Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-01-24
FLU EPIDEMIC IN N.Y.,
HEALTH HEAD ADMITS
New Cases Multiply With Amax-
ing Rapidity: More Patients IN
Chicago. Baltimore Attacked.

New York. Jan. 24--The now outoroai
of Spanish influenza has reached the pro
portions of an epidemic in New YORK
CITY. and the Health Department nas
oryan;,cd its facilities throughout the
greater city to corc with the menace, 1T.
Royal s Ccpeland, health commissioner,
announced last night.
Thc last tabulations in the comms-
.;oner,s office Yesterday showed total
If 332 new influenza cases for the
nrcccdinr twenty-four hours and 4O6
now cases of pneumonia for the same
neriod. or a total of l,73S. Since JAM
nary i. when the outbresk officially is
rrckoncd to have begun, total off 3,096
cases of influenza and 3, 1886 cases OF pneu-
monia have been reported to the Depart
ment of Health, or 6 6,432 cases IN all
Twenty three deaths from influenza
and 70 deaths from pneumonia were
reported yesterday, which are more
influenza deaths and "a more pneumonia
deaths than were recorded the day before.
The deaths from influenza since January !
numbered LOG and from pneumonia 94l,
or total of l,047.
DIR. Copeland had forecast that the
figures yesterday would be / 600 as against
800 on the preceding day. DIR. Copeland
the ratio of increase IN incidence oi the
disease still greater today
The Board of Estimate upon request
of DIR. Copeland yesterday appropriated
$50 900 Of special revenue bonds TO the
Health Department As an emergency
fund with which to meet the expenses OF
the department's fight against influenza.
The most surprising development yes
terday was the announcement from DIR.
William III. Park of the Health Depart
ment laboratories that, after having stud
red the subject eighteen months, he has
reached the conclusion that vaccine for
influenza is valueless. He made this re
port to DIR. Copeland, who said after
ward:
Eve found that in one establishment
wherein 1,5OO employees were gwen the
vaccine and 500 were net, the persons
not vaccinated showed one-tenth of per
cent better than the others who had re-
ceiyed the treatment. This composite
vaccine (which was advised as an expert
ment by the Health Department IN the
1918 epidemiclis composed of what is be-
lieved to be the germs of ordinary colds,
influenza and the various pneumonias,
and of pus producing germs.
''It does seem to have some value IN
preventing penlu2onia, but as pneumonia
is an infreouent complication OF the IN
fiuenxa this wear, we do not feel justified
in recommending the use of the vaccine.
However, we are prepared to supply it to
the physician OF any person who wants to
use it.
Following the appearance of number
of cases of influenza ID the New Jersey
State prison. in Trenton orders. were
Prison officials, declined 20 state the
number of cases in the institution, but
it WAS said there had been no deaths
from the disease.
The American Red Cross issued a
statement lsst night that last October
every chapter iofI the organization re-
-eived detailed instructions as to how
70 organize ito combat recurrence of
influenza. The Red Cross assured DR..
Copeland thai it ls ready to cooperate
n the fight Id New York City.