The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1919-12-20
SOAP SHORTAGE
MENACES EUROPE
Next to Undertaking It Is the
Main Cause of Terrible
Death Rate.
DISEASE IS FAST INCREASING
Vermin Thrive While Disinfectants
and Aids to Cleanliness Are Lack
ing-Galicia, the Ukraine and
Hungary Are Most Infected.

Berne, Switzerland.-"Lack of soap
and of all aids to cleanliness is the
main cause. after underfeeding, of the
appalling death rate from disease in
central Europe generally" said a dis
tinguished physician who had just
been travelling through these regions.
Everywhere In Austria, Hungary, Po-
land, Bohemia, Russia and eve Ger
many, typhoid, spotted. typhus, dysen-
terry, scuryy and tuberculosis have
increased and modern hygiene is now
unable TO localize these scourges be-
cause of lack of disinfectants, linen
and soap and, above all, of disinfect-
ing stoves or chambers, in which sol
diers' clothes can be placed and kept
at u temperature which kills all
vermin.
The most disease-infected regions
IN the continent now are Galicia, the
Ukraine and Hungary. In these
tries thousands of soldiers meet
Russians returning home from Ger
many Austrians, Hungarians and Ger
mans returning from Russia; Croa-
tians and Serbs going southwark, and
Poles going northward.
Soldiers in Shocking State.
DR.. f. Blanchod, a French-Swiss,
who recently visited Budapest on be-
half of the Geneva Red Cross and
spent some time in a military depot
there. where an attempt, at any rate,
is made to receive all these different
soldiers as they pass through, sort
them out into their different n%ationali-
ties and at the same time rid them of
yer1nin, describes them as being clad
in rags and animals's skins, chiefly
sheepskins or goatskins, and wearing
greasy skin caps on their heads, their
feet and legs being bandaged up in
rags and untanned leather. Not n
of them has now any sort of uniform,
and as many Russians, after years of
captivity in Germany have learned to
speak German and many Hungarians
have learned Russian they contrive to
pass themselves off as belonging to
whatever nationality best suits them
for the time being. 1t is impossible,
therefore,. really to sort them, or to
know where they belong.
All these unfortunate and filthy men
are, in plain English, covered with lice.
which are the sole p~ropagatOrs of
spotted typhus. Many Of them do their
best to avoid going near any military
depot which has means of disinfection,
because their wretched rags. once put
into the ~disinfecting chamber, simply
fall to pieces, and as there is no fresh
clothing to give them in exchange, they
feel themselves worse off than before.
Try to Avoid 0isinfection.
Many of these men leave the depot
wearing nothing but their sheepskins
or overcoats, any apology for under
clothing which they may nave had hav-
ing been destroyed In the process of
disinfection. So anxious are some of
them to avoid being examined or hav-
ing their clothes disinfected that
very often when a train of repatriated
soldiers arrives at Budapest, Vienna
or some other place the soldiers begin
to jump off it as soon as it slackens
down before arriving at the railway
station; and thus they enter a city
without the authorities knowing, and,
of course, spread their lice and their
disease.
Some of the men we're already suf-
fering from spotted typhus while on
their journey, and had, Of course, in
fected others. 1t is, indeed, often i'm
possible to diagnose the disease unless
a mans skin has first been thoroughly
washed with soap. Matters are still
further complicated because a soldier
as a rule will not say that he is i'll I'M
til he can no longer crawl about. The
hospitals are oyercrowded with dis
eased men lying on gray paper sheets
which, of course, cannot be either
washed or boiled. There are not even
renous sores which often accompany
spotted typhus- They, too, are dressed
after a fashion with paper. The pa
tients have neither blankets nor elder
down quilts, nor even shirts to sleep
In which are not all in rags; and as
there is a great scarcity of coal there
can be 40 proper heating. The doctors
cannot operate because there is no
mean of sterillzing instruments, no
soap, and no cotton, wool or band
ages.