New-York tribune., 1879-08-27
COMPLAINTS OF sORRowING PARENTS.

COMPLAINTS OF SORROWING PAkENlS'
TUE ur,1TH OFFICER OF THE PORT CRITICISED
EXPLANATIONS OF DIR. vANDERPoEL"
THE TRInUNE of August 1S contained an account
~ tho death at Quarantine of Virginia Lopez, a
young child age seven years, who had arrived Au-
cust ID. on the steamer Saratoga from Havana
and was shortly afterward stricken down WIN
yellow fever. On'August % the father OF the cullu
appeared before a notary public and made an a'ii-
davt. embodying charges of negligence ana lnel
fcency against DR.. Vanderpoel. The substance Oh
the charges was that the child was not SICK WIN
yellow fever but with bilious fever; that DR..
Vanderpoel. Notwithstanding this fact, had her
removed TO Quarantine, in a heavy rain Storm ana
treated her for yellow fever; that in consequence
she died that after her death DR.. Vanderpoel al
lowed her TO remain unbured for two days. neglect
ing to send coffin, and that meanwhile the body
was decomposing before the eyes Of the chllds pa
rents. who had accompanied her to the hospital.
Louis Lopez the father of the child, is in busi-
ness at No ~ Pearl-st. Yesterday afternoon he
said that he had made the affidavit and given 1t TO
the public IN order that he might call attention 10
the state of affairs at Quarantine, and save others
In the future from suffering as he had DONE Ac'
cOrdng to his statement of the case, his daughter
was taken sick on her arrival at her home in staple
ton. The attending physician, DR.. j. l.. Feeney'
COud not determine al nTst WHAT ntI Iidlduy M9,'
aud called in DIR. Vanderpoel at 10 o'clock on En-
day night. August IS, for consultation. lie also
was unable To make up his mind. Mt. Lopez teie-
gTaphed at once for Drs. Calves aud BefuntueZ,
two Cuban physicians residing in New OTk, who
had had fifteen years experience with yellow fever
cases at Havana. They arrived on Saturday morn
ing, and after careful diagnosis pronounced IL
case of bilious fever. DR.. Vandcrpoel, however, re-
fused to listen TO them. Mr. Lopez SAID. and ordered
the child, ITS parents and all thelr baggage TO De
He put the child under treatment Tor yellow fever.
Mr. Lopez believes, as does Dr. Calves, that had the
child been saved from exposure and been treated
for bilious fever, she would have recovered On
Sunday August II, at noon, she died, ana as MI
Lopez declares III spite of his urgent petitions ID
have a cofinsent and the body inferred at once II
was LETT lying before his eyes In the room where II
died until Tuesday
Dr. Vanderpoel said 10 a TRIBUNE reporter yester-
day that he will en- ter general denial Of the story
From the time he first saw the patient on FRIDAY
light he perceived ii to be unmistakably case OF
yellow fever, but owing to the lateness OF the of
and the fact that II stOrning, he postponed the
removal of the child until the following day, when
he ordered that she should be taken III close car
riage to the quarantine dock Immediately after
noon. lt was stOrmlng at that time, but he was
afraid to leave her any longer IN the thiCky pOpu-
lated part Of StapletOn. Accordingly she was re-
moved, and when he visited the hospital at
O'clock on Sunday morning she was already III a
mOTibund condition, and died before noOn lie
SAID that DR.. Calves claimed to be familiar with
such cases. and SAID that it bilious fever, but
he felt competent to judge for himself ana
positive that IT was a real case OF yellow leNef
He was an executive officer, the responsibility for
the health of the port rested on him, and he could
not afford to be guided by the opinion of ire
spOnsble persons. In regard TO the delay In send
ing the coffin he said that all ne had furnish for
the body was a common coffin, but as the people
IN good circumstances he advised them to pur-
cnase better one. TINS was ordered from New
York, and arrived at his dock on Monday morning.
He ordered 1t at to be sent to the hospital On
Tuesday morning he was surprised 10 ma that the
coffin had not vet been sent TO the hospital but on
inquiry found that IL had been thought dangerous
TO attempt a landing on Monday at ScnbneTs
Island account of the storm. He said that there
was dead-rOom IN the hospital. and that there was
no necessity for the parents to stay IN the room
with tho body,