Bradford opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1874-1881, 1877-02-10

A letter from Detroit says that tn
smallpox has been raging in that city
: and that IN unusual number of cases ot
Z Cured. II relates the following incident
u During the greatest excitement, n youn
Il Pole, about twenty years of age and III
= able to speak word of English, arrive
from the East, having written direction
from Polanders hero how to find them
: The young man was weak and i'll whel
reaching the depot, and, probably great
ly embarrassed by the fact, he walked
down the depot yard and hid behind
warehouse until nearly night. He wa
then accidentally discovered and ordere,
away. Reaching tho street he Wake,
around until near midnight, and by gool
fortune reached the Polish quarter
through his own effort. He had scarcel,
been welcomed by one speaking his native
tongue when it was discovered that he
was victim Of the smallpox. The pus
tnles had appeared on his face, he was
fevcrish and light headed and the odol
of the disease was with him.
The stranger was hustled ont of the
house without delay by the excited owner,
and he found himself in the street on a
bitter cold night, having neither money
nor friends. Reasoning that other Po-
landers would extend like reception in
his sad condition, the stranger struck out
ut venture crossed streets, yards and
fields, and finally reached barnyard on
the plank road leading from Detroit to
Port Huron, and near the first tollgate
outside the city. His weak and exhaust
ed condition may be judged from the
fact that in crossing the last field---a ten
acre lot-he fell down eighteen times, as
found by those who followed his trail,
and the last hundred feet was crnwled on
his hands and knees. Reaching the
barnyard the Pole crawled under II shed
where cattle and other stock found shell
ter. There was straw stack at one end
of the shed, making warm place, and
al this end of the shed the man took up
his bed.
1t is certain that he was under the
shed three nights and two days, and his
presence would not have been known
then had he 1t appeared at the farm
house and made signs that he was hun
CRY, also exhibiting letter written in
the Polish language. He was sight to
sec at that time. He had covered his
face, hands and neck with fresh COM
post, and this had partly dried and
frozen to the skin. Warm water and
soap were furnished him, and when he
stood clean before the family every pus-
t'lle had disappeared, and the disease
had left him. There WAS no smell of
smallpox, no fever, nor was there n pit
on his face, though his skin was unusual
ly red and quite tender. He showed
the family where he had rested under the
shed, and there was evidence that made
his condition plain. He had had neither
food nor drink, and to ease the terrible
itching of the pustules he had plastered
them with the fresh compost of the cat
tie feeding on the straw.
70 make this singular case more plain
it may be stated that the Polander who
admitted the stranger to his house is
now down with smallpox, taking the dis
ease from his visitor. Ii cannot be
doubted that The stranger under the
shed is the same young man who called
on the Polander and was turned away,
for his name is the same, he has the same
letter and men have followed the trail in
the snow from the shed almost to the
Polander1 door, At this date the young
man, entirely free from any suspicion of
the disease, is helping to nurse the man
who caught the disease of him. Three
of the farmers children have never been
and yet they have not suffer-
ed in the least from the young Poles
presence in the house for two hours.
There is a case here to puzzle physi
clans, and the particulars have been
stated as plainly as possible that there
may be no "ifs " for M. D. to fall
back upon. The stranger certainly had
smallpox, for he gave it to another. He
certainly recovered, for here he is, walk
ing about. He can be traced from the
hour he landed in the city, and he was
under the shed three nights and two
days. If the fresh manure did not alb
sorb the disease from his system in that
short time, what else did ? If bl1rying a
patient in the earth up to his neck, MS
practiced in some countries, has bene-
fetal effect on diseases, why shouldn't
fresh compost have double the strength
as healer? 1t is straight, plain case,
and, though not discovered by Jenner,
the cure may one day rank with his pre-
ventive.