Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-10-12
NORTHEAST EHIT
HARD BY EPIDEMIC
Influenza Taking Appalling
Toll Owing to Lack
of Nurses
10000 GASES THERE
Pneumonia Often Develops
Before Medical Attention
Can Be Obtained
10000 GASES THERE


in the northeast section for the want Of
medical attention, and n the death rate
Is to be cut something must be done at
once to supply the district with nurses
and doctors"
That was the gist of a statement
made today by DR.. Louis Milkman, res
ident physician OF the Northeastern
Hospital when. discussing the influenza
epidemic.
conservative estimates place Nhe
number of cases in our section" added
the physician. "as $4,000. and II is safe
to add another 5000. Scores of the af-
flcted actually wait for twenty-four
hours and longer before receiving first
aid from a physician. These patients
develop pneumonia. and because of the
lack of nurses they die.
The nurses and doctors on duty In
the district have worked with wonder
full courage, and have made great sac
rifices. but there is limit to their
physical endurance. They must have
! rest which means that others must take
| their places. Unless this is done the
mortality list will grow. There may be
4 a decided decrease in the number OF
| new cases, but the death list Will not
diminish unless immediate steps are
taken to relieve the situation"
Dealt Hard Blow
! In those words Doctor Milkman
epitomized the Influenza situation I'm his
district of the city. section that has
| been hard hit by the maiady. With a
| population Of approximately 100000 the
Northeast, often called "the workshop of
America has been dealt a severe blow
by the influenza plague. Many of it's
prominent citizens have died. and in the
poor sections the suffering is acute.
A tour of the section, coupled with
talks with overworked physicians and
| visits to the hospitals verifies the asser-
tons made by Doctor Milkman. His
own institution Is virtually crippled for
the lack of nurses, and other hospitals
| in the section are jammed to the doors
! with patients
Individual cases where men and wo-
men have appealed in vain for medical
attention can be cited by the police OF
the various districts They are doing
yeoman service but admit their inability
to do the impossible.
in Phiiadelphia's worst epidemic is
described by Lieutenant Charles Schwei.
wer, Of the .Clearfield and Belgrade
street station. He says:
I'VE have established a medical bu.
reau and as fast as residents phone fol-
doctors their names are listed. List,
of afflisted persons are given to the
doctors and when possible the patro
takes the sick 20 hospitals.
s~amped BY Appeals
Ordinarily this system would work
but such a food OF appeals has poured
into the station that at times we hav,
been literally swamped. The doctor.
are unable to call on all the patients
and many persons have actually gon,
without attention for twenty-four hour,
and longer. We need more doctors ant
particularly nurses. for in many of tn,
homes the conditions are pitifui"
: While Lieutenant Schweiker was dis
cussing the situation DIR. Samuel J
Nicholson. 1859 Belgrade street. entered
the station. He is a retired physician
but volunteered for service when th
police made an appeal to him. He ha
t worked twenty-four hours a day 70
. nearly two weeks and is forced to ad
r nit that he can stand up under tn
strain but a short time longer.
1T is pathetic" he said. 'to ente
> some of tho homes. In our district
known as Port Richmond, We have abou
t 5000 cases and the worst feature con
4 nected with the crisis Is the lack O
nurses. In many homes every membe
2 of the family Is stricken and with no
= body to care for them-the suffering
3 is intense. The HessOn family. at 223
= Ann street. Ii particularly hard hit. TO
e the mother, father and six children ar
III. What we need 10 a force of so
. good, motherly women to enter thes
e homes and care for the sick. 1t 1
not necessary for them to be traine
nurses, for all that. a majority o
the cases need only plain oid-fashione
9 care"
! The force Of that argument is an
parent in the case Of Edward Some
It born. coil East Tioga street. For year
;. he has ben a foreman at the Cramp
IS shipyard. On Sunday he was stricken
J. but II was Monday before a docto
II reached him. Pneumonia had develor
o ed and when the physician arrived h
: was beyond medical aid He died
e George Brown. a policeman. living a
1858 Kensington avenue. was stricke
If and in the next day or two his viii
'e and FIVE children contracted the di.
,r ease. There was nobody In the hous
IL TO care for them. but Brown opene
ID a window and called for aid The Ok
le lice sent two of the children TO a no,
pital and called a relative. who is no
at the home As a result OF this a
tention the Brown family is doing mic,
ly
ls years a guard at Independence Hal
was stricken and within a day or tw
his wife and six children were take
y III. They received good care and al
u | m the road to recovery.
"Seud nurses and a force of drugeis
J. to this district is the plea of r. l
n Machssney. q druggist at 1896 Ia
~ Clearfield street. For two weeks | ha,
~ been on my feet for twenty -four hou
: a day and I'm about played out. A wa
4 through the district will reveal crepe
ID every street, in fact. In almost evel
sr block, and many lives could have be-
saved II nurses had been sent here"
- Machesney's reference to crepe W;
not necessary. for a short walk in Il
district will convince anybody IN
death has levied heavy toll up,
y this section.
Undertskers OverwOrked
tyndertakers. like physicians. are owe
worked to such an extent that they a
ld unable to bury and many victims awe
burial. But caring for the living
more important than caring for 4
d.ad. according to Northeast resident
and they are bending every energy
cone with the situation.
al, "we have reached a point" sa
~ csorre y, Teaz. financial secretary
n, the Northeastern Hospital. where ,
-. r,ust be UP and doing. II Is silly
m. ,,inimize the situation because II
I'm real and serious. 1t can be solved
ya ,,,ors nurses are sent to the distri
what II means 10 work a nurse or h
90, "a known In our institution. Y