The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1923-06-14
Absence of Influenza
In Gas Hospitals Noted


In experiments in the Armour In
stitute, Chicago, a year ago a professor
found that guinea pigs inoculated with
tuberculosis germs and mustard gas
at the same time did not develop tu-
berculosis and those inoculated with
the same amount of tuberculosis
germs and no mustard gas did de-
yelop tuberculosis, 1t was thus ap-
parent that mustard gas in concen-
trations so low that the gas did not
affect the animals was able to kill the
tuberculosis germs.
During my service as medical di-
rector of the Chemical Warfare Ser
vice in France, during which time I
saw over 10000 gassed men in hos
pitals,' declared COL H. L. Gilchrist of
Gen. F'ries's Office, ''the absence Of flu
cases in all hospitals where gassed
cases and those suffering from surgical
wounds were treated was very con-
spicuous.
Most of the flu cases observed in
France were from sections along the
coast entirely out of reach of gas at
taeks. I was early convinced that war
gases acted as a preventive against
respiratory diseases, and this has been
borne out by statistics.
Last summer when on duty with
the brigade of the Ohio National Guard
at Camp Perry, Ohio a cold spell
struck the camp and as a result MANY
developed severe colds and attacks of
az fn oh A
rugged up in the administration build
ing into which mild concentrations of
chlorine and chlcrpicrin were present
The soldiers suffering from these colds
and attacks of bronchitis went into
this chamber, where they remained
several minutes; the result of this
form of treatment was most fiattering.
This method of treatment was con-
Quoted under the direction of the chief
surgeon of the National Guard of the
State of Ohio.
"At the present time, much valu-
able work along this line is being con-
Quoted at the Medical Research
Laboratory at Edgewood Arsenal by
Iieut.-Col Vedder and it is believed
his reports will be of much interest
concerning this particular line of
work
Col Gilchrist, chief of the medical
division of the Chemical Warfare Ser
vice, made a report on THE After
Effects of Warfare Gases" in which
he included the views of leading medi-
cal men of the world who have had
extensive experience on the subject of
gas warfare, both during the war and
since. He also added the opinions of
chemists, physicists and others who
have given scientific study to the
poison gases.
Due to the fact that warfare gas
was a surprise weapon introduced
against modern rules of warfare. it
received a vast amount of unfavor-
able press attention throughout the
world" Col. Gilchrist asserted, there
by giving it a very lunsavory reputa-
ton at the beginning which still con-
tinues. AS a result, gas is being
blamed for more dire iniquities than
have ever before been associated with
any war weapon. 1t is credited for
every conceivable ailment. There is
scarcely a functioning organ in the
body whose disturbed action at some
period Of its existence, during or sub
sequent to its participation in the
great struggle for human liberty, but
has had the blame for it's cratic per-
Torrance laid to the door of warfare
gas. That it is being credited for many
ailments for which it is in no way
responsible is borne out by the fact
that while there were but 77,552 gas
casualties in our army during the
entire war, the number of applications
for compensation for conditions at
tributed to it are greatly in excess
of that number. While many of these
claims are made in all good faith, a
large number are not, while in numer-
Gus instances the ailments are due to
causes unassociated with gas or with
war conditions"