Pool Efforts To Fight Epidemic

• The city Board of Health holds a conference on the epidemic presided over by Mayor James Kay. In attendance are representatives of the: Red Cross (gauze masks for attendees); Associated Charities (food); Committee on Public Safety; District Nursing association; Union hospital; Hospital Trustees; Overseers of the Poor; King Phillip Settlement house (food).• [Attorney?] Richard P. Borden “pointed out the necessity of co-ordinating the work of various organizations. Told by Boston that it can send doctors but not nurses.• Rev. Dr. Bradley, rector of St. Mary’s cathedral, and Mgr. James E. Cassidy each offer space to be used as emergency hospitals.• Mrs. Rothrock of the Union hospital and Miss Jones of the District Nursing association “both declared that more doctors are needed, as the local physicians are not only overworked, but have been unable to attend to all cases.”• Board of Health agrees to purchase food to be cooked by Associated Charities.• Union hospital pathologist Dr. Walsh secures “a small amount of prophylactic serum for immunization purposes.”• Views expressed at meeting:• “Robert C. Davis of the Committee on Public Safety pointed out that some members of the draft boards have become ill...and thought that the draft boards should discontinue their work temporarily. Mr. Borden was inclined to believe that this would result in a conflict of authority and the local authorities would ‘get in wrong.’ Mr. Davis felt that representations should be made to the adjutant general’s office....• “Rev. Dr. Bradley...said he thought the newspapers could help by discontinuing their sensational headlines in regard to the influenza situation. He believed that were people were...[worrying] themselves sick...Mr. Borden coincided with Rev. Dr. Bradley’s views and said that fright had caused some people to make unnecessary calls on physicians when they were needed elsewhere. He said that the epidemic is rapidly reaching its summit and will soon blow to other sections ‘and our trouble will soon be over.’”• “George H. Waring favored barring the sailors from coming here from Newport, but Mr. Borden was of the opinion that there is just as much danger from spreading the disease among our own population as their is from the sailors from Newport.”Newspaper article1,