New-York tribune., 1918-10-14
.s,86. New Cases in Day
Show Decrease in In
huenza Strides
Peak Is Not Reached,
Health Board Says
Society Women Answer
Call for Nurses at
Charity Hospitals

mate, pneumonia, claimed 3S4 victims
in New York City yesterday, fifteen
less than died the day before. The
number Of new cases of influenza was
1851, decrease Of 1855 cases. There
we're 436 new cases of pneumonia
Department of Health officials said
these figures were encouraging, but
.hat until the decreases had continued
on a similar scale for three successive
days it would not be proper to say the
peak of the epidemic had been passed
During the morning there was a
meeting in the Offices of Health Com
missioner Royal S. Copeland of his
newly appointed emergency advisory
committee. The medical profession.
various interests in the life Of the city
social service agencies ard city depart
ments are represented on the council.
After the meeting DR.. Copeland an
nounced that it was the unanimous
conclusion Of all present that the
schools be kept open. Medical eXami
nations of pupils are to be stringent.
Hospitals Are Inspected
In the afternoon DR.. Copeland pi-
loted group of army doctors and
newspaper men lHrDuSN INe temporary
hospital that has been established in
the municipal lodging house, in Twen-
ty-tifth Street. near the East River.
and through the Willard Parker Hos
pital, at the foot of East Sixteenth
Street.
All Of the party were dressed in sur
seons' white smocks and had their
faces and heads swathed in antiseptic
2auze before they entered the wards
4y-l1o
nc tenements and the forecastles of
ships fiji the double-decked white iron
beds. The place was opened as a hos
ptal four days ago
The medical staff consists of instruc-
tors from the College of Physicians
and Surgeons. seventeen seniors from
Inc same institution and fifteen Ma
Slocum. where there is a company Of
seventy doctors who have been in
Quoted INTO service as privates.
Women Needed to Help
The crying need for nurses. for un-
trained women to scrub, cook and wash
dishes was visible on every side in the
gloomy institution. Soled dishes were
tackled up high in makeshift kitchen
where the only facility for cooking is
q tWo-burner gas stove. In an adjoin-
ing room on the floor were the bundles
by the patients. The beds were dis
ordered and the linen, if any, soiled
looking.
In another ward there were twenty
two Chinese who had been removed
rom ship that reached New York
harbor recently with practically the
entire crew down with Influenza
for some inscrutable reason the
Cinnamon had refused stcadfastly to
remove their shoes or hats. Desper-
ately III they lie. stoically quiet in an
oddly colored assortment of pajamas,
.neir black felt hats clinging tight to
their stubbly black hair and their feet
lncased in heavy shoes, An effort to
earn why he wore his shoes brought
rom the red stained lips Of one betel
ant chewing, yellow skinned sailor this
luerulous reply:
"Take of shoes and Walk Walk
ghost) come tickle EN- toes"
In an adjoining room we're twenty
two children Of the tenements. ranging
age from . boy thirteen years old
TO tiny girl OF four months. The
babies couGhed incessantly. One was
two-year-o old Gabriel ShanofT, who has
'ecovered from an attack OF influenza,
but is compelled to remain in the CEN
re OF infection because his mother is
desperately III elsewhere ard his father
cuse for the silent tears the little man
aheds from time to time.
Three children have died in the four
days since the municipal lodging house
was opened rs a hospital.
Epidemic Levels Castles
Misc Mildred Lum, of Dr.. Copeland's
office, organ;zed the emergency hospital
- the lodging house. There are two
'ralne0 nurses there and small but
AeiIclc force OF unframed volunteers,
One OF tie nurses is Mrs. ". b. Austin.
some Of heI unframed assistants are
1Irs. K. ward. Mrs. A. II. Caspary, Mrs.
Orchard and Mrs. Dwight
~ you Want TO know more about
hem said Dr. Copeland, "look in the
Nocia! Register. I'm proud to be an
american when l thinE Of the work
nelNc done by these women"
Only the eyes OF the women we're
1.slbie through n silly in the gauze
masks .hey wore and all their cloth
ng was concealed beneath surgeons
mocNs of white duck.
Nome of us mind being here" said
Mrs. Austin. AIN fact. we consider it
privilege. but there should be more
of us. There is important work for
ny woman in New York who can use
scrubbing brush, make up bed or
20 plain cooking
Dr. Copeland pointed out that there
are $50 unoccupied beds in the insti-
tuition that might be filled with pa
tents If the force of volunteer nurses
COULD be augmented. Major L. j. Bar
'ctt, OF the army medical corps. one
r; the party OF visitors, was so inn
pressed by the need that he telephoned
II once TO some acQuaintances, with
he result that he was able to tell DR..
copeland ne had enlisted the services
Of three more women.
At the Willard Parker Hospital there
arc $50 cases OF influenza About eighty
of thesp are sailors. But there still is
room in the institution for nearly 200
more patients, according to Dr.. A. J.
Dickson, head OF the medical staff at
he hospital. Before nightfal DR..
Nopelands staff had sent additional
cases to the hospital.
l9,500 Beds Are Filled
There arc about forty hospitals in
New York City, according to Or. Cope
and, where charity cases of influenza
sufferers are peing received. All told.
lie said, there were 10000 beds in the
city for sufferers. and these are filled
except for about 500 beds.
These figures will show" he said,
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