PERSHING CONFIRMS DISCOV
ERY THAT INSECT BITES
SPREAD TRENCH MALADY.
PRAISES «6 VOLUNTEERS
Underwent Inoculation for Sake of
Army—Steps Now Being Taken to
Entirely Eradicate the Parasites—j
Medical Discovery of World-Wide
Importance.
WASHINGTON, D. C., July 8.—
An announcement made by Secretary
Baker today officially confirmed the
discovery by army medical research
officers in France of the fact that!
trench fever is a germ disease, and
that it is spread through bites made i
by that famous denizen of the trench
es, “the cootie.” The announcement;
was based on the receipt 01 a cable-1
gram from General Pershing report
ing the success of tlie experiment in
which sixty-six American soldiers
were willing to risk their lives for the
sake of science and the army by sub
mitting themselves to be inoculated.
Two things were established by the
investigation. The first was that
trench fever is a germ disease, and
secondly that it is spread by the
trench louse.
This is the second great medical
discovery of world-w ide importance
and value made b.. the United States
medical corps. The tirst was the es
tablishment of the fact that the yellow
fever germ is due to the mosquito's
bite. The discoverer was the late Ma
jor Walter Reed, surgeon, U. S. A.
Througli his notable achievement Ma-'
jor General Gorgas, the present sur
geon general of the army, was able
to eradicate yellow fever in the Pan
ama Canal Zone.
The official announcement of these
important discoveries follows:
“A cablegram from the command
ing general of the expeditionary for- (
ces to the secretary of war reports
the success of a trench fever investi
gation which was made possible
through the willingness of sixty-six
American soldiers to risk their lives.
The message contains the names and
home addresses of the sixty-six men
who submitted to inoculation. All of
them are now either cured or conva
lescent.
“These men were from field hospi
tals and ambulance organizations,
units commonly designated as non
combatants. They were selected from
a large group of volunteers as the
healthiest and consequently the best
able to withstand a long siege of
trench fever, which has been one of
the baffling diseases which the allied
armies have encountered. The men se-1
lected were sent to a hospital behind
the British front line in January.
A Serious Military Handicap.
“Trench fever is a disease which has
been common to the western front. It
may have existed before, but has not
been either frequent or severe enough
to direct the attention of the medical
profession. Now it represents one of
the greatest causes of disability in the
allied armies. Nothing definite was
known about either the cause or mode
of spread of this disease. While it is
probably never fatal by its nature,
though frequently relapses and debil
itating effects, it may render a certain
proportion of men permanently unfit
for military service, and the approxi
mate average time lost from this dis
ease is six months. Therefore, in
spite of the fact that it is not a fatal
disease, from the military point of
view, it has been a serious one.
“The problem of protecting our
men, if possible, from this added suf
fering, was one of the first questions
faced by the American Expeditionary
Forces. Before any intelligent pro
tective measures could be taken, there
were two points to be established:
First, was this disease caused by Ger
mans. Second, if it was a germ dis
ease, how was it spread?
“Attempts were made to use ani
mals to establish these points, but no ‘
animals susceptible to this disease
could be found. Therefore, as in the
case of Walter Reed and his work on
yellow fever, it was necessary to re
sort to volunteers from our army,
who would be willing to sacrifice
themselves that the many might be
saved.
“The first question studied was
whether this was a germ disease. No
germs could be seen with the micro
scope, but the medical department
knew that there are numerous germs
which cannot be seen by even the most
powerful magnification. Therefore,
this point had to be established by tak
ing blood from men with the fever and
injecting it into healthy men.
“Out of thirty-four such individuals
inoeualted with blood, or some con
stituent thereof, taken from seven
cases of trench fever, twenty-three
volunteers developed the disease. Out
of sixteen healthy men inoculated
with whole blood from a trench fever
case, fifteen developed the disease.
These experiments prove that trend'
fever is a germ disease and that the
germs live in the blood of men so in
fected.
Inoculations of the Patients.
“The next question was: ‘How ;s
the disease spread?’ Naturally, the
body louse was to be considered first.
