Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1919-01-24
BOISE HEALTH BOARD FINDS
FLU Is NOT CROWD DISEASE

The city health board of Boisce
made public the following report last
Saturday. after having an investiga-
tion made Of 1913 flu cases throughout
the city to ascertain as near as posi-
BILE where the victims felt that they
had contracted the disease:
In the beginning it was announced
that this was was a crowd disease,
and this had much to do with the re-
quest Of the Red Cross committee.
Certain facts caused the board to ex-
anime into this question with view
OF determining what causes lead to
the transmission of the disease. We
found that certain stores were much
crowded; they had more visitors than
any other institutions in the city. One
of them had 80 clerks during the
height of the epidemic, but only one
had the disease. Another had Sc
clerks and four had the disease. The
picture showns had seven attendants
who came constantly in touch with
the public and none of them had the
disease. II the theories as to 1t were
true the clerks and picture show en-
ployes should have all taken the NAL
ady.
Make Interesting Discoveries.
with these facts in view the board
determined to find out how the peo-
pie who had the disease thought they
contracted 1t. An investigation was
made of 138 cases and it was found
that not one of these persons had
been at dance; only one had been in
a pool hall, and two at q picture
show; 81 did not know how they got
IT; 10 got it visiting; Ia got 1t from
various causes, such as delivering
wash, at houses not quarantined, col
lecting laundry, washing from infiu-
enZa, patients, or other like causes;
and 90 cases contracted it from other
members of the family. These figures
speak for themselves.
Quarantine Not justified.
''The board ia not justified In de-
claring o quarantine against picture
shows. churches, lodge meetings or
public gatherings on this showing
Family visiting is responsible for 10
cases and with other members OF the
family who took the disease for 80
cases ont of 1913. This is a large
enough percentage to justify the
quarantine against visiting and to au-
thorize its continuance for a short
period.
Desiring information from every
angle, we requested the Red Cross to
investigate the question through their
nurses. The Rev. Willsie Martin,
head OF the home service section, re-
ports as follows:
Red Cross Also Investigates.
MANY are uncertain where they
contracted influenza, most are suspi-
eious OF crowds. But In the large
majority of cases those affected feel
they got 1t from some neighboring
family or individual who had the dis
ease prior to their contracting t.
Answers indicate that in many instan-
ces the family from whom contagion
came was not quarantined and that
In many instances there was no fumi-
eating of the home or clothes or
bedding in the family that spread the !
cotagion.
This report shows more strongly |
than the one secured by the board |
that visiting among families Is an inn |
portant item in the spread of the dis |
ease. People who are coming down |
with 1t or have II in mild form evil
IDENTIFY do not 60 to movies or other
public gatherings, but stay home and
are visited by their friends
Figures Are .'Surprising''
THE figures show the surprising
fact that of the 1913 cases, 46 origins
ally contracted the disease and II
spread In the family until 90 cases