OCR Text |
Show OUNCE OF PREVENTION. Surgeon General Gorgas has recommended recom-mended that observation camps be established es-tablished for newly enlisted or drafted soldiers for the purpose of preventing communicable diseases, such as the measles, from reaching the men already in training. The surgeon general is of the opinion that if the recruits were to be held for a period of two weeks un-. der close medical observation all latent diseases would have time to develop, when tho men could be sent to 'hospitals 'hos-pitals for treatment before going to the training camps. It is possible the suggestion sug-gestion of Surgeon General Gorgas will be put into effect, although up to the present moment the war department has not taken any steps in such direction. Of course the establishment of observation observa-tion camps would not render the big training cantonments immune from measles or any of the other communicable communi-cable diseases. At the same time if the recommendations of the surgeon general in this respect were to be carried car-ried out we feel sure the experiment would be attended with good results. It is worth trying at any rate. rIf there are fewer cases of measles in the camps the number of fatal cases of pneumonia will diminish, for the latter dread disease dis-ease preys upon victims of the former. |