The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1919-01-13
PUBLIC PLACES CLOSED
FOR PERIOD OF One WEEK
DR.. f. Z. Wolff, Local Health Physi-
clan, Closes Public Schools, Nov
ing Picture, Theatre And Other
Places on Account of Flu"

schools of Cambridge, the Grand OPP
era House and other places for a
period of one week, on account Of in
| f1uenZa. The situation is again be-
coming quite serious in Cambridge,
| it being reported that there have
been an unusually large number IF
new cases to develop within the past
two or three days. DR.. Wolff states
that he has not been advised by the
physicians of the new cases, but that
he heard from various sources that a
number of the physicians have quite
a number of new cases. One physi-
clan stated yesterday that he had
had about twenty new cases within
the last day or so, although not all
of them are within the city limits.
Another physician stated that he had
fifteen new cases, and, if this ratio
is borne out by the new cases Of all
of the physicians, it will be seen at
once that there are a great many
new cases.
That, too, which causes the new
outbreak to present more serious
situation, is the fact that it seems to
be general. In the first outbreak the
disease seemed TO run in sections, one
section would have a great many ca
ses, while another would have almost
none, but in the more recent out
break, the situation is entirely diff
ferent, practically every section is af-
fected, and the indications are that
unless the most rigid precautions are
taken the epidemic will assume such
proportions as to bet beyond the con
troll of the physicians.
1t is believed by many persons
that the closing of the schools and
the theatre will do much to control
the alarming spread of the disease;
in fact, some persons labor under the
impression that the schools are lar
gely responsible for the spread of the
disease into all sections, holding that
as the pupils from every section min
gled together in the school rooms and
in the hall during the recess periods,
the germs of the disease found lodg-
ment in the organs of children from
all sections, thereby causing the gen.
eral outbreak instead of the sectional
one, as at first.
However, the authorities are pow
erless to control the disease unless
they have the active cooperation OF
the public as a whole. Parents must
see to it that their children are not
permitted to run at large upon the
streets, and that they do not congre-
gate in various places. There is no
use of closing the schools if the chill
dren of the neighborhood or of Cam
bridge are going to be permitted to
meet in large numbers at the homes;
there is no use in closing the schools
if the pupils are to be permitted to
spend their time congregated togeth-
er upon ice ponds; in fact, this is
one of the unusually serious features
of the situation, persons go skatines;
skate together, get warm and then
cool off rapidly, expose themselves,
to the cold, put their bodies into the
condition to make them very recep-
tive to the disease. There are al
ready about a dozen cases of persons
who have come off of the ice and gone
home to wake the next morning with
the disease.
Young men and young women
should be old enough to avoid this
danger. Even if there is lot OF
fun in skating, no one has the right
to jeopardize the health of their pa
rents, their brothers and sisters and
their friends in general, by engaging
in something that is known to be
surrounded with an unusual amount
of danger Then, too. undue con-
gregating should not be INDUCED in;
insofar as it is possible, people
should keep reasonable distance
apart; it is better to do this than to
run the risk of catching this disease
and bringing about such situation
as has existed, and at present does
exist, in many homes, where every
member of the family is sick, or
where so many of the family are SO
that the impossibility of properly
caring for them presents difficulties
in the restoration to health of those
who are ill.
By exercising care for few days,
a week or two weeks, probably. at the
most, it should be possible to get
and keep the situation under COM
plete control. 1t is certainly to be
hoped that ban will be placed up
on skating; those who do SO not only
take their own lives in their hands,
(young gentlemen and young ladies
have a right to do this if their own
lives were the only ones at stake)
! but they are running the risk of be-
ing the means Of bringing sickness,
desolation, ruin, want, death and
mourning into the homes of those
who are doing all they possibly can
to avoid the disease. 1t IS to be
hoped that the young man and young
women will be too thoughtful for the
welfare of the community to engage
in skating at this time, and that pa
rents, generally, will absolutely pro-
hibit the younger members of their
families from engaging in the sport
1t may be well to repeat that it is
the duty of everyone, at this critical
time, to avoid assembling in crowds
the danger is too great, and in times
like the present it is the duty of ev-
eryone to do his or her part toward
the protection of the entire COM
| munity.
-O-
FOR RENT.
in