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Show 'FLU' SMS REAL I. MEICE BEATTY DF UTAH I i By T. B. Bcatty, M. D. State Health Commissioner In view of the serious menace to tho people of Utah arising from the epidemic of inTluenza and the importance -of full co-operation on the part of tho public in the measures which have been inaugurated to combat it, certain surprising statements in the' morning paper attributed to Dr. Woods to Hutchinson cannot be permitted pass uncontravorted. The said statements are dangerously misleading, not in accordance with the facts, and calculated to seriously interfere with tho efforts of tho health authorities of the state. Reference is especially made to the assertions that there Is no cause for alarm, because the disease prevails here in mild form; that tho favorable climate will provent serious consequences; that children are only slightly suscoptible to tho disease and are seldom attacked; that the disease will run its courso until all susceptible people have contracted it, irrespective of the obsorvanco of preventive measures; and that tho closing of places of amusement and other public assemblies are measures in which ho has no confidence. a The facts are that it has been demonstrated that tho disease Is usually, relatively mild in character on its first appearance in a community, rapidly assuming greater virulence as iti spreads; that peoplo should not be deterred by the apparent mildness from adopting early and stringent measures of prevention; that climate has little or no influence on tho spread or viru lence of the infection; that children' aro extremely susceptible to the disease and should bo rigorously protected from possible exposure to infected persons; that public health authori-, tics throughout the country are a unit, In their confidence in tho life-saving efficiency of proper preventive meas-j ures, the merits of which have been abundantly proved by experience; that It is no less than criminal to promulgate the unfounded and grotesque nouuu lum iiul wiuisuwiunitj ;iu precautions, certain individuals are foreordained to have the disease or to die from it, these persons being thoso who are susceptible and therefore cannot escape. The circumstances compel a statement of tho further fact that Dr. Woods Hutchinson's reputation as a "medical authority" has acceptance among the lay readers of his somewhat sensational newspaper articles rather than among the members of the medical profession J ; j |
