Evening star., 1943-04-20
(Seco71d of a Series.)
BY JOHN COLBURN,
Asso~lstad prAee ats ~ yUr;t.r

/ ~~~~AAA ~~ASSS w ftSPAASN w "oA
against death-dealing disease as
we'll as against bullets, bombs and
starvation.
Europe's health future is linked
closely with an invasion, medical
men here emphasize. The longer
1t is delayed the worse becomes the
grip Of disease in both Axis and
occupied countries. Epidemics al
ready have taken firm hold in
many areas.
Typhus, with a mortality rate of
30 to 10 per cent, has reached cpl
demic proportions in Eastern and
Central Europe. It has been re-
ported in the concentration camps
in the Balkans and Norway. Tu-
berculosis deaths are up 100 per
cent in many districts. Dysentery,
scurvy, malaria fever and typhoid
fever have increased greatly. Chill
dren have been crippled by ricketts,
and meningitis.
Recalling that in the three years
after the last war more persons were
killed by famine and preventable
disease than died on the battle
fronts, medical experts are shaping
plans to provide essential nutritional
foods and medical supplies as soon
as Europe is invaded. Army medical
stats will handle distribution Of
supplies during the actual invasion.
League Might Take Job.
While no definite plan has been
worked out as yet for handling medi-
cal relief after the armies move on,
one proposal would assign the diff
| cult task to the health organization
Of the League of Nations. which has
done beneficial work along those
lines in Poland, Greece, Rumania,
Bulgaria, China, Turkey and Spain.
Children under 18 and pregnant
women will receive the first call on
medical and food supplies.
Some idea of the enormous +--5k
that lies ahead in the children's
field alone can be glimpsed from the
fact that of Frances 1000, 900 popu-
lation, 100000 are children under
18. In Belgium there are 100000
out of 100000.
Poland has been hit worse so far
by disease than any other section.
Warsaw was used by the Germans
as testing ground of slavery, star
vation and wholesale elimination of
populations.
Deprived OF necessary fats and
vitamins, the people of Warsaw, like
those in many other occupied ter
ritories, fell prey to disease. Ex-
haustion, hunger and cold forced
many of them to stay in bed. Chill
dren were malformed and suffered
bone softening.
Typhus Cases Increase.
Typhus cases jumped from a
yearly average Of 480 in Warsaw to
1918 in 1910 and were up to 1878
in 1912. Information here indicates
that twice as many more cases
among Jews were unreported from
the ghettos, where the Germans
started to effectuate Hitler's pro-
claimed intention to "exterminate
the Jewish people in Europe"
A similar situation is believed to
exist in Western Russia.
Typhoid fever, dysentery and
tuberculosis are also taking a high
death toll in Poland. Czechoslovakia
reports indicate sthe tuberculosis
death rate there rose from 81 out
Of 10O00,population in 1899 to 1876 in
1912. In. Yugoslavia, tuberculosis
dysentery and malaria are prevalent
Typhus has broken out in several
areas, particularly around Belgrade
camps.
France and Belgium have had the
most difficulty with tuberculosis and
typhoid fever. One report from
France said nearly all children
showed some sign Of tuberculosis
Scurvy, due to malnutrition, is a
major medical problem in France
the Netherlands, Norway and Greece
Although Hitler said the Ger
mans would be the last to suffer
and health conditions in the Reich
and Axis countries are better than
in most other districts, they are far
from good.
Reports smuggled out of Germany
say there were 32,476 deaths from
dysentery in December alone.
In 1917, the worst year for dysen-
terry in the last war, there were
only 800 deaths the entire year
tuberculosis deaths rose 1914 per
cent in Germany last year, the re-
ports say.
When the Allies invade, medical
men say, they will have to take
with them every sort of medical
supply and hospital equipment.
Mental Problems Expected.
Mental problems also are expected
to provide one Of the most serious
angles of health rehabilitation. Med.
ical experts here say that before
Europeans can launch their stagger-
Ing task of reconstruction, hundreds
OF thousands of them will need a
mental holiday"
Welfare workers are being trained
here to cope with psychological re-
actions from four years Of war
four years Of persecution and semi
starvation for millions of persons.
Men who are drafting a compre-
hensive postinvasion program of re-
lief for Europe anticipate great diff
ficulty in getting people to return
to normal living and help with the
tremendous reconstruction program
One of the first steps will be to
get youths to return to classroom
studies. For the last three years
there has been little schooling for
European children more than 10
years Of age. Those from 10 to IA
got their education learning a voca-
ton in labor camps.
German industrial cities have
taken a terrific pounding. In 1912
Allied bombers dropped more than
100000 pounds of explosives on
/