New-York tribune., 1919-02-18
Influenza |tJusf Growed"
Surgeon General Blue suggests the
epidemic mag not hare been imported

cargoes loaded or unloaded. Such plan is
wholly impracticable and has been demon
stated times without number when YES
sells lie alongside dock. In actual practice
seamen cannot be kept Oh board shin mn
der such conditions except by guards. and
here again would be defect. since the
guard must necessarily come from person
mel on shore
Another feature that must be considered
IS that influenza is pandemic Throughout
the world, and undoubtedly will continue
present in adjacent countries for several
months or year, and any measure to be
successful would have to be continued
throughout very long period
constrained to the belief that no
one with any practical experience IN SAM
tary matters, particularly with respect TO
quarantine administration. would have the
temerity to say that our present knowledge
Of influenza would have made it humanity
possible to exclude the infection from this
country
desire to point out, however, that there
is no evidence that influenza was actually
United States was swept by an epidemic Of
influenza in the latter sos and early COS in
the way the rest of the world was
ravaged. Since that time the infection has
remained quiescent or existed in an All
tenuated form, and from some natural
with which VIC are not acquainted
the virus acquired a marked increase in
vrulence, but there is no reason to as
sumo that any natural causes operative in
Europe or in Asia were not also operative
in the United States. The morbiditv stats
ties of this country indicate that large
number of cases of influenza have been re
ported in various parts of the country since
the disease swept over the United States
epidemic.
AS a matter of fact. the United States
census reports of 1916 show that in the
registration area there were 1886 deaths
from Influenza In recent report by the
Commissioners of Indian Affairs there is an
account of a epidemic of influenza
at Haskell Institute in March, 1913. a num-
Der of pupils dying from the disease
do not maintain that there is any ev-
dence to show that the present epidemic
VI lHHueHZa is que 10 an increased NlrQ-
lence of the disease which we ordinarily
have been considering influenza, but I do
assert that there is, on the other haad, no
evidence to show that this could not have
been the case
The United States Public Health Service
which controls all quarantine stations Of
this country, with the sole exception o.
the Port of New York. has always adopted
and enforced preventive measures that are
of known or probable value, but it does
not purpose to enforce apy irrational pro-
cedure with the sole object of avoiding
criticism, however unjust or urfounded IT
may be.
Dr. Vincent's reference to he 7ucccssful
methods employed at Bethel, Me, for
preventing the introduction of Influenza *
rather unfortunate, in so far as serving to
prove his point. AS a matter of fact, wlat-
ever was done at Bethel only served to de
lay the Introduction. Bethel today is hay
ing the same experience as ether places,
there having been 154 cases of influenza
in that town to date, and reports indicate
that the epidemic is on the increase.
RUPERT BLUE,
Surgeon General United States Public
Health Service
Washington, Feb IA, 1919.