Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-03-06
WIRELESSPHONE
SUCCESS AT SEA
Troopship Fleet Doctors in
Close Contact When In
fluenza Develops
100 CASES ON POWHATAN
Col. ID. J. Mccarthy Among
Many Pennsylvania Back
From War Zone
100 CASES ON POWHATAN

/ A consultation at sea by wireless tele.
phone, during which medical advice was
! freely transmitted back and forth, is
described by physicians just returped
| from overseas. Among the doctors who
took part in the consultations was Lieu
tenant Colonel d. j. Mccarthy, OF 1925
Walnut street.
Colonel Mccarthy arrived in New YORK
aboard the steamship Sierra. lie was
one Of the physicians consulted by the
doctors of the troopship Powhatan, when
more than a hundred cases OF inhuen2a
suddenly developed aboard the snip ana
threatened the safety OF the crew ana
! returning troops.
The Powhatan was one or seNeral
troopships coming to the United states
Physicians aboard six OF these SHIPS
were in close enough contact wltp the
lmperlled vessel TO take part III 'ne
consultation The case was discussed as
freely as IL the doctors we're gathered IN
one room expressing their opinions on
the disease and the best methous 'o
combat It, -
one result of the consultation was
that the Sierra set afoat thirty-t~o
co.'s on DObTu a. DlS ioiN'
hatan was about fifteen miles astern the
Sierra and experienced no difficulty IN
picking up the contents Of the ratt' Inc
consultation was interrupted while the
safe arrival of the needed cots was an
nounced over the wireless telephone
Consultation Successful
The consultation was a complete sue
cess, the doctors say When the row
hatan arrived in port yesterday only
few of the stricken men were stili con-
fined to bed and no fatalities were re-
corded
This, however. was not the only in
stance in which the Sierras physicians
rendered advice TO those caring LOT
the sick. While in midocean the wire
less operator picked UP radio from
the British steamship Pollac, signed py
the captain, which stated that one OF
the members of the crew had suddenly
become critically ILL., The message gave
the symptoms and requested u,as
nosis and method of treatment. inns
was gladly given. and hourly reports
OH the mans condition were sent by the
merchantman's captain to the physicians
more than 100 miles distant. In Two
DAYS the patient showed marked I'M,
proyement and when reported last hau
passed the crisis and was doing niceiy'
Mccarthy Visits Front
With the arrival of the Sierra Lieu
tenant Colonel Mccarthy completed ms
fourth round trip since the beginning
of the war In 1914-15 he was WIN
the French army in the medical corps,
and upon his return was designated 10
20 to Berlin and join Ambassador Ger,
ards staff. While there he visited anu
inspected German prisoners in camps
and then, when the United States en-
tered the war, he came back, only 10
leave again for Russia as chlef medi-
cal officer of the American Red cross
There he had an opportunity to OBTAIN
a thorough grasp of Russian poiitlcs'
| but he said today that there have peeh
so many developments since ne was
there he could not comment on the
present situation or make any prognos
| tications as to the outcome or the Boil
| shevist regime.
on his last trip TO France, Colonel
Mccarthy was a consultart for the A.
r. +. He said he had rowing COM
mission and visited the war base hos
ptals at the front.
Enlisted men on the Sierra who were
in convalescent detachment in Bor-