SNIPPET: Over the course of five months in 1916, some 27,000 cases of polio and 6,000 related deaths were reported in 26 states in the U. S. The mortality rate of polio victims in New York City was roughly one child in four. In the summer, public panic about the spread of polio reached a new high, and officials, partially reinforcing and partially responding to a fear of dirt, germs, and immigrants, began to use quarantine to try to control the spread of the disease. In Paterson, New Jersey, no "nonresidents" were allowed into the town, and cities all along the eastern seaboard issued letters like the following: U. S. Public Health Service, Baltimore, MD, .......1916: This card is furnished for the aid of interstate travelers. It should be retained and shown upon demand to proper authorities. To whom it may concern: This certifies that.......from......traveling to......with.......children under 16 years of age has presented a satisfactory health certificate from the health authorities at point of departure that his premises are free from poliomyelitis (infantile paralysis). The children accompanying traveler have been inspected and show no evidence of that disease. (Signed) RUPERT BLUE, Surgeon General, U. S. Public Health Service. By.........