The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-07-14
FLU TOOK
 TOLL OF 87O
 IN BRIDGEPORT City Rate Lower Than Average for State. EPIDEMIC BROKE
 IN NEW LONDON Report of Health Board on
 Scare.

Ihe beginning of the influenza ept- uernlc in Connecticut occurred in NC" London, in the eastern part of the state, about September 1, 1918 when several cases were reported by the naval hospital there. These cases orisinated at the Experimental Sta uon and Fort Trumbull where yes- sels rom foreign ports had discharg- ed patients. Within a day or two sey- eral cases were brought to the hos p1taI from the submarine base To- cated two miles above New London Durlns the first ten days of Septem- per about one hundred cases were sent to the New London naval hos pital.
 On September g, three cases were reported among the civilian popuIa- ton adjoining Fort Trumbull, all of which were among employees of the 1ort- From September 12 onward many cases were reported, especially rom the government station on the state Pier, where three hundred men from the Boston Navy Yard had ar- rived September 10. Nearly seven thousand of the naval men in the New London district were billeted in civilian homes, and the disease be- came generally prevalent before the end of the month. The total number of civilian cases reported in New London for September was eO1; for October, 936. No reports or statistics were furnished by the naval depart ment after the first few cases
 Although the disease appears to have been primarily introduced into Connecticut by ships arriving at New London from abroad and by men coming there from the Boston Navy Yard, numerous foci developed in various parts of the state about the middle of September, the source of which was traced to other military establishments, principally Camp De- vens, Mass. The towns of wallingford Windham, Hartland, Rockville and Danbury were among the earliest af- fected, and in each of them a definite history was obtained showing the de- velopment of the disease within two or three days following the visits of soldiers from Camp Devens.
 The wave of the infection in Con necticut was from east to west reaching its peak in the eastern sec ton about October 4, in the central area October IS, and the western dis trict about October 24. These dates are based on the morbidity and nor tality reports from various counties. The towns early infected by visitors from military establishments passed the climax sooner than surrounding towns.
 Influenza was made a. reportable disease in New London County on September 12, and for the entire state on September IS, 1918, and active measures were adopted immediately by the State Department of Health warn the public, through the press and by posters, of the serious nature of the spreading epidemic.
 The policy of keeping schools and theatres open under certain restric- tions was advocated. Not all cities continued to observe this policy, but those which did, namely, Bridgeport, Hartford and New Haven, the course of the epidemic was less explosive and more extended, thus permitting more individual medical attention and resulting fin a lower mortality rate. The following table shows the death rates of Bridgeport, New Haven and Hartford in comparison with those of the cities most seriously af- fected. It covers the period from Sep tember 1 to December 2S, and shows the number of deaths per thousand population:
 Bridgeport BY New Haven sol