The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1882-02-09
SMALL Pox REPORT.
DIR. Denton's observations and
Conclusions.
AUSTIN, Feb. 7. 1882.

AUSTIN, Feb. Z, 1882.
j. Cummings, NJ. D., City Physician, Anstin
I DEAR SIR AT the conclusion of m
labors as physician TO the small pox hos
pital during the recent prevalence o
small pox in this city, it seems prope
that should submit TO you a brief repor
| of my labors and observations. The mum
| Der Of cases treated were eOnparativel
few, but on account OF the unusual ma
| lignancy of the disease, report of thes
few cases, will, not, 1 think, be withou
interest to the profession, and to the pub
| lie.
1t is matter of deep regret to me, tina
! / am compelled to make q bad report, a
to results, and wish to state distinctly
here, that in my opinion, the fearful NOR
| tality which is herewith reported is du'
solely 10 the malignant type of the dis
/ ease, and other accidental circumstance
hereafter to be mentioned.
feel sure that every case that was los
would have died under the most favorable
circumstances and surroundings.
The treatment of small pox and othel
contagious diseases in tents is not new
and the experience of the past will prove
| that such cases do at least as well In
tents as they do in more expensive and
pretentious structures. 1t 10 best known
to those who occupied them, that the
tents used for these cases were comfort.
able and dry. All complaints, so far as
know, came from persons outside the
camp, who knew nothing of the circum'
stances and conditions OF the sick.
In the first two cases the disease devel-
oped into the severest conflucnt form,
and this severe form was adhered to In
nearly every subsequent case, except
those who enjoyed the protecting intiu-
ence of vaccination. The first sickening
of the two cases above mentioned occur
red December IL, 1881, but 1t was not
definitely determined to be small pox I'M
til the seventeenth of the same month.
On the nineteenth L was appointed by
the mayor to take charge OF these cases !,
and visited them the same evening. All
treatment seemtd to avail nothing, and
both these cases died on the same day !,
december %, 1882. After the death of the
two children above mentioned. there
were three LETT in the same family, aged
respectively eighteen months, seven aud
eleven years. The oldest was scrofulous,
suffered with oZena, was partially deaf,
and had Il cataract in the left eye. These
three children, and also the father of
them, all sickened on the same day, viz {:
December 26. The eruption too, made
its appearance on all at the same time,
showing a remarkable uniformity as to
the period of incubation, and the time
DeIW66u IuC uTsI duu tuC ap-
pearance of the eruption. AS in the two
former cases, the disease in these cases
developed into the severest form of con-
fluent small poX, except IN the case of
the father, who had been vacclnated in
early life.
In all these cases, save one, that of
Sallie Olson, the eruption extended to the
tongue, and mucous membrance OF the
mouth and fauces, and far into the alr
Of nh
dren, a boy one and a half years old
died on the eighth day of the eruption,
1 think from nervous irritation and ex-
haustion. The wretched little boy was
almost mass of corruption, the whole
surface being blistered over with pus-
tules. The oldest, girl of eleven years,
fingered until January 8, and died from
exhaustion and suffocatiOn occasioned by
the extension of the eruption into the
air passages. In these two cases the con-
fiuence was so complete, us to scarcely
leave any sound surface on the skin, or
mucous membrane of the mouth and
throat as far back as / could see.
The third case, or rather the fifth In the
Olson family, exclusive of the father,) 4
girl of seven years of age, recovered,
much to my surprise, having had the dis
ease in a severe continent form. Her re-
covery,,I think, was due to the very for
from the eruption.
AS before remarked, the father of these
childI en-, who had been yaccinated in
early life, had the disease in its usual
modified form. He was only in bed two
or three days. The mother, who had also
been vaccinated, did not take the disease
at all, although she was intimately ex-
posed to the poison, in its most active
form, from first to last. Thus ended, for
ha hn N al nf
this unhappy family, four out of five chill
dren having been consigned to the
grave within less than three week.
Case was that of Mr.. August Cedar
blad, aged forty years. The date of
MIR. C.'s first sickening was December
26, the same as the last form OF
the Olson family. The eruption too,
made its appearance on the same day,
that it did IN these cases, and he died on
olson children died, VIZ: July 9th, 1882.
All the cases up to this one, and indeed
all that occurred subsequently where an
accurate history could be obtained, show
a remark able uniformity as TO the period
of incubation. They also seem to point
to the eighth day of the eruption as the
day of greatest mortality or the tenth
from the first sickening.
l was very hopeful in the beginning OF
Mr.. c's. sickness that robust cOnstitu-
ton would enable him 10 pass safely
through the ordeal ofthe disease. But in
this vain hope, was doomed to sad dis
appointment. such was the severity
and malignancy of the attack in his case,
that am now satisfied that no human
constitution could have borne such an as
sault. Confluence OF the eruption eX-
tended to every portion OF the surface,
also to the mucous membrane OF the mouth
and far into the trachea. hoarseness be-
gan with the eruption, and by the fifth
day aphonia was complete, and no artlcu-
late sound could be uttered.
Case number eight, that of the Rev.
Newberg, was q repetition of that of Dir.
G. 1t is worthy of remark that both of
these cases claimed to have been vacci-
mated in early life, but, as / could find
no scars on either of them, and as the
disease in both cases assumed its sever
est form, think am justified in belIev-
ing that they were mistaken. AS usual,
Mr.. N. died on the eighth day of the
eruption. he was q man of vigorous
physical constitution, but his advanced
age precluded the possibility of his re-
covery. His case was complicated with
pleuro pneumonia OF the right side.
Case 8, that of Amanda Engguist, aged
nine and one-half years, sickened on De-
cember %, but was not placed in my
care until, 1 believe, January 2. Her case
was quite hopeless, when l saw her first,
and doubtless was fl ON the beginning,
When she came under observation she was
almost completely exsanguine in cOnse-
uuence of profuse hemorrhages from the
bowels and uterus. Dark purplish blebs
covered large portion of her face and
breast, which presently burst and dis
charged an offensive bloody serum. An
offensive bloody saliva was continually
hor hor
face aud extremities were edematous.
At the time of her death, which occur
red on Jan. 3, there were many gangren-
GUS spots over the surface OF the face and
body, varying in size from that of a
twenty-five cent piece to that of silver
dollar. The eruption which was confiu-
ent on that portion of the surface not oc-
cupied by the bulbs above mentioned,
presented peculiar whitish, pasty ap.
pearance, not easy to forget when once
seeen. This whitish, pasty appearance,
was common to every case OF the hemOr.
chage type.
Case No. 10, was that of Miss Ida Peter
son. AS in case 8, her condition was
quite hopeless when she came under
observation. The eruption which wal
extremely continent, extended into the
air passages, and aphonia, was con
plete when 1 saw her first. She
also had hemorrhages from thu
bowels, uterus and lungs. Notwlth
standing the extreme malignancy of the
disease in this case, and the severe com
plications, she fingered until January is
having sickened on January s.
Case 11.---Wm. Engquist, brother o.
Amanda Engquist, lease 81 aged Al years
was intensely scrofulous, and suffered
with hip joint disease. felt SURE
that his doom WAS sealed as soon as hi
sickened with the disease. The struggl,
| in his case was short, and quickly over
He sickened early on the morning of Jan
uary 10, and died on the evening of Jan
| - ~ Il WING. lived hnt little more tn