New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-04-25
ST. STEPHENS HOME RAvAGED BY FEvERs.
gIFTEEN CHILDREN DOWN WITH TYPHUs-sCARLEr


AND TYPHOID FEvERS ALSO PREVALENT.
An endemic of typhus fever has broken out in
The ST Stephens Home for Children at No: 145
East ighth-st The institution is IN charge
vent from the home to the Riverside Hospital be-
tore the close of last week and they all had scarlet
fever. Ten little girls were taken to the Reception
HOSPITAL at the foot of East Sxteenth-st. on Mon-
day. They had been sent from the st; Stephens
Home on Saturday and Sunday to Bellevue HOS
pta and it thought that they also were suffer-
Inc from scarlet fever. From the Reception Hos
ptal they were transferred TO the Riverside hos
ptal under the care of Assistant Sanitary INSPECTOR
Chaplin. - ,,.,, ,oo, :,
his care on Tuesday and discovered that their dis
ease was typhus fever instead of scarlet fever. The
.ne w es to make it for physician mis-
take the nature OF their complaint. IT. Chap,i
went to the Sanitary bureau yesterday ana todd
for st. Stephens Home, IN company with d. Cnapln
and Assistant Sanitary Inspector NcChesney 10 ex,
anime the premises more carefully. The school
rooms and dormitories in the home were found IN
fair condition as to cleanliness and ventilation ana
there was no evidence of Over-crowdlng, which Is
dangerous where the fever gets foothold Dr. Day
and his assistants thought that the fever must have
been introduced into the home by some un.
known person who mad MID attack OF
the disease. Directions were given TO have the top
floor of the house where the ten children had slept
fumigated thoroughly and to have all the Deddng
removed and disinfected; Dr.. McChesney iOuhd
four girls and one boy who showed unmlstaka0e
sipns of typhus fever The five children were sent
Yesterday to the Riverside Hospital and placed in
The same ward with their ten former playmstes.
Dr. Day said yesterday afternoon that he did not
fear that the epidemic would assume dangerous
proportions. st. Stephens Home was examined
by Sanitary Engineer Nealis IN January. de then
reported in favor of several changes ID the plumbing
arrangements. DR.. Day said yesterday that he
thought some of the Engineers recommendations
had been complied with, while Others had.been neg
lected.
Sister Francis Xavier, who is at the head Of the
institution. was very reticent about the matter.
She said that every thing had been done to keep the
buildings in healthy condition and TO prevent the
spread of the disease She would not tell the num-
Der of children in the home but when asked II there
were $50 SAID that there might be that number.
DR. Thomas j. Kearney. of No. 1872 East Twenty
eighth-st., the physician who Is nearly always
called in case of sickness at the institution said in
regard to the typhus fever cases: have been ex-
pecing this thing for along time 1t has always been
wonder to me that there has not been more sickness
there before. The trouble comes from overcrowding
and from the fact that the institution Is composed
of private houses put to uses for which they
were not planned. The drainage has been kept in
good repair. the houses have been kept clean and
disinfectants have been judiciously used when
necessary. Ii has been impossible, however, TO
yentilate the crowded rooms properly. l have
spoken often TO those in charge Of the institution
about the danger of overcrowding. They have
followed all my directions, except this one, sats-
faofarilxU