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Naval History and Heritage Command

Naval History and Heritage Command

Surgeon General of the Navy William C. Braisted to Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels

October 21, 1918.

Weekly statement of the Surgeon General to the Secretary of the Navy concerning health conditions in the Navy.

     New cases of influenza reported from all naval districts for the week ended October 19th amounted to 4,373 cases against 6,667 for the previous week.

     Three hundred cases were reported from the Atlantic Fleet, 1002 from the Pacific Fleet, and from other vessels 316.

     387 deaths were reported for the week ended October 19th.

     The epidemic has decreased everywhere except as follows:

Naval Training Camp, Charleston, S.C., 128 cases against 81 for the previous week.

Marine Barracks, Paris Island, 117 cases against 21 for the previous week.

Naval Station, Mare Island, 396 cases against 353 for the previous week.

Pacific Fleet, 1002 cases reported. (Some of these occurred prior to last week.

     Due to the incidence of influenza which has exercised the usual influence of widespread respiratory disease 17 sporadic cases of cerebrospinal fever have appeared at several stations. This disease has been prevented from spreading.

     The incidence of other communicable diseases remains unusually low; diphtheria 1 case, measles, 14, scarlet fever, 5, being reported for the whole force ashore.

W.C. Braisted

Source Note: DTS, DLC-MSS, Josephus Daniels Papers, Subject File, Roll 47.

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