Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1884-12-11
That Epidemic.
The Death Rayages in Eastern
Kentucky and Western Vir-
ginia.
The Mortality Alarmingly Great
and Still Prevails.


Courier Journal says: THE further
travel into this plague-lnfected coun-
try the more horrible becomes the
situation and the more [ wonder that
the entire population, or at least that
pertien of it which have been attacked
by the prevailing epidemic, have not
been swept into the world beyond.
From the sources from which | conf
IDENTIFY expected some valuable and
full information, / have been almost
invariably disappointed, and | am
able to write of the situation clearly
only after conversations with half the
citizens of the town and with men
from all parts of the county, who are
here from distances ranging all the
way from five to forty miles to secure
supplies and have grinding done.
The water mills in this county, as in
most of the mountain counties, are
useless, because of the scarcity of
water, and the steam mill here is pat
ronized by families living far and
near.
The first gentleman | met to-day
who could give me any definite state
ment regarding the ravages of the
disease was Mr.. w. r. Jones, who
has travelled extensively in this liar
LAM county within the past few weeks.
He says the infection has been wide
spread and very fatal, and that since
its appearance has resulted in at least
fifty deaths, all the sickness in the
county being on those portions of
Clover Fork, Poor Fork. and Greasy,
Brownies and Buckets creeks running
through it. The nature of the disease
does not vary from the diagnosis
given in former letters. In this
county, however, the victims have
almost all been children. only about
one out Of ten being adults.
AN AUTHORITIVE ESTIMATE
From all sources of information |
am able to make the following est
mate, which may be relied upon as
being as nearly correct as any that
could be made without personal
visit TO every house in the county.
There have been since the
latter part of August,
over 200 deaths, and of these at least
one.half have died from hux or chol-
era infantum, sUperinduced by the use
of impure water. There have been
about 200 eases of sickness known to
be fux, and large amount of illness
from other causes, especially among
children, such as whooping cough,
bronchitis, summer complaint, enc,
in many cases complication OF these
diseases existing.
M. Il a in
burying ground on the streams above
named, and the dry summer is, IN the
opinion of almost every man with
whom l have met and talked, respon-
siblo for the unusual and alarming
mortality. The county has but about
5000 Inhabitants, and one IN every
twenty of these, baslng the average
on the estimate above given, have
died. The spring and summer up to
the latter part of August, were un-
usually healthy, then the sickness be-
gan, and since then ninety per cent.
of the deaths have occurred.
In this county, as in Bell, l learn
that a prejudice against doctors exists.
Some of the people believe, as firmly
as they believe in Divine Being, that
when a doctor enters their door death
stalks beside him. How much truth
there is in their superstition | will not
pretend 70 say. In some instances 1t
is probable they would die either with
or wit. ont medical aid. 1t is notice
able that among those who refuse 1T
the death rate IS always the largest,
vet there are some of these bucolic
physicians who would lose every case
they took through ignorance of their
profession These mountain counties
do not afford a princely, or even a
pleasant or comfortable livelihood,
therefore competent doctors are not
often met with. Some of them have
only a smattering of medicine
cleaned from the books which find
their way into the mountains, and
positively no practical knowledge of
tie mysteries of the art of healing. L
take the responsibility for this state
nlent on my own shoulders, and If
necessary can back it up with Facts so
indisputa BILE that a question of their
truthfulness could not be raised.
A DOCTORS DIAGNOSIS
| met and talked with DR.. Blair, of
this place, this morning. He is a
young man, and has, l understand,
considerable practice, being, with one
exception. the ouly physician in the
county. He is of the opinion that re-
cent rains and frosts have had a ten
dency to abate the epidemic, the viru-
lence of which, he thinks, is governed
by the temperature. If the weather
becomes about uniform night and
day, the disease decreases, but cold
nights and warm days are inclined TO
give II new impetus. | also asked
nina about the treatemnt of the disease.
Ipecac has been, until recently, the
principal ingredient of the prescrip
tons given by hiR, but cholera
cure. consisting of 2 drachms OF chin
chons, 2 drachms of nitric acid, 2
drachms of sweet spirits of Nitro, and
) ounces of epson salts, the whole
diluted with quart of distilled wa
ter. has been used with more success
than anything yet tried. This is
given in doses ranging in size from
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