National Republican., 1881-12-03
SMALLPOX.
An Intcre,tng Talk Win Health Onicer
Townshcnd.

TOwnshcnd.
As smallpox has been prevailing to q
considerable extent i'm the cities surrounding aud
communicating with us, largely in Plttsburg for
midably in Richmond and Philadelphia, and to
sufficient extent in Baltimore TO create some APP
prehension, n reporter of THE REPUBLICAN was
dispatched last evening to look up Health officer
Townshend and ascertain from that official his
views regarding the danger of visit to our city by
this loathsome enemy The Doctor was found in
his private office on Four. and-a half street. and,
expressing himself as ready and willing TO com
municatc with the public through these columns,
he was tackled rs follows.
doctor you are probably aware Of the prova-
fence oil smallpox III several of our sister cltles
and the country surrounding some of them ?"
"Oh, yes fully. We endeavor, as is our duty,
TO Keep posted on such subjects We are prepared
TO meet IL at any time and feel perfectly confident
that we can prevent its getting iooth"d III tho
a You recognize the fact, Doctor, that cases arc
liable to be imported into our community at any
time"
"of course, and as said before, we are ready
for any such emergency. Cases do come 10 us
every now and then, but so far we have never
failed to confne the Conagion to the premises
where found and the person infected. The mem
bers Of the medical profession are prompt to re-
port anything giving suspicion OF being varioa
or vario old, and when reported immediate in
vestigation is made and radical measures adopted.
The history of the case Is fCrrCcd out and every
safeguard advanced. II removal TO hospital Is
necessary we have the sufferer removed immc-
diately, and every person liable TO have become
infected from contact is placed undCrsurveiance.
II complete isolation can be Ind, then thorough
disincction is resortcd TO- vaccination iseniorced,
and all other measures necessary, to prevent
spread of the disease are rcsOrtcd to-
Have you had any cases this fall DoctorY
"Hcs, we have had two. One n child who con-
tracted the disease in the city of Philadelphia,
and the other. a railway employee, who became in.
iected in Richmond. Both were promptly taken
In charge, and no bad results have followed In
either case. These persons were quietly taken
care of, and We did not consider 1t necessary to
even give you newspaper men an opportunity 10
scare the people and create q sensation
But, Doctor, don't you think publicity In such
cases would put people on their guard and assist
you materially in preventing the spread OF 'he
"WCll, an occasion might arise when II would
be well to scare the people sufficiently to secure q
general vaccination of those unvaccnated; ana
put them on their guard against exposure. WhGn
such a time arrives we will give you an opi Ortu-
nifty 10 spread yourselves. i can see no reason
why we should ever let smallpox assume an cpl
denic form here now The enforcement of vaccl,,
nation In the public schools protects our youllul
population pretty effectively, and thus one great
The cleanliness Of our cities is another barrier
against II, and them with the strict enforcement oil
the measures designed to prevent its spread when
isolated cases do appear, feel very confident OF
our ability to stamp II out at short notice" go
You were very successful IN your last battle
with this disease, were you notY
"Wcll Imight say phenompnally so. l described
| the outbreak at some length in my last report
The history is both interesting aud peculiar, IN
epidemic form in this District On January 10,
| 1872 the records show the first case to have been
reported. and between that time and October 10
only three cases are reported to have occurred
and they in the first two months Of the year
from the pest was enjoyed. on March
8, 1875, IL again Appeared, and con con-
tinued with us pretty steadily until pc
| tween the intervals named. During the first six
months Of 1877 only four cases occurred, and then
he disease seems 20 nsye MSS HsSPpIgo Is7S ana G ny
vcmber 2S, 1879, only one case occurred, ana that
was in the person of "A child brought here from an
infected region in the Dominion OF Canada Ihen
opensthe history ofthc recent mysterious outbreak:
On Noyember %, 1879, q oolored man NAMED
Jesse Williams, who had been SIX weeks an . occn
ment for pulmonary consumption in an advanced
stage, was reported as afflicted with what gave
suspicion of being q vHriOlOus eruption. ENanlina-
tiOn proved that suspicion wasweli iounded,nnd
on the day following he was removed to the small
pox hospital, where on the 9th of the following
| month he died. The closest scrutiny ana most
careful investigation failed to reveal any means
whereby this man might have become infected
with the yariolous poison; ne had come TO INC nS
| Virginia where smallpox Is almost unknown.
His location In the building was an isolated ward
in an upper story and not the slightest ground for
any theory of communication OF the infection by
contact from outside could be traced. NO other
case had for years before nor Is any known since
| to have occurred In the institution So ends the
history OF the first cnsc. On The lSth day OF De-
| ccmbtr twelve days aftcr Williams DEATH the
! visiting physician ~ the united SAtcS jail re-
ported Samuel CiRgct.. ColUied loy !itecn years
of age ns afic:csl witiI Yario!s. chig hoy was ut
once removed 10 the hospital, Gn'l Two days ailcr.
ward four other CSsGs we're inIOrteG H separatc
points in the southeastern sectinl! q! the ciIy
on january "a thOrCugh system Wcs innuxuc cniet.,
and the crusade began. rwclIu vaccine phShictn'is
| were employed one resident physician ihasSi a.
the hospital, one employed I" examine Hnd dag
nose cases reported, ad en lnaTciot ap;sIiit'G ~
superiutcnd the removal uI CHt.s ihinIrc:i"f, Gi
premises, placing of warning sisns, SL. The "llel
employees consisted OF Two nuises ~ ne hcepltA!
and four labarcrs In the ambulance service. ~
ambulance station was located ~ thc Cpru'c al
Eighteenth and streets southeast, II short IS.Antse
from the hospital, and connected by hleriIr.io w!tl
the Health Department As soon Ts Il case wHS Sc'
ported in any part of the city the examining Pas si-
clan was immediately dispatched 10 tue ptcinncr
andif his diagnosis sustained the report the rau.ii
was either removed at once 10 the hoSplA, or i%,.
lated in the house where found, according rs 10
surrounding circumstances might C!riate; d
| thorough dsinieCtion and iumigntOh ui premise"
| WAS had, warning signs were thrown Oui, AnG j
persons were not found in condition 10 Secur,
proper hid and attention 1t was furnished thcIn
As result of these measures, IN forty days irlH
the Inauguration of the campaign the disease wa
thoroughly under control. and, notM iihstaiidint
the epidemic tendency evidenced i'll the iiNl place
we felt ourselves masters of the situation, nll,
In very short time did rid the Gity entirely OF tn
disease At that time 2G-i "a"cinntiOns wcr'
made among the poorer cl"sScj, ana very laig'
proportion Of our population i'll better circum
stances also resorted u this means of protection
This is all in our inVcr now and j think our com
! munity need have no apprehension OF smallpox
interfering with our peace ana comfort TINS win
ter"
his interesting information and withdrew.