Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-12-16
delaware HONORED
. BY HEALTH LEADERS
State Commissioner Wells Select
ed to Lead Important
Section.

Health Commissioner Chester II. Wells
has just returned from Chicago where ne
attended the annual meeting OF the Amerl-
can Public Health Association. The
| meeting was attended by about 50O dele
, gates from all lsections of the United states
and Canada and fully one-half OF the dis
| c,lssions concerned influenza and measures
| that should be taken for its control.
Delaware was honored by the American
| Public Health Association by having
| Mr. Wells. elected as President of the
section on Public Health Administration.
| Several committees were appointed TO
| make detailed study and report on IN
| vestipations that are now under way IN
regard to influenza The general opinion
was that there would probably be another
| epidemic of the disease within year or
| two. and in order that prompt measures
| might be taken IT was urged that the
| disease be made reportablc In every COM
| m,nity II was admitted that the exact
cause of the disease is unknown but ~ Is
| expected that this question will be settled
| in the near future. The use OF vaccines
was discussed by themost eminent authori-
| ties in the country and there was a vast
| difference in the results obtained IN dii-
/ ferent communities The general CON
1
| in an experimental stage anu that a.dehnre
| conclusion in regard TO the matter can
not be reached at present
| One very interesting discussion IN re-
GARD IN influenza showed almost con-
| clIsivelv that at some of the army camps
the injection was spread by means OF
imnropcrlv washed mess kits. In oom-
| NAMES where the mess-kltS and other
utensils were sterlized the epidemic was
| much less severe than IN companies "nere
| a largo number of mess-kits we're washed
| in the same luke warm water insistence
| on nroner sterilization OF mess-klts IN
| comnan,es where this practice had not
| hecn followed resulted in q sharp drop
| IN the influenza rate This experience
| shows that among the civilian population
every effort should be made TO secure
| the proper sterilization OF all utensiis at
| public dining-rooms, soda water fountains
| etc This point can not be too strongly
| emphasized as necessary heaith pro
| tectivc measure.
/ While no accurate statistics OF the IN
no en;dernic are available, it was es-
| t;mafed that AT least 100000 deaths oc-
| cured IN the United States from influenza.
| Several communities have had rccurrencf7s
| of the endemic, notably in Michigan and
| n V;ruinia and in other sections oil
| tbc country the disease had not yet sub
| sided All delegates to this conference
will receive committee reports from Iiine
to time as new information Is available
surgeon General Blue of the United
States Public Health Service outlined a
program bv which that Service expects
| IL ro-onerste with the state and municipal
health ORGANIZATIONS. Special emphasis
vas laid hy him upon the necessity foi
safe water supplies, for the pasteunzatlon
of milk and for the proper dlsposa! OF
! excreta hy the extension of sewers and by
the aboIishment of prlvles and eesspoois
Fnnnhasis was also laid upon the necessity
Of prompt reporting OF communicable
diseases and for the necessity OF sufilcien'
funds being provided or health board Wors
MILK SHOULD BE GRADED.
One of the most important resolutions
adonted related to milk and provided thai
milk should be graded according to 1t.
sanitary quality. Briefly stated thf
resolution provided that noraw milk shouic
he sold unless it is obtained from cow
that have passed the tuberculln test
and a careful physical examination, un
less the employe. are free from disease
and unless the bacteria count IS less thar
10000 per cubic centlmeter. 1t was rec
commended that all other milk be pasteur
ized and that Grade pasteurlzed mui
should not contain over lO,Vo0 bacteris
nor cubic centimenter when delivered
| to the consumer, and that 0raoe b. pas
te,,rized milk should not contain owe
$4,000 bacteria per cubic centmeter
4 resolution of this kind from such al
authoritative body as the American Public
Health Association should maternal,
hasten the adoption of proper milk stan
dardsin Delaware. These standards hav
already been adopted in New York State
In New York City, IN lndlanna and IL
Great Britain.
Among other subjects emphasized a
the Chicago meeting were the following
which are Of local interest:
The importance OF prompt reporting o
births.
The necessity for Public Health Nurses
The importance of prenatal work.
The absolute necessity for medica
: / inspection of public schools.
/ The need for cooperation IN the vene
, real disease program of the Federal Au
, thorities.
While in Chicago Mr. Wells attende
a meeting of the National Commission o.
| Milk Standards, OF which he is menibe
Reports made at that meeting shove
that the price of milk in Wilmington
far below the average for the country
and that in general the price of milk in tn
United States has not increased as rapidl
as the price of other commodities.
resolution was adopted by the Commissio
which stated that milk even at the presen
price is the most economical animal foo
that can be purchased that it is essenti;
for good diet and that it is the one foo
for which there is no satisfactory subst
: tute More extensive use should b
made Of milk as food for growing childre
Poland Breaks With Berlin.