The sun., 1919-01-29
GRIP RACES AT WILL
MISS WALD FEARS
New Influenza Crisis Seen
without Adequate Nursing
Protection.
COPELAND NOT ALARMED
Every Effort Made to Combat
Disease Throughout City,
He Says.

Disease Throughout City,
He Says.
That New York has reached another
Influenza crisis and that the Health
Department was doing nothing OF an
emergency nature to meet II, was said
yesterday in behalf of Miss Lillian ID.
waid. head OF the Henry Street Settle
ment by Miss Dorothy Caffin, the cor
responding secretary.
Miss Caffin especially asserted the
city is not getting adequate nursing pro-
lection. She said the settlement which
sends visiting nurses from its fourteen
branches. was so short handed that It
was now compelled to turn away more
than fifty appeals a day and had not
been able TO attend to calls in maternity
cases for two weeks. She said the
Health Department should supply extra
nurses as II did last fall. but had failed
to do so. She was careful to say that
the epidemic was not as serious as
was a few months ago, but she added
that there was danger OF Its becoming
so IL many more nurses were not pro-
vided
Replying 10 Miss Caffln, Health Com
missioner Copeland said the Henry
Street Settlement did not ask for
nurses until yesterday morning. when
ne Immediately agreed to send all that
were required BY II or other RELIEF or
CARNATIONS. He said he was studiously
watching the ascending curve OF nflu-
enza and pneumonia, and taking every
precaution, and that the department
was prepared to cope with anything
that might develop.
Ready TO Fisht Disease.
He pointed to figures indicating that
the epidemic at present does not ap-
proach the dimensions OF last fall. He
said there we're plenty OF doctors, plenty
OF nurses and plenty OF hospital beds
for the sick who could not be isolated
In their homes He said influenza and
pneumonia would continue to be prera-
lent until spring brings settled warm
weather He added he was not alarmed
and that. rs the Henry Street people
were undoubtedly overworked that
probably explained their becoming "un-
duly excited"
night to say that any criticism OF or
controversy with the Health Depart
ment was far from her thoughts. She
| said that during the fall epidemic and
at present DR. Louis /. Harris. chief or
| the bureau OF preventaole diseases. had
given the Henry street workers "splen-
did cooperation" The point she wished
to emphasize. she said, was that with
all its other work to do the department
a IA ,uh r,tr IN n n "a "a
OF the influenza patients. no matter how
generously It assigned them to the bed
side work which they were not sup
posed to do.
Serious shortage shown.
There is serious shortage OF
nurses" she added. IL you don't be-
lieve II try to get one and see. Only
| by proper distribution of such nurses
az there are. by making the we'll to do
! see that they must not employ two
nurses where one would do. by tele-
graphing to other cities and ascertaining
| if they can spare any and by getting
more unframed aids who can be of
great use in an emergency, can We
| handle the problem in New York Let
ule tell you about one Of our own nurses
who was In charge OF a Bronx district.
A few days ago she died---of influenza.
Almost her last words were: Miss
Wald, this is no time for me TO go
| when I am needed so much. "
In the worst week. which ended Octo-
Der 26 last the number OF deaths re-
ported was $500. In the best" week
| which ended about December l, deaths
| We're 425. Since then they have risen
gradually until in the week ended yes
terday l.2I1 persons d!ed-53l Of In
| fuenza and $50 OF pneumonia. Deaths
| reported yesterday were 100 OF influenza
| and 1873 OF pneumonia. a one day total
| Of sos This is the highest since last
fall. The number OF new cases reported
| yesterday were Influenza, $50; pneu-
monia 1879 Tuesdays figures always
include many cases not reported on Sun
| day Monday. The period OF the cpl
demic is now in its nineteenth week
Miss Caffin explained that although
! tho Health Department is not supposed
| to supply nurses for bedside cases, II did
| so in the autumn emergency The set
| Elements visiting nurse service is or
! ganized in fourteen districts. covering
Manhattan. The Bronx and Staten ISL
| and. II has l55 nurses now and needs
| Mt least 100. Among the cases that had
| to be rejected yesterday were one OF
double pneumonia. one OF bronchial
| pneumonia and one OF acute nephrltis
Miss Caffin thus described what she
, called "a typical case" reported 10 the
settlement on Monday:
1.-TWO brothers and their wives and
| children--in all eight persons-shared a
| fiat Everybody was sick except one OF
| the brothers. who was trying TO look az
| ter the rest. Both women wers preg-
| nant and had pneumonia--a condition
| almost always fatal. We could not find
a nurse. but finally got woman who
had been n cook IN nurses home to go
In and do what she could One of the
| men has been taken to hospital, two
OF the children were taken 10 their
| grandmother's home"
Epidemic Worst in bronx,
The epidemic Is worst In The Bronx.
just as il was last fall, according to our
reports"
When Or. Copeland was asked about
| these things he said that yesterday an
| arrangement was made, effective to-
| morrow, whereby there would be a clear
ing house in every Health Department
district and that nurses could be quickly
| obtained by application to the nearest
station of the department
I'VE have plenty OF nurses" the Com
,iasi s'Thara ora 1Ta o,ron