In the Hamilton of 1918, the three daily newspapers, The
Hamilton Herald, the Hamilton Times and the Hamilton, usually issued two
editions. An early edition hit the streets at the break of day, while shortly
after noon afternoon editions hit the street. If there was something important
that required an immediate update, extra editions would be issued, usually with
only minor alterations to the front page.
On October
16, 1918, the Hamilton Herald updated its account of how the Hamilton Board of
Health was dealing with the Influenza epidemic.
The Herald reporter covering
the meeting recounted a major decision arrived at by the board and a message
delivered to board members from a representative of the Hamilton Board of Trade,
stating its intention to support the decision :
“The board of health this
morning passed a resolution and issued a proclamation to the effect that on and
after Monday, October 21, all public gatherings of any nature at which there
will be an attendance of twenty-five people or more, be cancelled.
“T. L. Brown, secretary of
the board of trade, appeared before the board and presented the following
resolution, which was passed at the meeting last evening : ‘Resolved, that we
firmly believe, in the interest of public health and safety, that all schools,
churches and public places where gatherings congregate should be closed for two
weeks, and that we are prepared to support the medical health officer in that
attitude.’
“This will include churches,
schools, theaters, and all gatherings in public buildings. Dr. Roberts also
instructed that all funerals be private. He stated that this order would be
carried out if it took the whole police department to enforce it, and has
issued instructions to Chief Whatley to see that the board’s orders are carried
out. The order dealing with private funerals means that every funeral, whether
it be as the result of ‘flu’ or not, be held privately.
“Norman Clark, chairman of
the board, stated that they would experience no difficulty in closing the
theaters, as the managers were agreeable.”1
1“Will
Close All Public Places Next Monday : Board of Health Ruling Applies to
Schools, Churches, Etc. : No Gathering of More Than 25 Persons Allowed
Anywhere”
Hamilton Herald. October 16, 1918.
Another representation was
made to the Board of Health by a Hamiltonian willing to contribute in the fight
against the epidemic:
“Mrs. Harry Carpenter appeared before the
board and asked for its co-operation in forming a Hamilton branch of the
Ontario Emergency Volunteer auxiliary, to train young women in the art of
nursing to such an extent as to fit them to nurse ‘flu’ patients, should they
be needed. It was explained that lectures would be given the young women, and
while they would not be paid for the time occupied in taking the course, they
would be while employed as nurses. The wage suggested was $2 a day with
maintenance. The board passed a resolution supporting Mrs. Carpenter in the
forming of the auxiliary and giving her any reasonable finances.”1
The extra edition of the
nHerald carried a full account of a meeting the previous evening, a meeting the
other papers had not sent a reporter to cover. It was at the Hamilton Board of
Trade office where the Hamilton Medical Health officer had been asked to
attend.
Details of the ever-widening
rift between the Hamilton physicians and the Hamilton Board of Health,
particularly Dr. Roberts:
“Controller Jutten explained that the board
had not been criticized and was dealt with fairly at the meeting by the board
of trade, but stated the doctors did criticize, and thought that everything
should be closed. The board of trade, he said, had offered to put cars at the
disposal of the board of health, take over clerical work and assist in any
possible manner. The most serious criticism of the doctors, he said, was to the
effect that the board of health up to the present time, had done well in
handling the situation, but the time had come for it, in their opinion, to take
more stringent methods. They strongly recommended the closing of school.
“Dr. Roberts said : ‘I don’t
want to get out from under the burden of responsibility. Because we close the
schools, we cannot sit back, and say we have done everything possible. We
cannot make a grandstand play and then do nothing. I looked into the statistics
of 500 cases of the ‘flu’ and have found that only 20 per cent of that number
were children at school. I do not see where the medical men can say that the
larger number of cases are among children. We must continue to do everything
possible to check the advance of the epidemic, and to carry the full burden of
responsibility. No effort is too great for this department to undertake to help
the situation.”
“The doctor then moved that
the resolution be passed to close all public gatherings.
“T.L. Brown suggested that
meetings where twenty-five would be present, should secure a permit from the
health officer, and that he use his own judgment in granting the permit.
“The board pointed out to
the doctor that it thought he would be justified in changing his mind and
closing the schools if he thought such action was necessary.”1
The Hamilton Herald also
updated its editorial on the Board of Health decision:
“Today the board of health decided in favor of
the policy of fighting the ‘flu’ by closing all the city schools, churches, theaters
and other places of amusement, forbidding the assembling of numbers in excess
of twenty-five, and ordering that all funerals must be private.
“Now if this policy be necessary
in order to check the progress of the epidemic, it ought to be put in force
immediately. But with singular ineptitude, the board of health decides that the
order shall not come into effect until next Monday, the delicious reason for
the delay being that both the city solicitor and the city clerk are out of the
city and there is nobody at home who can be trusted to draw up the
proclamation.
“Dr. Roberts, M.H.O., moved
he resolution for adoption of the closing down policy. Apparently, in doing so,
he did not give effect to his own judgment, for he has been saying all along
that it would be a great mistake to close the schools, because, in his opinion,
the children are better looked after in the schools and less liable to contract the disease there
than at home or out on the streets. The action he took appears to have been
taken under pressure from the doctors. It should be stated that the opinions
and action of the health authorities in many of the cities on this continent do
not support the policy which our medical officer of health has favored up to
the present, for they have enforced even more drastic preventive measures than
those which were decided upon here today.
“Perhaps when the time comes
for the enforcement of the board of health’s order, it will be unnecessary to
enforce it, for the epidemic by that time may have run its course. It came upon
us suddenly, and it is likely to end as suddenly.”2
2 “The Closing Order”
Hamilton Herald. October 16, 1918.
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