Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1883-05-07
ALL FROM IGNORANCE.
A Physician Causes the msrcsr
Smallpox ScOurgs
By Not Recognizing the Disease-He Spread;
the Infection Broadcast - Nearly
Forty Cases and Already
Ten Deaths.

The SUNDAY REGISTER of last week an.
nounced, exclusively, the terrible small
pex plague that has been ravagiEg Mercer
county, as communicated by DR.. Bee, in q
telegram to DR.. Reeves. Since that time, a
letter with details has been anxiouslV ex-
pected and yesterday it came. The situa'
ton is worse than was imagined and the
greatest excitement and alarm prevail.
ONE PHYSICIAN TO BLAME.
The blame OF the entire affair rests on
the shoulders of one physician, who
through inexperience, did not recognize
the dreao disease, and treated 1t as case
of chicken pox. He is himself now down
with the disease, and should it carry him
of, family may mourn, but the medical
fraternity will not lose bright and shin
ing light.
DR.. Bees letter is addressed to Or,
Reeves, Secretary of the State Board Of
Health and under date of May ), at Prince
ton, says:
Your question chow twenty cases OF
smallpox could exist in this county (Mer-
cer) before the presence of the disease was
discovered" is pertinent. About 80 miles
from Princeton, in an out of the way
neighborhood Of the county, it is reported
that tramp came along and stopped at
the house OF one Wade Blankinship. Soon
after this Blankinship sickened with an
eruptiye disease. 4 physician was called
to attend him, but never having had ex-
perience in the management OF smallpox,
and the family denying having had any
opportunity to contract the disease, the
doctor diagnosed and treated it as a
CASE OF CHIcHESPoX
without any precartion whatever, till in
twelve days he himself was stricken down
with the same disease, when its true char
acter was first discovered. This physician,
in his rounds among his patients, commu'
nicated the disease to several families.
Blankinshlp, the first patient attacked,
died; and during his sickness and at his
funeral more than one hundred and eighty
persons had an opportunity to contract the
disease.
Since the existence of the disease was
discovered in this county, the most vlgor-
Gus efforts have been made to arrest its
spread. Thirty-slx cases are reported to-
day in Mercer and
TEN DEATHS HAVE ALREADY OCCURRED.
The situation is appalling. We have not
thus far been able to secure enough nurses,
but this difficulty will soon be remedied.
We have appointed vigilance committees
all over the country, have yaccinated as
many as we can, have quarantined all per-
sons that have been attacked by or exposed
TO the disease-in fact We have done all that
is possible to prevent the spread OF the
disease"
The local board OF health is composed OF
Hon. Isaiah Bee, NJ. d., DR.. o. ]. Woods,
and A. c. Davidson, Esq. DR.. Gabriel Nc
Donald, member of the State Board for
that Congressional District has been COM
muniCated with concerning the situation in
Mercer county and this, together with in
structions, sent by both telegraph and let
ter, from the central Office OF the secretary,
and the vigilance OF the local board Of
health, it is hoped will ensure public conf
dence in that county, in the efforts OF the
health authorities TO stamp cut the dis
ease.
SCARCITY OF VACCINE MATTER.
Complaint is made that the vaccine mat
ter received from the agent in the Third
District is not in sufficient quantity to sup
ply the demand. The grateful thanks have
been returned by DR.. Bee to DR.. Reeves
and DR.. Harvey for the liberal quantity or
vaccine matter sent from this city.
Mercer county is in an out OF the way
region, cut off from telegraph and railroad
communication, and the details were thus
detained. When they become known
throughout the State, the position Of that
intelligent doctor will not be an enyiable
one.