Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1882-05-06

Oh the month the f16aItR OTHCGF WAS
summoned by the chief policeman
10 what he called suspicious case
of sickness on the premises known
as Keesee's factory. The summons
was at once responded to and n ne
gro man was found OCCUPYING, to-
gether with woman and her sew
eral children, the middle room of
the brick row of cabins on the lot
named, aud situated immediately
on Front street. The rooms ON
either SHE OF that occupied by the
sick man were inhabited by fami-
lies of negroes. men, women and
children. Another brick house
on the same lot stands removed
from the row about fifty feet, and
ON the same line to the north. The
last alone has entrance from the
street direct, but each of the other
rooms has window opening on the
street.
Upon investigation it was found
that the sick man had, a few days
before, returned from rowing trip
South, visiting New Orleans and
travelling by way of the river, took
Cairo in his route and thence to
GAINESVILLE. A personal examina-
ton of the man showed him to be.
i'll of smallpox, which was at once
declared, and all necessary measures
to prevent the spread of the disease
were promptly enforced by the
Board of Health.
All persons residing on the prem
Uses were placed under quarantine
and were promptly vaccinated or
revaccinated a yellow flag was
hung from the street window of the
center room of the row, and the sick
man removed as soon as provision
could be made-which was about
O'Clock in the evening-to a house
of a single room two miles from the
! city. Notwithstanding this house
was SO situated as to endanger no
one, the sick man and his nurse
were ordered out before midnight.
Both went back to the same room
| whence they were removed and the
temporary pest house burned to the
ground. Consequently it became
necessary to procure other quarters,
and next day tents were procured,
set up on the uninclosed property of
the Greenwood Cemetery company,
which was cheerfully granted for
| that purpose. To one of these the
sick man was conveyed on the
night of the 18th. A competent
nurse accompanied him and re-
manned with him to the end ,.Dccu-
| plying another tent. Under the
treatment of the Health Officer the
patient lived until the evening of
| the Goth when he died, and was
buried not fifty yards from the tent
before daylight came again. Then
/ came the work of disinfecting the
J nurse and him who assisted i'm the
! burial of the deceased.
They were required to take down
and set up the hospital tent so as to
| inclose the ground it had occupied.
| The tent and cot were disinfected
as we'll as could be with burning
sulphur and chloride of zinc and left
Tor future use if needed. The nurses
| tent was then swept out and fur
nished with a rude rack on which
I all uninfiammable articles used
about the camp were placed, and
| subjected to the fumes of burning
sulphur and the tent itself closed as
/ tightly as possible, was saturated
! with solutions of chloride of zinc.
Next the men were reqired to go
inside this tent and inhale the fumes
of the burning sulphur until they
were thought to he well charged
with il; then, leaving the camp,
they were required to go to the run
ming stream close by, when they
were made TO scrub each other with
the strongest carbolized soap from
crown to toe, after which they were
rinsed OFF with pure water, finally
bathed in a mixture of suph. zinc
and chloride of Sodium, which was
allowed to dry upon them. Then
! they were dressed i'm fresh, clean
| garments which were carried out and
| placed conveniently for them, but
none of which were touched by
! them until after their personal dep
/ urntion WAS completed.
| Everything inllammable about
the camp, except The tents and the
cot, were burned, including the
shoes and hats worn by the men, SO
| that they returned to their families
| without Il thread or fiber of any
thing worn in the camp and with
! their persons thoroughly cleansed
AMI diSiniecied.
To-day an inspection of those I'M
der quarantine showed Ill well ;.ad
clean and cheerful. Vaccination
proved successful with all of them
who had not had smallpox, or var
ioIoid, or had been recently success
fully vaccinated.
Respectfully submitted,
| G.. w. BEAUMONT M. D.,
Health Officer.