The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-01-26
IS IT JAIL Or PEST-HOUSE /?
Three More Cases of Smallpox Reported
from the County Prison.
ileged PrisOner-Dr. Elder Indignant
at DR.. Henthorne.

Three additional cases of smallpox were devel-
oped i'll the county Jail yesterday, and the pris
oners, Martin Cannon, John Glenn, and Fortner
Hawkins were sent to the pest-house. These
cases were anticipated on Thursday, but not re-
ported until yesterday. The authorities do not
apprehend very extensive spread of the dis
ease there. ~ 81.
It was discovered yesterday that DR.. Hen
thorne, smallpox physician, was in the habit of
coming down town wearing the same clothes
that he had on while attending the
patients in the pest-house and this
fact created great CONSERVATION especially in
the board of health Office where the Doctor was
temporarily engaged When DR.. Elder heard of
it he gave Henthorne lecture that he is not
likely to forget soon, telling him that repetition
of the offense would lose him his position.
The health officers report that Charles Patter-
son, who is supposed to be serving time at the
Jail for assault and battery with intent to kill,
slept three nights last week in well known
house of ill-fame, which is about to be quarran
tined in consequence thereof. The kindness of
Sheriff Hess in allowing his prisoners all the
privileges and immunities of polite society can
not be too highly commended, but it is attended
with great danger to the community at large
Jack Burke, prisoner at the station house,
showed evidences of illness on Thursday night,
and was promptly isolated by Surgeon Hodges,
who, upon thorough investigation yesterday
morning, detected symptoms of smallpox and
ordered his removal to the City Hospital where
he will be kept completely isolated from every
one until the case is proven Enthusiastically to be
smallpox, in which event he will be transferred
to the pest-house
DR.. Elder, the executive officer of the State
Health Board is exasperated over the gross dis
regard of the quarantine restrictions. Every
possible precaution has been taken by the health
officers to prevent spread of the disease" he
says, ''and yet the quarantine rules have been
violated in many ways. Prisoners under quaran-
tine in Jail have been permitted to go about the
city and spend hours in the most intimate asso-
citation with persons susceptible to the disease;
man with a fully-developed case of smallpox is
sent through the Streets to public Office, by a
City Dispensary physician, and hundreds
of people are exposed to the disease.
and an even more surprising and exasperating
violation of the quarantine is the conduct of the
pestho physician in appearing in public wear
ing the infected clothing worn during his at
tendance upon the diseased patients. 1t seems
that everything has combined to weaken the af-
fectiveness of the quarantine"
In speaking of the cards of DR.. Carver and DIR.
Swain denying the accusations of indiscretion
and carelessness, Dr. Elder said that they were
correct in their statements, with one exception.
The matter was worse than had been stated. 1t
was true that the dispensary physicians did none
of the vaccinating at the jail. In regard to the
case of McDerby, however, he says that
Dr. Swain, after pronouncing the disease
smallpox, took the sick man to the feed store of
Councilman Newcomb on Massachusetts avenue
to obtain written order for his admission to the
hospital. Mr. Newcomb was not in the store at
the time, and after being ordered to leave the
premises by the young man who was there at
the time Swain and his patient waited about the
place until Councilman Newcomb arrived. The
sick man was afterward sent back to the Friendly
Inn, with orders to get to the hospital in what
ever way he could, and by the superintendent of
the Inn he was sent to the Office of the city
Board of Health, with letter stating that the
dispensary physician had pronounced his illness
smallpox Before he finally reached the pest
house, the sick man had probably come in close
contact with hundred or more persons, and the
results of this exposure may result seriously
The conduct of DR.. Henthorne in wearing in
public the clothing infected with the dis
eases of the pesthouse, is de-
nounced by DR.. Elder as wholly inexcusable
1T was very surprising that DR.. Henthorne
should do such a thing" Dr. Elder says ''and
could not believe that he would be guilty of s1ch
conduct until he admitted the accusation to me-
We have been very good friends and have had
a great deal of confidence in him, but his con
duct in this matter is inexcusable" In answer
officers had not been guilty of the same offense
DR.. Elder replied that they had not been exposed
to contagious infection of the disease, except
in fumigating the house on Fourth street and
then they had made change of clothing.