Large numbers of these were collect
ed from patients with trench fevei
and also some of the same kind which
were brought from England, which
had been collected from healthy men.
The lice from trench fever cases were
allowed to bite twenty-two men.
Twelve of these later developed the
disease, while four men bitten by lice
from healthy men remained free from
the disease. Eight other volunteers
living under exactly the same condi
tions, in the same wards, hut kept free
from lice, did not develop trench fe
ver. After blood inoculation the dis
ease developed in from five to twenty
days. After being bitten by infected
lice the fever required from fifteen to
thirty days to develop.
“With these facts in hand, namely,
that trench fever is a germ disease
that that it is carried by lice, it is
now possible to take up the question
of controlling, in an intelligent man
ner, the disease. As long as the pro
tection of the men from lice was only
a matter of comfort and of no military
importance, their extermination did
not warrant extraordinary measures,
but now that it is known that it is not
simply a matter of discomfort, but
that the ‘cootie,’ (trench vermin), is
incidentally one of the largest causes
of disability, it is deemed worthy of
extraordinary efforts to control these
pests . It is a repetition of the ques
tion of mosquito control, yellow fever
having been eliminated on the Panama
Canal Zone by these means.
“It is no mean thing that these vol
unteers did in France. To face illness
of weeks, with extreme suffering, re
quires peculiar valor. The average
loss of weight for these men was from
twenty to twenty-five pounds. Inci
dentally, the hospital in which the ex
periments were carried out was shel
led by the Germans in the early part
of their March drive. It is believed by
the Army medical corps that the sac -
rifice of this group of sixty-six men
will in time lead to the protection of
thousands of men from the ravages of
trench fever.”
PREPARING FOR
COAL SHORTAGE
WASHINGTON, D. C., July 15.—
The government has started the
strict economy in the use of coal. Sec
retary Redfield made public a letter to
all branches of the lighthouse and
fisheries department and other service
under his control, ordering that every
possible care be taken to keep down
the consumption of fuel. He says the
outlook shows the possibility of a
shortage during this coming winter.
SHOW UNEASINESS.
LONDON, July 15.—British holders
of Russian securities are showing in
creasing uneasiness in consequence of
the financial chaos prevailing in Pet
rograd. It is being suggested that the
government be ask^d to take steps for
the formation of a committee to act
with the board of trade for the pur
pose of protecting Russian interest
held in this country.
War Summary: (By the Associated Press)—The British advance
near Morris improves the protection to the Hazebrouck railway junc
tion, the maintenance of which is vital to the line on the Ypres front,
h’ranco-American forces have taken 5,400 German prisoners on the
French front since June 15. The Italians are still taking the initiative
and making gains on the Austro-Hungarian forces on the fronts in
Italy and Albania.
ENEMY COUNTER ATTACK FAILS.
Paris, July 11.—Official: South of the Aisnc river, the enemy
counter attacks against the positions taken by the French in the region
of Chavigny utterly failed.
GERMAN ARTILLERY IS ACT YE.
London, July 11.—Official: German artillery and machine guns
are very active today in the region east of Amiens, from Villers Bret
toneaux to the Ancre river. Local attacks of the enemy in Flanders
have been repulsed and the British line has advanced near Morris and
prisoners taken.
ARTILLERY1NG NEAR CIIAVIGNY.
Paris, July 11.—Official: Artillery duels are occurring today near
Chavigny farm, where the French recently made inroads upon the Ger
man positions.
OYER HUNDRED ON CASUALTY LIST.
Washington, July 11.—A hundred and three names are on the
American casualty list submitted yesterday, as follows: Killed in ac
tion. twenty-one; died of wounds, fifteen; died of disease, four; died
from other causes, three; wounded severely, forty-five; wounded slight
ly, one; missing in action, twelve; prisoners, two; marine casualties,
five.
HUNS CLAIM LOCAL SUCCESSES.
Berlin, July 11,—Official: Southwest of Noyon French attacks
were repulsed by our troops. We were also successful in local engage
ments west of Chateau-Thierrv.
AUSTRIANS AT (’ARONE REPULSED.
