The sun., 1918-10-12
GRIP EPIDEMIC
SHOWS MARKED
SPREAD IN CITY
1893 New Cases Discovered,
1915 More Than Were
Reported Thursday.
% JUMP IN PNEUMONIA
DR.. Copeland Appeals to Politi-
cal Leaders for Help in Lo-
eating Disease.


eating Disease.
Physicians reported 4,fs3 new cases
Of influenza to the Health Department
yesterday. That was 1915 more than
were discovered on Thursday. New
casee Of pneumonia numbered 3st, which
was eishty-eight more than reported on
the preceding day. There have been
26.os2 infiuensa and 2,752 pneumonia
cases reported since the epidemic began.
Yst the disease in this city, according
TO the oficial figures and according to a
special canvass Of the more congested
districts which was made by the depart
msnt yesterday, affects an extremely
small percentage of the total population.
Also, rs pointed out by Health Com
missioner Royal 8. Copeland yesterday.
many Of the new cases reported yester-
day were what are known as secondary
cases-that Is, the outbreak of the dis
casa In families where It already has
occurred.
Canvass Of Crowded Sections.
TIE canvass made by the Bureau OF
Preventable Diseases embraced the more
crowded sections Of the city where the
isolation Of patients 10 almost impos-
siblel 1t showed that among more than
10000 families visited by inspectors s25
cases were discovered, OF which 221 were
under the care Of private physicians
while ia were not In the latter cases
the majority Of the patients had dag
nosed their own illnesses Improperly.
This report disclosed that the actual
percentage Of cases WIS a trifie more
than . per cent. and when II Is taken
jnto consideration that II covered only
the more crowded districts and did not
embrace the outlying sections or the
homes Of the moderately well to do and
wealthy the percentage Of total cases is
even less.
In Issuing this report DR.. Copeland
characterized II as particularly crafty
ing, and at the same tina issued gen.
eral appeal to physicians and the public
TO report illness ~ soon as It develops
no that preventive measures may be
taken to check the spread of the cpl
dsmSe
While no said that there was no par
tioular cause for alarm In the increase
IN the number OF new influenza and
pneumonia cases reported for the day.
the Health Commissioner is not belit-
tlinE the seriousness OF q more wide-
spread epidemic. He said that this is a
more general and widespread affair than
any Of the recent epidemics New York
has had to contend with.
Suggestions Are welcomed.
Everything possible Is being done by
epread Of the disease under and sugges-
tions are welcomed by the authorities
from all quarters. The Board of Esti-
mate granted DR.. Copeland $4,000 yes
terday to fght the disease. New
agencies Of every description are being
enrolled to spread the gospel of precau-
tion and prevention. and sanitarians in
other parts Of the country are creditins
DR.. Copeland with keeping the percent
age Of cases in New York as low as it IT,
In his effort to arouse the public TO
the point Of reporting influenza and pneu-
monia to the authorities DR.. Copeland
has sent the following letter TO all of the
political leaders in the greater city:
you are aware that there Is a serious
epidemic Of influenza and pneumonia in
this town. have the feeling that there
are many cases tucked away In out OF
the way places, perhaps q mother and
two or three children sick, with nobody
TO care for them.
'fhe Department OF Health wishes to
get IN touch. at the earliest possible mo-
snent, with every person in this city suf-
.fering from influenza or pneumonia. You
can readily see that II in a family say,
Of six people, one of them has the dis
ease. unless proper precautions are
tahen all will contract 1t. The Depart
ment OF Health Is prepared through its
own agencies and the assistance OF a
large group OF privately organized phil
snthropic organisations TO give nursing
patents
VIII you use your wen organized ma
cmnery 10 put tnls before the pubic
through your leaders and other heuten-
enU'
r. N I~cn Dstrict'
,..Aar. b,v va their man ana out ,ha oonS
.tt,on. IN each district ahd renor+ 20
en-. HsaIth Denartment anv case. d,.-
rov.r.a
Anoth.r o1;c,.I .tan taken yas..rao, y,
-. tha asanatoh ~. ipsrac,ora So,
h..1,usr,srs IN v,s,t the Ia rSa ma M
s.otur,ng comnan,e. IN the cI,v nth
tns request that enplovees hs axar,inod
dai,v NV comnanv nhysIcians ana eli
go. y. I,nmed,steIv rsnortad ,,hI,a
.h..nc.. trou, ,vorL he ,nvsst,1at.d va
~sro-,.d ,no,,
NJ. O,ivar uarrtn,an renortad IN D-
.-a,.ai.,S ,,s.tsrdax that ar ,so,,,S M