| OCR Text |
Show Influenza And 'The Mask. x The above is a chart showing Svhen the Influenza started in Logan and how it hits acled since, with reference refer-ence to the total number of cases in :he city each day, the total number of places in quarantine and the total nuinber of deaths which have occurred. !From this chart the condition for any day can readily, be' determined. For' example takehe 21st day'of November. The chart shows that there was a total of 123. cases, and a total of 97 homes in quarantine in the entire city on that day. The death curve shows that there had been five deaths from the disease dis-ease up to that date, but that on the 21st two more deaths occurred making a total of seven. Until the 16th day of November there had been only one or two cases of the disease developed in the business district of the city, but upon that date there was ten or twelve cases developed in the business houses on Main street. It therefore became evident to the board of health that further precautions would have to be taken if an incerased rapid spread of the disease was curtailed. An ordinance was therefore passed on the 18th, becoming effective on the 20th, making the universal wearing of gauze masks compulsory. ' It will be rioted from the chart that there was a rapid increase of cases and quarantines for four days after the mask was put into use or until the 24th day of November, at which time the masks apparently began to become effective. ef-fective. Since that date the story is told by the chart. From the 24th day of November until the 11th day of December, De-cember, a period of seventeen days, the total number of cases in the city dropped from 136 to 13, and the total number of homes quarantined from 105 to 10. Nearly all the cases which have developed since the 11th have come in from out of town. . The Logan Board" of Health feels that the masks were put on the public just at the, time when a severe epidemic was just getting started and that' they have not only saved the public from an extreme Condition of the disease and saved many lives, but that they have practically stamped out the epidemic here. That the epidemic had reached its severest stage from about the 16th to the 24th is not only clearly shown by the "Case" and the " Quarantine" curves, but it is indicated by the number of deaths which occurred between the 21st and 24th inclusive, as shown by the death curve. Ten deaths occurred between these dates out. of a total of six-teen six-teen deaths in the city from the disease. The masks were put on, without' question, at the beginning of the most critical time of the epidemic. Four of the cases which died in Logan contracted the disease elsewhere and were brought here suffering from pneumonia. This, chart does ont represent or include the condition which existed at the Utah Agricultural College The College Col-lege was under' the supervision of military officials and not under the supervisison of the Qity Board of Health. There was 234 cases of influenza which went thwugh the hospjtal at the College and atotal of six deaths occurred occur-red there. The disease was entirely wiped out there some four or five weeks ago. The doctors who had the disease in charge at the college claim that they wiped it out by the compulsory wearing o masks In infected baritacks the boys werp put to sleep with the masks on. In conclusion it might be said that comparing Logan with most oiher cities of the same size, we e apparently apparent-ly rather fortunate in not having, more cases of influenza. influen-za. While the mask has been the chief factor in control- ling the epidemic, it is only fair to state that a strict quar- H antine of the homes, wherever the infection has appeared, S has been maintained practically ever since the disease H first appeared here on the 9th day of October, every H member of the family having been kept in. All the doc- H tors were instructed by the Board of Health to report all H cases, not only of Influenza, but of colds, grippe, or any H other ailments that might develop into influenza and the homes were immediately quarantined. H At the very beginning an organization of nurses was fl effected under the supervision of the Board of Health and fl the Ied Cross, and' up to the present time, it has been , possible to furnish all families who needed it, with nurs- fl ing help. JThe nurses' organization has without question 'n saved many lives here. A guarantee of $15 per week was M made to them in the beginning for their services. , 'jM There was also established under the supervision M the Red Cross an organization which took the response- mj bility of supplying soup to families which were sorely rp? stricken with the disease This organization distributed Kg hot soup daily to all families that needed it. Much credit vjL is due the people who were good enough to do this work. -IS Immediately after the masks wero put on some ad- s vertising was carried on throughout the city and the M county inviting. popple to come out into th business dis- ;fe trict and do their shopping, assuring them that the mask ,li would be complete protection. The scare was immediate- , tg ly takeo out of the people and confidence established. ijm Business picked up immediately with all concerned, with -stS the exception of probably only those concerns which deal '.$ irt gents furnishings. We believe that ifr communities m where the epidemic is on and business has dropped down '$ that there is nothing which will stimulate feusino3, and tffl improve it so quickly as the universal wearing of masks. i.H THE LOGAN CITY BOARD OI HEALTH M ll J '. ' rm ftvB .;, - S'HkiBfl |
