Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-12-29
INFLUENZA CASES
SHOW AN INCREASE
Physicians of Opinion That
Disease Is Becoming More
Virulent.
342 NEW CASES FOUND

= total OF 342 new cases of influenza
were reported to the health depart
ment yesterday. Up to noon there had
been 301 cases reported. the Al addi-
tjonal cases coming I'm by the late
afternoon and last nights mails. This
Slows an increase over the previous
tventy-four-hou period of seventeen
Gases.
Nine deaths were reported for the
p"riod of twelve hours endias at 3
n..-.och dast night. For the previous
1,ge nty-four hour period the number
Gf deaths from influenza was twenty
four showing decrease for the last
rnriod of fifteen deaths. This de-
crease, it is believed by the health
authorities, does not indicate any sub
:slience of the disease, but only
temporary halting of the fatalities.
Many physicians treating large num-
hrrS of cases of influenza are OF
opinion that the contagion is increas-
ing III its virulence, a fact borne out
by the steady increase in the number
of TiortalitieS reported.
Fer the period of the past three
days the official figures show that
.harc have been recorded 90f new
cases of the disease.
Four Deaths at Hospital.
At the influenza emergency hos
initial. at 612 + street northwest. open
I'd Christmas eve, it was stated last
night that there were then under
treatment forty five cases OF infiu-
,nza of a serious type. fifteen of these
cases having been received there dur
ing yesterday. Four deaths have been
reported of the patients at this hos
pital, all of them occurring yester-
day. They We're as follows:
Miss Ailsa Miller, twenty-one years
cid. of Cleveland. Ga, war worker.
rooming at S0s l street northwest.
Adam w. Mickey, thirty-one years
old, 1926 18th street southeast. His
wife is critically ill with influenza at
Providence Hospital and too i'll to be
Notified of the death of her husband.
Mrs. William z. Cooper, 116 G street
northeast.
Samuel Weeks. thirty-seven years
old. 105 G street southeast. He was
admitted to the hospital Sterday
SciouS and dying condition and died
last night at o'clock.
Sees Ne d of Hasty Action.
DR.. f. w. Scott of the public health,
service. in charge of the emergency
hospital said last night that from his
observations and wide experience in
the handling of influenza cases here
and elsewhere, the disease in
Washington and in fact all over the
country was growing in its scope of
the spreading of the contagion, and
becoming more virulent and corre-
Spondingly more dangerous to the pub
lie health. He pointed out the neces-
sity of Congress taking prompt action
10 appropriate liberal sum of money
to be used all over the country in an
effort to stamp out the growth of the
contagious epidemic, which, he said,
has carried off more people than were
killed in the four years of the over
seas war.
He said he believed that unless
through federal appropriation the
Contagion will spread to more
alarming extent; particularly in the
cOnSeSted sections. than it did in the
first epidemic. He expressed the
opinion that with the means avail
able adequate precautions could be
taken by the health authorities to
disease, and finally stamp it out. But
under present conditions, with no ma
tional unity of effort he could see no
hope of stopping the spread of the
disease.
Influenza is again definitely on the
decline in Army camps, 4 detailed
report on health conditions of troops
in the United States issued today by
the surgeon generals Office shows.
From several of the large camps not
single case was reported for the en-
tire week ended December 20. Pneu-
luonia admissions also were fewer
than for the previous week.