Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1919-04-17


As long as the war went on we We're
comparative isolation. immigration
was at a standstill and so was all COM
merce except that carried on under strict
government Supervision. Soldiers We're
> going to Europe in great numbers, but
few We're returning. Now the case Is
reversed. Soldiers are returning, gen.
eral is resuming and immil
grafton is apt to begin at any time
unless Congress passes vigorous res
strictive legislation.
The danger of communicable disease
being brought to this country by re.
turning soldiers is met by the surgeon
| general of the army. THAI from immi-
grants and passengers and crews of
commercial vessels generally, is the
concern of the Public Health Service.
The surgeon generals office, having
complete control over every soldier in
the United States army, is able to pre-
vent Infection from reaching this coun-
try via the returning soldier almost
absolutely. Every soldier goes through
a medical inspection at the port of EN-.
barkation in France, and is %quarantin-l
ed there, il suffering from amy com
municable disease. In all cases in
which it is necessary, the soldier is
Method of Protection
To prevent infection being brought
.-I 49, Jv-;,a cS.-4-- - -
channels of general is obvi-
ously a much larger and more compli-
Gated task. OF course. the Public
Health Service is charged with the
duty of inspecting all Immigrants who.
arrive at ports of the United States
and physically healthy. But this sys-
TEN is not altogether satisfactory. If
the diseases person once gets abroad the
vessel he spreads the infection among
the crew and passengers, often caus-
ing much sickness and loss of life on
the way over. Furthermore, a certain
number of these persons so infected
are apt to become carriers Of the di-
sease, without contracting it in such
a way as to exhibit its symptoms. Thus
the disease, once on board the boat, is
very apt to make some port, in this
country.
1t is for this reason that the United
States Public Health Service has adj
opted the policy of stationing officers
in foreign ports. The practice was
first tried in Italy some years g
when an epidemic of cholera broke out
in that country. The sending of. an
assistant surgeon general to Rotter.
dam is the beginning of a much wider
use of the method. The Public Health
Service is now prepared to send Off
] GERS to any commercial port in the
world where, there exists an epidemic
disease that might be carried to the
United States, 4, {
One of the most curious of these so
called new diseases which have sprung
UP in Europe during the past few years
is the trench fever: Officials of the
Public Health Service have just com
pleted a study of this affliction, which
! caused more sickness among the troops
in Europe than any other disease. Al.
] though not fatal. it -incapacitates many
persons for lifs. It has not SO far ap.
peared in this country, and every eff.
fort. is being made to exclude it. 1t is
carried by the body louise, and is there
fore a menace only where insanitary
conditions exist.
The sudden rise of trench fever is
a good example of how "new diseases
come int being It has undoubtedly
existed for a long time, the scientists
say, for they have proved that it is
transmitted by a living germ, but il
has heretofore been confused with NAL
aria or with rheumatism. Neither the
true nature Of the disease nor the fac
that it is transmitted by the louise was
known until the crowded conditions
Of trench life made it an epidemic and
brought it under the observation CT
the ablest scientists in the world. Thus
the war, far from creating new diseases
has been the means OF driving old ones
into the open n discovering ways te
cure them.
The native minister was telling the
missionary in charge Of his district
that sparrow had built a nest or
the roof Of his house,
"Is there anything in the nes1
yet?" asked the missionary.
Eyes" said the Indian brother
proud OF his English, 'sthe sparrow
has pups"