New-York tribune., 1919-10-30
Copeland Declares
Phone Conditions
Menace to Health
Delays Dangerous to Men
With High Blood Press
ure, He Reports; Health
Observation-Disclosures

Dr. Royal S. Copeland, Commission
of Health, yesterday placed a formal
resolution before the Board of Health
in which he declared the bad telephone
service of the last few months had
become menace to public health.
Acting on Commissioner Copeland's
recommendation, the board ordered
thorough inquiry into conditions in all
plants, buildings, exchanges and pub
lie booths maintained by the telephone
company. The entire machinery of the
Health Department. said DR.. Cope Gland
will be used to report and correct all
"conditions prejudicial to life or health
found to exist in the various build
ings and operations Of the telephne
company.
Dr.. Copeland offered his resolution
after an investigation by twenty-five
health inspectors who, after two weeks
work, according to the commi ssioner,
disclosed numerous violations of the
Sanitary Code in telephone company
exchanges and buildings. Conditions,
he said, had been found such as to
Justify more thorough inquiry.
Inquiry To Be Thorough
The system will be "fnc-tooth
combed," said DR.. Copeland, to ascer-
tain whether bad health conditions are
forcing poor service or vice versa
The commissioner declared men with
high blood pressure, or weakened
arteries, are liable to suffer cerebral
hemmorrhages because of central oper-
ators' delays.
The long periods which citizens are
obliged to pass in public booths in
+ order to get their numbers might make
the booths centers of infection, said
DR.. Copeland, who declared bacteria
logical cultures would be made of germs
found in phone transmtters and
analysis of specimens of air found in
booths would also be taken
Conditions Declared Menace
DR.. Copeland's recommendation, in
part follows:
"rhe condition OF the telephone
service has been such for the last
several months that in my opinion it
mas become serious menace to the
public health. 1t is all very we'll to
talk about keeping calm under all cir
cumstancos, but the fact remains that
where it is necessary TO wait from
flVe to twenty minutes to get Central
the average citizen will suffer from
righteous Indignation if not from un.
righteous wrath. If it happens that
a man trying to get Central has high
blood pressure, or weakened arteries.
he is liable TO break blood vessel
End suffer from cerebral hemorrhage.
Furthermore, there are in use in
this city hundreds of public telephone
booths. If a person infected with in
fuenza, contagious skin disease, or any
other Infectious or contagious dis
order should go into one of these
booths and remain there five to ten
minutes waiting to get his number,
1T does not REQUIRE any stretch of the
imagination TO believe the contamin-
alton of This public booth will be such
as to render it menace to the next
person who makes use Of that particu-
lar telephone.
"The quality Of the service, too.
which is in such marked contrast to
the former efficient service rendered d
by The telephone company, has i'm
pressed me with the idea that undoubt-
edly operators are working under
conditions of physical stress. If one
operator is doing the work formerly
done by two or three, it stands to rea-
son that she must be working under
conditions that will make for early
break down and possibly permanent
undermining of health"