Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-04-15

still, and so was all commerce except that car
ried on under strict government supervision.
Soldiers were going to Europe in great num-
bers, but few were returning. Now the case
is reversed Soldiers are returning, general
commerce is resuming and immigration is
apt to begin at any time unless congress
passes vigorous restrictive legislation.
The danger of communicable disease being
brought to this country by returning SOL
diers is met by the surgeon general of the
surgeon general of the army. That from
immigrants, and passengers and crews of
commercial vessels generally, is the concern
of the public healt.l service.
The surgeon generals office, having COM
plete control over every soldier in the United
States army, is able to prevent infection from
reaching this country via the returning SOL
der almost absolutely Every soldier goes
through medical inspection at the port of
embarkation in Europe, and is quarantined
there, il suffering from any communicable
disease. In all cases in which it is necessary,
the soldier is also put through the delousing
process.
To prevent infection being brought into the
United States through the channels of gen
eral commerce is obviously a much larger
| and more complicated 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 of exclud-
ing those not mentally and physic" II healthy.
But this system is not altogether satisfactory.
If the diseased person once gets aboard the
vessel, he spreads the infection among the
crew and passengers, often causing much
sickness ant loss of life on the way over.
Furthermore, certain number of these per
sons so infected are apt to become carriers of
the disease, 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 adopted the policy
of stationing officers in foreign ports. The
practice was first tried in Italy some years
ago when an epidemic of cholera broke out
in that country. The sending of an assistant
surgeon general to Rotterdam is the begin
ming of much wider use of the method. The
public health service is now prepared to send
officers to any commercial port in the world
where there exists an epidemic disease that
might be carried to the United States,
| 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
completed study of this affection, which
caused more sickness among the troops in
Europe than any other disease. Although not
fatal, it incapacitates many persons for life
1t has not so far appeared in this country
and every effort is being made to exclude it.
1t is carried by the body louise, and is there
fore menace only where insanitary condi-
tions exist.
The sudden rise of trench fever is a good
example of how new disease" come into
being. 1t has undoubtG dly existed for long
time, the scientists say, for they have proved
that it is transmitted by living germ; but
it has heretofore probably been confused with
malaria or with rheumatism. Neither the
true nature of the disease nor the fact that
it is transmitted by the louise was known un-
til the crowded conditions of trench life
made it an epidemic, and brou ;ht it under
| the observation of the ablest scientists in the
world. Thus war, far from creating new dis
eases, has been the means of driving old ones
into the lpen and discovering ways to cure
them.