The Michigan Daily
Vol. LXXXVI, No. 62-S
Ann Arbor, Michigan-Friday, August 6, 1976
Ten Cents
Twelve Pages
Flu ruled out in Pa. deaths
PHILADELPHIA i)-Medical
detectives scored their first
breakthrough yesterday in their
search for the cause of the
"legionnaire's disease" that has
killed 23 persons.
They almost completely ruled
out influenza, including swine
flu, and suggested instead the
disease may have been caused
by a virus or a toxin, a chemi-
cal agent that could be in such
everyday items as plastics,
paper or soap.
A NEW CROP of cultures be-
ing grown in a state laboratory
here will be harvested this
morning and should further pin
down the exact cause of the
disease. Federal investigators
also headed into the downtown
area to recreate the movements
of the 161 victims at an Ameri-
can Legion convention last
month. They will test carpets,
wall paper, air-conditioning and
anything else that could lead to
the cause.
"There is a possibility that we
will never find the answer,"
cautioned state Health Secretary
Leonard Bachman. But he prom-
ised to continue the investigation
"for a year or two years if it is
needed to get to the bottom of
it.'
All victims were connected in
some way with the four-day con-
vention. State health officials
say they have no evidence yet
of secondary infection, which
would mean the disease is not
contagious.
RESULTS of the first crop of
cultures grown in chicken em-
bryoes at the state lab were
announced at a news conference
in Harrisburg.
"There is no evidence that
inflienza virus was present in
those eggs," said Dr. Jay Staz,
chief virologist of the State
Health Dept. "I'm 99 per cent
sure it's not a flu virus."
"It may be another type of
virus," Satz said, but if so, "it's
going to be an unusual virus."
BACHMAN said Satz and his
team of 14 researchers, working
nonstop since Monday and oc-
casionally napping on cots near
the rows of incubated eggs and
baby mice, face the greatest
danger.
"We are using every precau-
tion with our lab people," said
Bachman. "They are particu-
larly susceptible."
The toll of victims increased
Wednesday, but the increase
was leveling off. Bachman said
that was good news but claimed
it was too early to see a defini-
tive trend. One new death was
reported, bringing the total to
23 since the first death last Fri-
day. The hospital count was 138.
BACHMAN said yesterday
that no new cases of the disease
have been reported since Tues-
day.
"Given the publicity that this
has received, we believe the
reporting system is good and
we are optimistic," he said.
If the disease, which has
symptoms of fever, chills and
lung congestion, was caused by
a toxin, it's probably something
that was spread through the
air, Bachman said.
BACHMAN said there is
"acute viral pneumonia going
on in Pennsylvania and through-
out the country, but it has noth-
ing to do with this." Some of
the symptoms of the two are
similar.
If the disease is a virus, it
may be difficult to ever pin
down. A virus can change. At
Ft. Dix, N.J., where swine flu
was first isolated earlier this
year, the virus killed one man
and sickened several others,
then changed into a tamer form.
Several hundred other men were
infected, but did not get sick.
State Police will not
oppose legal appeals
for red squad files
LANSING (UPI) - The State
Police Department says it no
longer will oppose legal re-
quests by about 160 persons to
see secret files compiled on
their political activities.
However, Ingham County
Circuit Court Judge Thomas
Brown nonetheless has rejected
a motion to open tip political
files on about 50,000 others.
THE FILES were gathered by
the so-called State Police red
squad under a 1950 Subversive
Activities Act which was aimed
at keeping tabs on persons who
were felt to be a threat to the
government. In truth, however,
many files were kept on
political activists who were
involved in no criminal activ-
ity.
Brown last year declared the
act unconstitutional and or-
dered the red squad disband-
ed. He said he also would or-
der the files destroyed, but first
would consider allowing surveil-
lance victims to see their files,
if they presented their request
in a petition to the court.
Only 276 persons filed peti-
tions by the March 16 dead-
line, and of those, only about
160 were actually on file with
the State Police.
MOST of the 160 persons who
had petitioned Brown to see
their files attended a court
hearing Thursday on the ques-
tion. The crowd, predominent-
ly composed of young people,
was so large that the hearing
had to be held in the Lansing
City Cotincil chambers.
Brown revealed that the State
Police and Attorney General's
office, which had argued
against opening up the files,
had changed its mind and now
did not Oppose the idea.
IIEARING THE NEWS, at-
torney Zolton 1-erency, who
filed the original suit to get
the red squad disbanded, asked
Frown to force the State Police
to notify all those who had been
surveillance targets and show
them their files.
Ferenry said it would he
''entirel- 'unfair to limit exami-
nation of those files to those
who had oetitioned during the
time stitilated by the court,"
lie said most red sqttad
See RED, Page 2
'U' women can receive
athletic scholarships
By BILL STIEG
U'iiversity wo, will receive athletic scholarships this
fall for the first time i the school's history, the Athletic
Deprtment confirmud yesterday.
Detailsconcernin, th' schsolarships have not been worked
out, but varsity wonen will definitely receive the grants on
a limited basis for the coming school year. Michigan thus
becomes the last of the Big Ten schools to adopt such a
program.
"THERE WILL be sen to ten scholarships given out,"
See WOMEN, Page 12
Nuts to you
Stacey Britten, 12, of Calgary, Alberta is fed a peanut by a highly-skilled Rescue Squirrel.
Such squirrels are being trained by the Canadian Armed Forces as part of their Wilderness
Rescue Urogram.