Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1919-04-17
IMPORTED Dis
EASES FEARED
SAYS HASKINS
Army Health Officers Consider
There is Danger of Soldiers
Bringing Home Some of the
Ailments From Abroad.
BY Frederick X Haskin.

1 al - Sn
Washington, d. C.-There are now
between 900 and 1000 cases of the
deadly typhusl fever in the Dutch city
of Rotterdam 4and the disease, accord
ling ito latest reports, his spreading, not
only in Rotterdam, but in other parts
of Holland.
This might not seem, at first glance,
a matter of much concern to Ameri.
cans, but it is--so much so, in fact.
that an assistant surgeon general of
the Public Health Service, with a staff
OF expert assistants, is stationed at
Rotterdam for the purpose of guard
ing he people o fthe United States
against tyhpus infection.
From 80 to 100 vessels a month are
leaving Rotterdam for American ports.
Most Of these are vessels Used in the
Belgian relief work. Any one of them
might bring to the United States the
germs of typhus fever, which are
transmitted by the body louise.
The corps of American public health
officers guard agains, this danger by
inspecting every yesse! Gun from
Rotterdam for an American part. They
examine every passenger and every
member of the crew. Those suffering
from communicable diseases are not
allowed to remain on board and those
infected with lice must be put through
the "delousing" process. If the crew
of any vessel should refuse to comply
with the requirements of the Public
| EJoaJth Sa,>ufoa tba "A roe,sioapg onnc,,1-
ate in Rotterdam would refuse it's clear
ance papers, SO that it would be unable
to discharge its passengers and cargo
in this country. tBlE4t
This work i'm connection with the
typhus epidemic at Rotterdam is only
one phase of the work which is being
1 done. and Which will have to be done
on a much larger scale in the near fu-
ture, to protect the United States from
imported communicable diseases.
Plague Of Plaques.
1t lis hardly an exaggeration to say
that Europe is ravaged by disease. To
the laymen it seems as though the
world had been visited, during the past
few years. by al yeritable plague of new
plaques. Firstsethere was the infant
paralysis a couple of years ago, which
was known before; to be sure, but was
new as an epidemic in modern times.
Then came the Spanich influenza, which
was also new as a modern epidemic.
while the troops at the front were raw
aged by trench fever, a hitherto IN
known disease, aiaa, mos recent of all,
the strange new affliction commonly
known as sleeping sickness and called
epidemic sturra by The scientists, has
made its appearance in this country
and in England. The average citizen
is always busy learning from h news
papers about the symptoms and dan
gers Of some new disease
In reality none OF these diseases are
new. The germs that cause them are
! probably as old at the human race. But
the war will its crowding, it's wound
ing, it's dirt and starvation, created an
environment in which attention ofhfff
environment in which disease fourishes
and has thu brought to the attention
of the scientists, in the form of great
epidemics, disease which might other.
! wise no have been identified for many
years.
The worst Not Yet Arrived
The worst Of t h scourages which
have been spread by the war have not
] yet reached the United States. We
| have had Dur Of influenza and Of
< Infant naryaIysias hut the far more deaG
LILY typhus and cholera, both Of which
! are epidemic e large portions q
Europe have not yet reached America
7 The keeping Of these disease out q
! the United States is hardly less inn
| portant than preventing the invasion