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Show i INDEPENDENCE FOR PHILIPPINES MAY I ; SOON BE GRANTED BY U. S. GOVERNMENT I , . . 1 1 i SEVERE ARRAIGNMENT OF ARMY MEDICAL OFFICERS I i! DOCTORS 9 1 M 1 1 Chief Office of A. E. F. Ij Makes Charges of I Gross Negligence, CITE S INSTANCES Subordinates Warned I No Excuses Will Here-f Here-f after Be Tolerated. WASHINGTON, April 4 Charges of M igross carelessness and negligence In preventing and controlling the spread of typhoid and paratyphoid fevers in I the army are made against many medical officers sening with the forces overseas in a circular published i by the chief surgeon of the American 3 expeditionary forces and made public here today by the public health serv-c serv-c -ice In connection with a warning that f vaccination does not give complete Immunity from typhoid. Tbe chief surgeon cites many Instances In-stances where epidemics prevailed iaroong troops, especially during the last offensives on ihe western from, and points out that the occupaneo an 1 (distribution of diseases was constant I fly brought to the attention of the medical officers through weekly bul B lletins. "It would appear," the circular continues, con-tinues, "that many officers fail utterly I (to grasp the significance of these Tern Te-rn iports and warnings. "Notwithstanding the fact that ty-B ty-B iphoid and paratyphoid tevers ii i - I epidemic in the United States and In I Jpite of our extensive experience with 'these diseases during the Spanish -J American war and later during the .period of mobilization on the Mexican border, it is evident that many med- I. Ileal officers have gained ut little t 'knowledge of the fundamental prin-t prin-t iciples underlying prevention and con-m con-m :trol. It is also -quite evident that isome medical officers are grosslv I careless and neglectful of their du- ities and responsibilities as medical of-K of-K ificers and sanitarians." H It is fully realized, the circular sas, H lhal conditions brought about by the H mobilization of millions of men and X I the active participation In the war of two million of these have at times rendered sanitary control tr m- 1 i difficult. The chief suigei warns his subor H dluates that now the excuse "there is f a war on," no longer will be tolerated j r and that lhe will be held responsible V for proper supervision of the health IB of troops, nearly all of whom arp now IB in stationary training areas or in the II army of occupation, where proper in- structlon and measures ran be insti- 1 1 luted and enforced. In a brief review of the occurrence I I f typhoid and paratyphoid fevers in I I the expeditionary forces, thee hlef sur- f: geon says that until June 1013 few I B cases occurred and the rate was with' '' in the expected limits. From then t on. howew.r, it appear, the disease I f spread through many units. During the Chateau Thierry offen- V sive, the circular discloses, approxi-W approxi-W mately seventy -five per cent of the L troops engaged were afflicted with diarrheal diseases, such as simple I diarrhea, baccilliare dysentery, Uphold I I and paratyphoid. 'The high incident nl intestinal l diseases in this .sector," the chief BUT- I geon says, "was due to entire dlsrc- gard of the rules of sanitation." Both dysentery and typhoid-para ty- phold fevers were demonstrated to I have prevailed to some extent after the St. Mihiel offensive, but the epi ft., demies of pneumonia and influenza f prevailing at that time overshadowed all other medfcal admissions. Following the offensive in the Ar-I Ar-I I gonne typhoid and paratyphoid began ' I to be reported from virtually all divls-I divls-I Ions engaged and, according to the chief surgeon, it was quite e vident the lnlti;ii cases were due in large part jjft to the drinking of infected water. In some Instances either the initial ox-Hr ox-Hr posure wan not great, the organiza-Hons organiza-Hons were under good discipline, or ft the medical officers had a proper con-"ft con-"ft eption of their duties and responsi-i responsi-i bllities and but few cases occurred. In I 'other instances the contrary was true, I and many cases occurred. I in July; 1918. a replacement unit consisting of 248 men from Camp Cody, N. M.. reached England with ( typhoid prevailing eU n.-n el , 9S men or 39.5 per cent had the disease and the death rate was S.42 per cent From the investigation it was con - ; eluded that the men were exposed to infection through drinking watei while travelling across the United State?.. The unit had been vaccinated; i a few months prior to the epidemic. The chief surgeon declares that in many instances patients, some of whom were wounded, passed successively succes-sively through camp, field evacuation and base hospitals without an docu-i mentary evidence that typhoid or par- ' alyphoid was even suspected in their cases In not a few cases it remained' for pathologists to make a diagnosis' at the autopsy table. A number of new regulations re- i quiring all medical officers in forces overseas to report even suspected cases cas-es of typhoid have been published by! I the chief surgeon on I |
