Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-01-06
MUST BE REASONABLY CLEAN.

pidCtiSnhy uisNPpSdi, Bd'i tHc uuiiS
Health Service will continue to in
sist that. travellers to this country
must be reasonably clean when they
embark. regardless OF any infection
to which they axe known TO have been
exposed.
The louise is. OF course quite as COM
mon in some quarters OF the larger
American cities as 1t In In the Euro
pean slums; and II Is dangerous only |
when 1t has become infected which
II can be only by biting an infected !
person and absorbing his laden |
blood. II all the typhus patients. for
instance, In this country are promptly |
removed and kept away from lousy |
surroundings. they cannot communi-
cate the disease and 1t viii speedily
die out. This explains why even the
"a cases OF typhus that occurred I'm
New York City In 1911 did not cause
an epidemic In spite OF tho vermin-
Gus condition OF many OF the New
York slum districts.
Nevertheless. insists the Public
Health Service. greater personal clean
liness should. as matter OF ordinary
s~>-,. rl hnolth S,,,o>.. ~ ro1v,rod
from Immigrants; and no return
should be allowed to the conditions
that prevailed for many years before
the war. when very many immigrants
from central Europe arrived in an
inexcusably dirty condition, many OF
them infected with vermin. Even
though In those days they did not
bring epidemic diseases. they did bring
many minor Affections, created dis
ease centres, and Hooded parts OF
many cities with vermin.
At present. what with the reduc-
tion In immigration brought about
by the existing law restricting their
numbers and with the disinfecting
and delousing facilities that the
steamship companies have installed.
some OF them practically under COM
pulsion, at European ports, condi-
tions are reasonably satisfactory. The
respite is. however. not FOR long, for
the restrictive law is for one year
only, and unless it is renewed or IN
some way replaced the tidal wave of
immigrants, now waiting in Europe
for the letting down of the bars, will
rush for this country and the result
ing pressure Will test every timber
in the health barricade.
1t is believed that the steamship
their experience OF last winter and
spring and Will keep in operation
adequate facilities for bathing and dis
injecting their prospective passengers
The Public Health Service cannot di
rectly compel them to 90 this; no
can IL do ii itself. for some European
countries object. on the ground tina
in setting up the necessary facilitie
the L. S. government would be exer
cising extra territorial powers an,
thereby encroaching in their sov
ereignty.
, Under these circumstances all tn
, Public Health Service can do Is I
repeat its action Of las, spring by re
cuesting the State Department TO in
struct it's consuls in Europe to refus
a bill OF health to vessels sailing with
out adequate cleansing measure an
by instructing its own quarantin
officers 10 delouse immigrants on az
rival here and TO detain them. in cas
of suspicion, for ~ days thereafte
1t was this action alone that cause
some steamship companies TO so ,
the expense Of installing disinfectin
plants abroad.
Failure TO delouse properly on II
other side, adds the Public Healt
Service. enormously increases II
trouble and expense on this side. tt
necessity OF holding shipload OF in
migrants for - days after de,ousir
liz In every way Objectionable, bot
10 the government, the steamsh
owners. and the immigrants. But
seems to be the only available meal
that will remain for protecting Il
country against vermin carriers al
disease carriers II the bars are ]
down and the flood becomes gre
enough to swamp the cleansing f
cili.ies at foreign and home ports.