Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1919-09-12
Next to Undertaking II Is the
Main Cause Of Terrible
Death Rate.
DISEASE IS FAST INCREASING
VerrIn Thrive While Disinfectants
and Aids to Cleanliness Are Lack
nq-GaIcia, the Ukraine and
Hungary Are Most Infected.

main cause, after undertaking, of th'
appalling death rate from disease il
central Europe generally" said a dis
,inguIshed physician who had jus
been travelling through these regions
| Everywhere in Austria, Hungary, Po
land, Bohemia, Russia and even Ger
many, typhoid spotted, typhuS, dysen
| terry, scurvy and tuberculosis have
| increased: and modern hygiene is now
! unable to loCali2e these ScourgeS be-
cause of lack of dislnfectants, linen
and soap and. above all. of disinfect'
! ing stoves or chambers, in which sol
| diers' clothes can he placed and kept
at a temperature which Kills all
vermln.
The most disease-lnfeCted regions
on the continent now are GaliC'a, the
| Ukraine and Hungary. In these coun-
tries thousands of soldiers meet
Russians returning home from Ger
many; Austrians, Hungnrians and Ger
mans returning from Russia Croa-
tiaus and Serbs going southwark, and
Poles going northWard.
Soldiers in Shocking State
Dr. f. Blanchod. a French-SWiss.
who recently visited Budapest on be-
half of the Geneva Red Cross and
spent some time in a military depot
there. where an attempt at sny rate,
is made to receive all these different
soldiers as they pass through, sort
them out into their different nHtlonnll-
ties and at the same time rid them OF
vermu. describes them as being clad
ia rags and animals skins, chiefly
sheepskins or goatSkins, and wearing
greasy skin caps on their heads, their
feet and legs being bandaged up In
rags and untanued leather. Not one
of them has now any sort of uniform
and as many Russians, after years of
captivity in Germany have learned to
speak German and many Hungarians
have learned Russian they Contrive 10
pass themselves off as belonging TO
whatever nationality best suits them
Cor the time being. 1t is impossible,
therefore, really to sort them, or to
know where they belong.
All these unfortunate and filthy men
are. in plain English, covered with lice,
which are the sole propagators Of
spotted typhus. Many Of them do their
best to avoid going near any military
lnVnt vr,ht oh hns ,f Il tot,
because their wretched rags. once put
into the disinfecting chamber simply
fall to pieces, and as there is no fresh
clothing to give them in exchange, they
feel themselves worse off than before.
Try to Avoid Distinction.
Many of these men leave the depot
wearing nothing but their sheepsvins
or overCOats. any apology for under
which they may have had hnv
ing been destroyed in the process Of
disinfeCtion. So anxious are some of
them to avoid being examined or hay
ing their clothes disinfeCtcd that
very often when q train of repatriated
soldiers arrives at Budapest Vienna
or some other place the soldiers begin
to jump off 1t as soon as 1t slaCkens
down before arriving at the railway
station; and thus they enter city
without the authorities knowing, and,
of course, spread their lice and their
disease.
Some of the men were already suf
ferlng from spotted typhus while on
their journey, and had, of course, in
feCted others. II is. indeed. often I'm
possible to diagnose the disease unless
a mans skin has first been thoroughly
washed with soap. Matters are still
further complicated because soldier
as a rule will NOT say that he IS i'll un
til he can no longer crawl about. The
hospitals are overcrowded with dis
eased men lying on gray paper sheets
washed or boiled. There are not even
handnges with which To dress the gan.
grenous sores which often accompany
spotted typhus. They, too, are dressed
hi''l l'NlH'h WIN I"i'i' NV y"
TENTS have neither blankets nor elder
down quilts, nor even shirts TO sleep
I'm which are not all in rags; and as
there Is u great scarcity of coal there
can be no proper heating. The doctors
cannot operate because there IS no
means of sterillzing instruments, no
soap. and no cotton, wool or band
ages.