The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1886-10-22
WE ALLRaRp EpIpEMIo
OF typhoid Fever ut Bsnwood-A Card
from DIR. Eskey,
u Ne hllior Of ue IalelIlalor,

from DIR. EskeT
10 ne Eliior Of ths LRlslligaeE,
slR;-lu defense Of our city OF Ben
wood and in defense Of the truth, 1t seems
as II some statement should be made Of
the real character and cause OF the sick
ness in the city,
A great many exaggerated statements
have been made OF the "great typhoid 10.
yer epidemic" raging in Bsnwood- some
OF the doctors with sixty, seventy and
even o hundred cases. We have been Civ
ing our whole attention TO the practice Of
medicine, and y careful observation Of the
sanitary condition Of the city, and We be.
lieve that no one knows, Its sanitary coz
dition and the health OF It's cliiz ms better
than We do, and from our observations We
believe that 1t would be an over estimate
to say that there have been twenty-five
true cases Of typhoid fever in the last two
months,
BY two simple statements we can prove,
beyond doubt, to thinking people, aud
to the medical profession, that We are
correct Flrat,. among about eighty peo,
pie whom we have treated for disturbed
digestion and fever, about sixEy,6ve have
gotten well within two weeks, and among
the remaining cases some have bsen sick
. little longer, and some have true typhoid
fever,
But more convincing than what has
been said, Ia the fact that but one death
has occurred among this lumber, and
there was q constitutional condition more
potent than the fever In causing that
death.
These observations, coupled with the
TACT that there have been but four deaths
in all, from this fever, is sufficient to
prove to the medical profession the cor
rectness OF our position,
Some OF the newspaper comments upon
this "Gre0t Epidemic" have seemed to
reflect In an indirect way upon the
Wheeling Steel Works as the source
from which has originated this "terrible
fever" Webelieve that most OF the citI-
zsns oil Bsnwood have at some timo
within the past month taken a drink
from the public we'll Of the Wheeling
Steel Works, and 1t can be readily seen
how easily thia simple fever can be traced
10 this source.
We fad that the truc typhoid fever is
pretty evenly distributed over this city.
A careful auslysis oi the water Of the we'll
spoken Of was made by Mr.. Cato, the
chemist Of the works, and but very little
matter OF an organic character found
init.
There Is another source from which this
tsysr may have Its origin, and let us con.
slider the matter. We have been Citizsn
Of Benwood for twelve years, and iu all
that time we do not remember ever to
have known such dense iogs and heavy
mlsts TO hang over ihs city as have been
seen and felt for the last month in the
early mornings, The workmen about
these works arc especially exposed 10 this
fog and mist. The fever that we are
troubled with is very susceptible to the
action OF qulnine, aud may we not believe
that II Is malarlal fever having It's source
In this heavy damp atmosphere aud which
with tue coming Of cold weather will en-.
tirely disappear2 We write these obser.
vattong to deiend the city from the false
and hurliuI Impressions that have gone
abroad with regard to the matter.
... LEONARD EsKRY,
Health Officer.
BenWOOd, Oct1ber 81 1894.