Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-10-06
EDDY COUNTY IS
READY To BATTLE
EPIDEMIC OF FLU
Health Officer L, H, Pate Of
Carlsbad Has Formed An
Efficient Organization for
Use if 1t IS Needed,
SPECIAL cosarsponOsaes TO MORNING 1ovasA-

SPECIAL coRRr sponosNce TO MORNING JOURNAL
Carlsbad. n. NJ, oct 5.-ThereI
be no epidemic of FLU in New Mexico
this fan. if medical skin, rigorous
health laws and efficient administra
tors can prevent it. New Mexico il,
ready and SO is Eddy county, for the
state health department has orderet
its county health officers to organize
their counties into working units, anG
County Health Officer L. II. Pate OF
Carlsbad is firmly in the saddle with
an efficient organization behind him.
"A recent mass meeting at the Carls-
bad Commercial club afforded the
personnel for the committees, whicl
are organized and ready for work il
the need comes.
There IS no influenza in Edds
county, despite rumors to the con-
trary," said DR.. Pate, Friday, "anu
] do not look for its returnNin Virulent
form this fail, nor for many years.
Medical history for three centuries
shows no recurrence of an epidemic
in the year following its first appear
ance. We can trace their return in
periods varying from fifteen to seventy
years. And medical science would
have labored in vain had it not proven
that the human body builds up an inn
munity to disease. | found a singular
immunity from the influenza last yeal
in people who had had the disease III
1883. They did not contract it al
though frequently Ia constant contact
Narft ~
the disease IN its virulent form"
There is propaganda going on now,
boistered by the patent medicine pro-
prietors. ! have postal card on my
desk which states that the Maine
health authorities expect the flu to
come back this year in a mild form,
but that this patent remedy rubbed
into the nostris will ward off an at
tack. Such a statement is absurd, and
only the ignorant will be fooled by it.
our best men have not isolated the
germ, There is a vaccine which will
reduce the chances of serious COM
plications resulting, but there is abb
solutely no vaccine which will ward
off the flu. The Influenza germ has
never been found. our present meth
DDS of staining and microscopic analy-
sis have not detected it. When it is
found a vaccine will be made and in
fuenza will be classed in the same
category with measles, typhoid and
smallpox, against which we can and
do guard
The Eddy county health officer
then discussed some provisions of the
present health law. which is, so he
said, a common sense measure.
Had we had the present law on
4
not have been so great loss. for this
measure provides for strict regula-
ton during an epidemic and the law
has a lliclz in it hitherto lacking Last
year it was extremely difficult for the
county health officers to collect health
statistics during the time of greatest
danger. The present law requires
that these reports be made to the
county health officer and provides
fine of from SIS to 500 if they be not
made. This enables the county and
state authorities to put their organiza-
tons at work where the greatest
danger is, for prevention is still the
best cure, and the quarantine is our
one best bet"
DR.. Pate thought it possible that
the war-stricken population of Eu-
rope developed a virulent type of
germ, which could not be developed
now that conditions are returning to
normal.
IAN impoverished person can not
make the same game fight against
disease that a physically able person
can. Should a patient fight off the
disease it weakens the type of germ.
on the other hand if the germ finds
a ready host in patient who is UNI
IL ,irt 4 1,
germ is a stronger type at the con
clusion Of its battle with the human
being, than when it began Nature
provides an equilibrium always and
we see it working now
The Eddy county organization has
a strong personnel and the central
committee is especially well chosen
1T is headed by Or. Pate and with him
are associated Mayor ID. G. Grantham,
Mrs. c. c. Lewis of the Red Cross,
County Commissioners Charles Mann
and L. A. Swigart, eX-Sheriff M. c.
Stewart and w. F. McIllvain. secre-
tary of the Commercial club.
Other committees are: Finance, Mr.
Clarence Bell, Mr.. f. II. Ryan and
Mr.. w. A. Craig, representing the
three Carlsbad banks; intelligence
committee. Mr.. r. L. Haley and Mr..
Joe Wertheim; medical service com
mittee, Mr. A. N. Pratt nursing COM
mittee, Mrs. c. c. Lewis, Mrs. George
Roberts and Mrs. ]. f, Mcclure; hos
pital committee, M. c. Stewart and
w. A. Poore; subsistence committee,
T. E. Williams and Miss Verral
Craven; transportation committee,
viii Purdy; mortuary committee, r.
NJ Thorne. c. c. Tebbits was named
to organize the Otis district c. V.
Rosson the Loving district and ]. L.
Williams the Malaga district.