The Provincial Board of Health deems it advisable that the statement
issued by the American Public Health Association, following the recent
meeting in Chicago should be in the hands of the medical profession of
Ontario. Consequently this statement is herein given in full.
As there is considerable difference of opinion among health officers,
the profession and the public, with reference to the value of measures
of prevention, such as the placarding and quarantine of premises where
the disease exists, the Board has deemed it of sufficient importance to
add some remarks giving the views of provincial and state officers of
health in this respect as well as upon other points of interest.
With the view of learning the experience of the state and provincial
health officers of the United States and Canada the Board addressed the
following inquiry to all such officers, viz.:—“Does your province (or
state) require the reporting, placarding and quarantine of influenza,
and, if so, do you consider placarding and quarantine of such,
practicable?”
Replies were received from the health officers of the nine Canadian
provinces and from 43 state health officers. Four of the provinces of
Canada reported that placarding and quarantine of influenza was
impracticable. One states that “modified quarantine was working fairly
well,” another said that “the law was not well obeyed,” a third stated
“almost impossible in rural places,” and a fourth “many infractions but
believe good effect,” a single officer only declared it practicable.
Of the reports from United States’ health officers, 29 out of the 43 or
67 per cent. state that placarding and quarantine in influenza are
impracticable. Of the remainder of the replies nine report the law
practicable, and five qualify their statement by such expressions as
“seems to be of value,” “enforcement depends on local sentiment,” “law
fairly obeyed,” “beneficial,” “believe quarantine should be included.”
Thus it will be seen that out of 52 health officers of the states and
provinces of North America, 9 frankly state, as the result of their
experience, that placarding and quarantine are practicable, 10 qualify
their approval, and _33 frankly state that these measures are
impracticable_.
The real facts, considering the views of the American Public Health
Association as well as of the public health authorities of the two
countries, seem to be, as Sir Arthur Newsholme, Chief Medical Officer of
the Local Government Board of England, says, “I know of no public health
measures which can resist the progress of pandemic influenza.” And, as
remarked by Dr. Victor Vaughan at the recent meeting, “I say that, in
the face of the greatest pestilence that ever struck this country, we
are just as ignorant as the Florentines were with the plague described
in history.”
The Chairman of the Provincial Board says: “If our patients are put to
bed immediately they feel the first symptoms of the disease and kept
there for 5 days after the temperature falls, they will, in the large
percentage of cases, recover.”