Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1882-01-21
DISAqREEINa DOCTORS.
IL IS CONFLUENr SMALLPOX

And Seven Physicians So Pronounce It.
DIR. 5. T. Davis called at the INTEIH
GENCER office to-day, and expressing sur
prise at our statement that there was no
smallpox in town, made the following
statement
"On the 18th inst. notified tho board
of health, through James H. Marshall,
esq, a member of the same, that small
pox existed in our midst, so that the neces-
sary steps might be taken to prevent
further contagion.
"The facts connected with the scare
arc as follows On the evening Of the 10Th
Of the present month, about 10 o'clock,
Atlee Mercer, residing near the corner OF
North Christian and East Fulton streets,
came to my Office and with tears in his
eyes implOred me to visit his family whom
he reported were all sick with some erup
tive disease which he alleged was chicken
pox. i went with him to his house and
found his wife and one child just conval-
escing from varioloid, and four other chill
drcn suffering from the first stages Of the
disease, the oldest Of them since develop.
ing into q very bad case of continent
smallpox within the last three days, and
for whose recovery have but little hope.
yesterday DR.. G.. Fl. Brown, who is
not 4 member of the board of health, but
merely paid clerk of that body, invited
DIR. John w. Hess to visit Mr.. Mercer's
family for the purpose of deciding whether
l was right in prOnOuncing tho disease
smallpox or whether it was only chicken
pox. They investigated the matter, in
part by puncturing the vesicles, and con
clulled that, beyond doubt, the disease
was simply chickehpOx, Notwithstanding
the difference between the two diseases, as
they saw it, is as great as is the difference
between the two races of men, CaucasiOn
and African.
''The impression is left upon the public
mind that the board Of health appointed
this special committee and delegated it to
perform the important duty which gave
rise to the publication of your article, but
in justice to that honorable body whose
duty it is to take charge Of the sanitary
affairs of the city Of Lancaster, beg leave
to state that rs long as they have as one
Of their associates as eminent and efficient
a medical gentleman as DR.. Nj. L. Herr, it
is not probable that they wOuld cali upon
doctors outside Of the regular profession
who would so fagrantly violate one Of the
most important rules of ethics and pro
fessiOnal etiquette as to visit another prac-
titiOner's patients without first consulting
him to decide between case of chicken
pox and that much dreaded and loathsome
disease, continent smallpox"
Backed by Six Others.
DR.. Davis has also shown us q certificate
of his brother physicians, of which tho
is a copy :
g the Citizens of Lancaster
"This is to certify that we have this
day visited the house Of Atlee Mercer, re-
siding at No. SO East Fulton street, this
city, and after examining the members of
his family find that six of them have been,
or are now suffering from smallpox. and
one OF them is a marked case Of what is
known as continent, Or black smallpox.
"JNO. L. ATLEE, NJ. d.,
"M. l.. HERR, NJ. d.,
a. J. HERR, NJ. d..
"F. G. ALBRIGHT, NJ. d.,
"H. E. MUHLENBERG. NJ. d.,
"H. F. EBERMAN, NJ. d.