Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-10-23
SMALLPOX is FEARED.
The Deadly ScOurge is Ravaging the
Fair Islands of Lake Erie.
1T is EXPECTED In PITTSBURG.
Doctors Ordered by the Board of Health to
Yaccinate Children.
DIPRTHERIA CASES EXAGGERATED

The prevalence of zymotic diseases at
present is alarming the residents OF several
wards, and added to this there is said to be
grave apprehensions of visitation of small
pox during the coming winter, which is the
season in which it spreads more rapidly.
Captain Thomas Baker. of the Bureau OF
Health, gives the following returns for scar
let fever and diphtberis for the last two
days: Monday, case of diphtheria in the
Twelfth ward, / in the Thirteenth, 2 in the
Fifteenth, in the Sixteenth and cases of
scarlet fever, case of diphtheria in the
Eighteenth, / in the Twenty-ninth and 8 of
scarlet fever and / diphtheria in the Four
teenth.
Yesterday there were diphtheria eases in
the Sixth ward, 2 in the Seventh and 1 of
scarlet fever, L of diphtheria in the Fifteenth,
i in the Twelfth, 3 in the Seventeenth and 3
Of scarlet fever and 2 of diphtheris in the
Sixteenth.
vAcCINATING INFANTS.
The Board of Health is alive to the small
pox situation, and, consequently, have noti-
6ed the various authorized physicians to
begin the work of vaccination for their
wards. DR.. Fife, who has held the position
in the Seventeenth and Tenth wards for ten
years, said yesterday to a DISPATCH re-
porter: There is every likelihood of a
smallpox epidemic reaching Pittsburg this
coming winter. The health authorities con-
slider the matter in a serious light, because
they have given peremptory notice to the
physicians to vaccinate the infants in their
wards. The islands on Lake Erie are
ravaged by this dread disease at present.
The health authorities east and west have
set up q quarantine in that section of the
country in the hope of staying the progress
of smallpox, but the indications are that
Pittsburg will be visited before the close of
the winter. Every precaution is being
taken by the health people to prevent an
epidemic if it does reach the city. Up to
the present time, however, 1 have not heard
of smallpox case in the neighborhood.
For the last ten days / have vaccinated
large number of infants and youths.'
The doctor said further that after an infant
has once been vaccinated it is hardly nee
essary to perform the operation again. He
says that second inoculation is very rarely
successful.
THE REPORTS EXAGGERATED.
The doctor states that Lawrenceville is re-
markably free from diphtheria and scarlet
fever. He declares the reports have been
grossly exaggerated as to the prevalence of
the disease in Bloomfield. He said he had
heard of a few cases and these had not all
proved fatal.
DR.. j. J. Covert said: "Many of the
cases reported in Bloomfield as diphtheria
haven't any semblance to the disease. The
patients that attended have merely an ul-
cerated sore throat. Often the ulcers would
be the size of mans finger nail. Not one
of them had the symptoms or the results of
diphtheria. The malsdy in Bloomfield is
exaggerated sore throats. The report that
the disease is in Lavrenceville is wrong.
This part of the town is very healthy and
no one need be alarmed
DR.. Sands states also that the Bloomfield
diphtheria report is fearfully stretched. He
admits there are few cases there, but not
sufficient to cause alarm. He saws he has
two scarlet fever patients in LswrencevilIe
but the neigbborhood at large is free from,
contagious or infectious diseases.
The Bureau of Health's weekly mortuary
report, issued yesterday, shows that there
were Sc deaths in the city for the week end
ing Saturday. This is 8 less than the pre-
ceding week, but 13 more than during the
corresponding week in 1885, The maladies
causing the greatest number of deaths were:
Diphtheria, 13; typhoid fever, ID, and
Group, with 10 cases. Pneumonia caused
deaths and alcoholic poisoning 8. Of the
total, 40 were natives of this city and IL
were from other parts of the United States.
The East End leads in the number of deaths.
having 42, the Southside had 20, and the
Old City IA