Improvement Due to Better Weather

• Between 10 p.m. Sunday and 10 p.m. Monday there were 74 deaths from influenza and 13 from pneumonia in Boston• The death toll in Boston for 10 days (9/14-9/23) is influenza 356 and pneumonia 127• Doctors believe that two or three consecutive days of sunshine will aid in quieting the epidemic• Health Commissioner William C. Woodward expresses confidence that with continued public cooperation, the deaths among the civilian population will be reduced to a minimum• Acting on the advice of State Health Commissioner Eugene R. Kelley, the superintendent of every institution under the jurisdiction of the Commonwealth will today issue orders to admit no visitors, refuse leaves of absence to nurses and attendants and revoke leaves already given• Kelley further suggests that attendants who have legitimate business in town or village do not come in direct contact with inmates after such visits• He says that inmates infected with influenza should be isolated at once and that nurses should wear masks, dishes should be sterilized and special attention should be exercised lest common towel or drinking cup be the source of infection• Influenza cases are causing delays in the sailings of some of the coastwise lines• 22 deaths since Saturday were reported yesterday in the First Naval District• The total deaths in the naval district since August 28 is 128 out of 3140 cases• Compared with 89 cases on Saturday and 77 on Sunday, 116 cases were reported yesterday from the various stations and schools under Read Admiral Wood’s jurisdiction• 6 new cases but no deaths were reported among Army men in this vicinity• Only 25 of the sick and wounded soldiers who recently returned from France are now in the City Hospital and Fort Banks Army Hospital and will be transferred to points nearer to their homes when they are well enough to travel• The Boston School Board decided last night that Dr. William H. Devine, medical director, has taken the right view of the situation by advising that schools remain open unless the situation becomes worse• To date there have been less than 375 cases reported among the 100,000 pupils and the only sections suffering seriously are the Meeting House Hill District of Dorchester and parts of Roxbury• Dr. William H. Devine claims that by keeping the schools open under the strictest supervision, the danger of a further spread of the disease is decreased• Advocates of closing the schools, such as the Governor’s Councilor Lewis R. Sullivan point out that yesterday at least a dozen teachers were unable to report for duty and that 20 new cases were discovered, three being physicians and five of nurses• Reading public schools were not reopened yesterday and will remain closed for a week• Lack of heat and the absence of more than 1000 of the 1600 students caused the closing of Somerville High School. Not all of the absent students had the grippe. A large percentage were kept home by their parents through fear of infection• Somerville schools will be closed for the rest of the week, per recommendation of the Board of Health• Somerville Supt. Clark received reports that 1304 students out of total enrollment of 12,183 [number unclear] were absent. At least 1091 of these were ill. Out of 435 teachers, 35 are ill• It is not known whether Somerville schools will reopen next Monday• Everett School Committee voted at a special meeting last night to close the schools for the rest of the week when Supt Whitney reported there are __[illegible] cases of influenza among pupils• There were more than 1200 absentees yesterday out of a school population of 7000. One death was reported among Winslow School pupils and one among Glendale School• Everett Health Department officials figure that nearly 10 percent of the inhabitants are suffering from influenza• State Health Commissioner Eugene R. Kelley yesterday notified Boards of Health throughout the state that daily lists of cases and deaths are to be kept by the State Health Department• Kelley said that “our greatest means of prevention and of checking this outbreak appear to be the isolation of all known cases and the isolation of persons who show symptoms”• Kelley also said that “schools should not be closed except in exceptional instances. Children coming from homes in which there has been an active case should be excluded until the danger of carrying the infection is past, also those who show symptoms of beginning infection are to be immediately sent home.” • Kelley notified local boards of health that “Influenza has not been declared a reportable or supportable diseases by this department; therefore, quarantine of households of wage earners should not be undertaken unless deemed by you to be absolutely necessary. The mortality rate from our meager reports would appear to be not over 2 percent.”• Proportion to population, Lynn leads greater Boston cities in the number of deaths, with 12 more being reported yesterday• Health Commissioner Michael R. Donovan figures that there are about 2000 cases and Lynn Mayor Walter Creamer is planning for the establishment of an emergency hospital on the J. B. Martin EstateNewspaper article1,