Babcock and Royer Confer on Epidemic

• Mayor E.V. Babcock and Dr. B. Franklin conferred to discuss the policy bans on public assemblages• Dr. Royer refuses to consider modifications to the existing policy bans in the interests of public health and war production• Dr. Royer and Governor Brumbaugh are in accord, and Brumbaugh says, “We are here to protect the health of the public, and we intend to do it”, with or without mayoral approval• Recent influenza reports indicate 625 cases and 69 of pneumonia; this brings the totals to 14,834 and 12,027, respectively• Recent news also reports 13 deaths from influenza, 23 from pneumonia, and 41 from mixed causes• Health authorities believe the drop in number of cases means the crest of the epidemic has been reached, and the end is in sight• Policy: yesterday, council approved $50,000 in use for the fight against influenza• It was also decided to initiate a program of emergency hospital construction, recommend districts in need of aid, and to judge all claims and issue requisitions for needed money; Dr. F. Robert Weise is to survey the county at once• All planned Halloween celebrations are cancelled in lieu of the policy bans; safety director Charles Pritchard has not made a ruling yet on this• City officials note they are sure there will be no Halloween celebrations• There are over 60 workers of the central Pittsburgh post office and its branches who are ill with influenza; the illnesses have reduced some mail deliveries to just once daily• Policy: the U.S. Marine Hospital will be reopened as a (temporary) emergency hospital to treat influenza patients (army, navy, merchant seaman, and federal employees) with a capacity of 50-60 beds • One-half of the capacity of the Marine Hospital will be filled by St. Francis' Hospital patients, and Major James B. Stoner will be in charge• The state registrar of vital statistics will be working with city and county health authorities and to report to Dr. Royer on conditions throughout the state• Dr. J.C. Burt from Pittsburgh was sent to Nattous, where there was not one physician in town • The emergency hospital in Jamestown was sent supplies of oxygen from the Red Cross• F.A. Woods, head of the influenza committee, reports that 187,000 injections of serum have taken place but there are demands for an additional 276,000 moreNewspaper Article