Rome, July 11.—Official: The Italian troops again repulsed the
attacking Austrian forces at Carone. Artillery and patrols are active
at various points along the remainder of the front.
ADMITS FRENCH CAINS IN ALBANIA.
Vienna, July 11.—In Albania, the French forces have gained
ground on the upper Devoli river. Fighting continues southwest of
Herat. The Italians are advancing across the \ oyuhakug river.
AUSTRIANS BEATEN BACK.
Rome, July 11.—Official: The Austrian forces were beaten back
on both sides of the Osum river in Albania. The Italian advance is
continuing.
BULGARS ARE LOSING HOPE.
London. July 11.—French headquarters in Macedonia report that
Bulgarian troops are deserting and coining over to the allied lines on
the Macedonian front. These desertions are daily increasing. Desert
ers state that the hopes of ultimate victory for the central powers has
vanished, with the advent of America into the war.
HUN ARMY DISCIPLINE BREAKS DOWN.
London, July 11.—Two letters written by General von Yermar
witz, of the German army, found on a captured officer, indicate a break
down in the discipline of the German army.
HOSTILE ARTILLERY ACTIVITY.
London. July 11.—Official: With the exception of hostile artil
lery activity in the Morlancourt and Loere sectors, there is nothing of
importance to report today.
AUSTRIANS REPULSE ITALIANS.
Vienna, July 11.—Official: The Austrians repulsed Italian at
tacks in the Brent a valley. On the southern Albanian front, the Aus
trian line has been slightly withdrawn, due to strong enemy pressure.
ITALIANS RECTIFY LINES.
Rome, July 11.—Official: Italians in the Brenta rectified their
lines by a series'of violent attacks. On the Asiago plateau, scattered
artillery actions are frequent. South of Stelvio, enemy detachments
have been repulsed.
DIDN’T WANT VON BULOW,
Rome. July 11.—Newspapers here declare that Austria refused to
accept Germany’s proposal to place General Otto von Bulow, of the
German army, at the head of the Austrian armies on the Italian front,
because the Germans refused to send twelve divisions of German troops
with him.
Amsterdam, July 13.—Following a violent interview with Kaiser
Wilhelm, marked by serious differences of opinion over the German of
fensive on the west front, General von Hindenburg, commander-in-chief
of the German armies, died from an attack of apoplexy, according to
the newspaper Les Douvelles. The newspaper claims that its informa
tion is gained from reliable sources in that part of Belgium which is
occupied by the German troops.
MAY ESTABLISH POST.
AMSTERDAM, July 15.—An aer
ial post between England and Hol
land is the subject of an interview
give nby the Dutch director of posts
and telegraphs to the Dutch newspa
papers. While doubting whether an
aerial post is possible during wartime,
he believes that an international
agreement regarding it will be reach
ed shortly, and a plan adopted as soon
after the war as possible. Meanwhile
experiments with airplane postal serv
ice are to be made by Holland between
Amsterdam and Groningen.
PROMOTIONS AT
RAILROAD TOWN
NENANA, July 16.—The work of
the reconstruction of the commission
forces here was started today, by the
promtion of two men to the positions
vacated by the release of the former
incumbents.
Captain Hall, who came into the
commission’s employ as a checker last j
spring, and who has since been in the!
commissary department, has been pro- i
moted to the position of wai*ehouse
foreman, vice Henry Ehlan.
Ed Cronin, who formerly filled the !
position of clerk in the store depart-;
ment, has been promoted to the office
of shipping clerk. These are the first |
appointments to be made since the
shakeup several days ago.
SANG HUN SONGS
UNTIL EXECUTED
_
SACRAMENTO, July 13.—After s j
night passed in singing German
songs, Joseph Schoon, convicted of
murder in the first degree and sen
tenced to be hanged, paid the penalty
this morning at sunrise. He kept up
his bravo until the end came.
TWO KILLED IN
AN EXPLOSION]
MONTREAL, Canada, July 13.—
Two are dead and five are injured as
a result of an explosion in a muni
tions plant in Montreal last night.
Following the explosion, the floor of
a warehouse collapsed killing three
others and injuring several. Empty I
shells were stored in the warehouse.
