The increase
IN new influenza cases reported yester-
day was 81 ever Mondays figures and
pneumonia 20 more cases than Mon
day. New cases by boroughs:
influenza. Pneumonia.
| Manhattan ..."..,.,... 90 10
| Broohlyn '''s''.'..... 100 2S
| bronx '''''''s'.',..., ~ 10
| QureHs '''.'s..ssss...s %
| Richmond ....-........ 20 3
| Total, b5
Directors Of the MetrODOlitan 7 ifo