The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1920-02-05
NO OCCASION FOR ):
INFLUENZA PkXc
MANY CASES DIAGNOSED AS IN.
FLUENZA, BUT MOST OF
THEM ARE MILD
EMERGENCY HOSPITAL MEETS DEMAND
Three Patients Discharged-one Death
in Obstetricai case One
Pneumonia Case.

Pneumonia Case.
The big, absorbing topic of conver
sation in Brookings this week, as also
no doubt in other communities all Ovel
the country, is influenza" First
however, let it be here said that there
is nothing in local conditions to justify
any feeling of undue alarm as to the
outcome The epidemic, if the preva
lence of the disease has reached pro
portions justifying the use Of the term
epidemic" is not to be compared In
severity with that which swept the
country a year ago. There are many
cases in which patients are really very
ill, in fact, any person experiencing
the symptoms usually attending either
the modern "f1u" or merely an attack
of it's predecessor of generation ago.
la grippe, certainly is justified in be-
lieving himself almost mOrtally ILL
In that it somewhat resembles sea
sickness, at first the sufferer is afraid
he will die, but as the symptoms be,
come more pronounced he fears he
will not die and thus be released from
his misery
Early last week City Physician Mil
Ter noted rapidly increasing number
of cases of influenza about the city,
and appealed to the city council in
it's capacity of health board for per-
mission to order prohibition of all
public meetings in the city. The coun-
Gil on Thursday of last week author
ICED the health officer to take such ac-
tion in the matter as he deemed nee
essary for protection of the public,
and he Immediately ordered the closing
of schools, churches and theatres and
prohibited the holding of any public
meetings of any kind Billiard halls
were required to stop all games, but
no stores are closed nor any of their
business restricted
AS contagious diseases are not re-
ceived at the Deaconess hospital it
was realized that some provision must
be made to care for patients whose
home surroundings were such as TO
preclude proper care in their homes,
this class of patients including good
many students of State college who
occupy rooms in private homes. At
first it was planned to use the Baptist
church, but after it was partially
equipped it was decided by those in
charge Of the work that much better
accommodations could be prepared in
the rooms of the City hall, which was
promptly turned over to the Red Cross
forces. This made possible the sep
aration of different classes of patients.
The assembly room now has a large
number of cots occupied by male pa
tients with ordinary influenza. An
other room is occupied by women and
small children. One victim Of pneu-
monia is in yet another room which
has been reserved for such cases.
Tuesday the improvised hospital held
fourteen patients-tten males, three
women and one boy eighteen months
old. Yesterday (Thursday) afternoon
the total number had been increased
to %, with but two cases considered
critical. One of these critical cases
was that of the pneumonia patient.
Arthur Bergh, farmer, 40 years Of
age, who had been ill a week or more
being brought to the hospital, and the
other is that of a woman who gave
birth to child after being received
as patient, and whose death occurred
this morning, at which time the
condition OF Mr.. Bergh offered little
hope of recovery.
The baby born Monday noon in the
hospital is strong and in apparently
perfect health, of normal weight, and
has every prospect of getting as good
start in life as though born amid
happier surroundings. The mother,
Mrs. Louis Germane, was brought
Monday to the hospital with her little
son, both i'll with influenza. A few
hours later the little girl was born.
For two days the nurses took splendid
care Of the baby, to whom they de-
cided to give the name of Fluella, but
when Mrs. w. H. Leighty volunteered
to act as foster mother the baby was
given into her care and Is now tenn
porary member of the Leighty family.
Late yesterday another child of the
Germane family, boy f1ve years old,
was brought to the hospital.
The hospital patients are in charge
of Mrs. Pearl Clark as head day nurse
and Of Mrs. C. o. Denies at night.
Both of these are registered nurses,
the latter having had a wide expert
ence during the war as a member of
the French Red Cross. In addition
to these there are several other good
women with practical nursing expert
ence. and at no time Is there any lack
OF assistance from citizens Of Brook