COAST LEAGUE
WILL SUSPEND
LOS ANGELES, July 13.—At a
meeting of the board of directors of
the Pacific Coast Baseball league, it
was decided to close the season, after
the Sunday games are played. Lack
of public support is the reason assign
ed for the board’s action.
MUST WORK ALL
THE YEAR ROUND
SEATTLE, July 13.—Captain Bul
ger, coast supervisor, announced to
day that steamship inspectors assign
ed to Alaska stations during the open
season for navigation, will be assign
ed to duty in the Seattle district dur
ing the closed period. He has recom
mended the appointment of six addi
tional inspectors and two clerks for
the Seattle district.
WILSON VETOES
WHEAT INCREASE
WASHINGTON, D. C., July 13.—
President Wilson vetoed the twelve j
million dollar annual agricultural bill
late this afternoon, because it carried
an amendment increasing the price of,
wheat to $2.40 the bushel. The house 1
|
sustained the president’s veto, but the
senate had failed to act up to a late
hour this afternoon.
Those stories you hear on the *
street—are they given on good auth-1
ority? At least a dozen dangerous
pro-German propaganda stories have
sprung up against the food adminis
tration in a few months.
FOCH NOW TO WITHDRAW OUR
MEN FROM BRITISH AND
FRENCH BRIGADES.
WILL EXTEND THEIR FRONT.
rells General Pershing That It Is De
sirable to Maintain Our Forces, As
Nearly As Possible, As Purely Am
erican Fighting Units on the Front
in France.
WASHINGTON, D. C., July 11.—
rhe American military force in France
has become so large that General
Foch, commander in chief of the al
lied armies, has informed General
Pershing that it is desirable to main
tain our forces, as far as possible, as
purely American units. This informa
tion was given to the members of thi
house military affairs committee by
the war council at a joint conference
today.
In accordance with this order, which
tends to strengthen the fighting mor
ale of the American soldiers abroad,
two full American divisions are now
engaged in the fighting near Chateau
Thierry where the Germans have been
making their drive.
Secretary Baker informed the com
mittee that in another two weeks this
American forces would be doubled.
The policy of the allied commander
will be to increase weekly the Ameri
can unit by decreasing the number of
Americans brigaded with the French
and British as the American soldiers
become more proficient in military
training under actual war conditions.
If the plans of General Foch are
carried out the American army, fight
ing as an American unit and holding
a strong position in the line of the
western front, will reach 400,000 with
in anoiner six weexs.
1111s win De
brought about by speeding up the pre
liminary training which some of the
less seasoned American troops will re
ceive by being brigaded with the
French and British veteran forces.
The fighting qualities which the
American marines and army regulars
displayed in Picardy, Secretary Baker
told the members of congress today,
have received the praise of General
Foch and hastened him to advise the
placing of American units on the front
under American commanders.
Satisfactory progress in the produc
tion of Liberty motors was reported
to the committee. It was said that
2,000 of these motors had been fur
nished to the army and navy and that
200 had been sent to the allies. Pro
duction of bombing planes is proceed
ing rather rapidly now, it is said. The
latest reports show that 200 Haviland
bombing planes have been sent abroad
and that 200 Handlev-Page machines
and 200 Hispano-Sueze machines are
now ready for shipment to the allied
armies.
The first shipment of twenty-four
eight-inch howitzers, sufficient to
equip a regiment—the first output of
American factories— was reported,
and satisfactory progress is now being
made in ordnance production, it was
said.
TROOPSWiDED
SAYS TROTZKY
MOSCOW, July 13.—Trotzky, min
ister of war and marine in the Bolshe
viki cabinet in Russia, declared in a
speech before the soviet congress yes
terday, that Anglo-French propagan
da has caused a split among the soviet
troops, a part of whom have gone
over to the enemy—meaning the
Czech-Slovak forces.
ENGLAND GETS
ANOTHER LOAN
WASHINGTON, D. C., July 13.—
The United States treasury today
granted Great Britain an additional
credit of one hundred and seventy-five
million dollars.