The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-11-28
Oh. LEssEr Is SET FREE.
His Brother says IL Was chicken-Pox
DR.. KlOoberss OuiniOn.

LIZ AAOOU0F-o OVA0AO0s
DR.. 1. N. Lessey, who was confined for
tWenty-one days in the pesthouse on the
ground that he was suffering from small
p0x, was released yesterday. and returned
to his residence in the Hull building on
Front street. He has been thoroughly dis
infected, and has put on new clothes, but
does not yet know what disease he has had.
His forehead and body are slightly pittsd.
He says that he was only sick in bed for .
week, and for twelve days has been up aud
around the building, almost ~ strong as
ever, but the health officer would not al
low him to return home until the twenty
one days had expired.
The most unpleasant feature Of his con.
finement, he says, was that he was unable
to get the daily papers. He only received
one newspaper and consequent Is three
weeks behind the times. He Iunched with
his landlord. Alonxo HUI, and spent the
evening in visiting.
Dr.. J. y. Koeber, who was called In to
decide whether the disease from which DR..
Lesley was suffering was smallpox or
chicken.pox. has received letter, dated
November 10, from the patients brother,
sam H. Lessey. Of Birmingham, Conn.,, in
which he says:
Alter reading your diagnosis OF the disease in
the Seattle paper. became strongly convicted
that you were about right; not from any medi-
cal knowledge OF my own. bat from the probar
biiity arising from the combination OF circum.
stances In the first place, my brother never
had the chicken-pox. nor had he. In my own
memory or my mothers, ever been exposed to
It. EEuptve diseases he has always had In .
very severe and pronounced form, particularly
- far - the eruption 10 concerned. Myself ana
two sisters had the chicken-pox before
he was born, and IN the case Of my
younger sister the eruption was
such g to create discussion among the physi.
pronounce IL smallpox. We were living at the
time In New York city. and tho matter was only
settled By summontng Professor LoOmis, then of
Bellevue. who diagnosed IL - chicken-pox A.
my brother was 20 thoroughly exposed to
chicken-pox Just previous to his eruption, and
there had been no smallpox or varioloid in that
vicinity for eighteen months or more. It seems
70 me that Is should have been diagnosed with
great cauttousness. The board Of health should
= least hsye moved TN . manner that was
least lfkoly 70 attrsCt public notice. and even II
IL had been necessafy TO have removed him, Il
could have been done without waving the red
nag, and Jet have kept in mind every precau-
ton for the public safety. They should also
have remombered the more important fact that
emit upon public caprice, and that some words
even whispered, can make or mar patronage
the latter By for the more easily.
In an interview with a Posr.INrKLLr.
GEEcER reporter Dr.. Kloeber said: II saw
DR.. Lessey today after his release, ana the
few pits saw on his forehead are not
worthy Of tho name Of pits. Two or three
of the marks are not pits. have patient
who has two or three pits for every one DR..
Lessey has, and while DR.. Lesseys are
only indistinctly marked, this young man
has the most distinct marks. Yet this
man has only chicken-pox, and in three or
four weeks will have very indistinct marks.
In six months there viii be no trace of any
pits on DR.. Lessey's face.
81 am the more convinced that 1t was
chicksn-pox because Mr.. Hull has large
had been vaccinated up to the time of ex.
posure. Those children had free ingress to
DR.. Lessey's room and were with him
during his sickness until he was removed
from the house. On the Tuesday that he
was removed was called in to vaccinate
those children, Mr.. Hull himself supply
ing me with vaccine points which he
had had for over year and
from which l got no results,
so that the children today are
unvsccinated. In addition to this there
were outsiders, many Of whom were pa
tents, and patients of DR.. Lessey's, who
went to his Office professionally, and esps-
cially one of these was brought in personal
contact, this party being unvaccinated. So
far ali of them have enjoyed immunity
from his so-called infectiye case of
smallpox. DR.. Lessey was there from
Friday to Tuesday, and on Sunday
went down town, but there have been
no cases even of chicken-pox, which can
trace directly to him. Yet smallpox is one
of the most infectious diseases. Breathing
the air of the same room or the slightest
personal contact will convey infection.
Where there Is q case of smallpox, there is
always history OF infection and there are
very few unvaccinated peope who emily
immunity from the infection of this disease.
1.-THE fact that DIR. Lessey's sister had
had chicken-pox points to the same history.
Professor LOOMS is one of the most ex-
pert diagnosticians in this country, and q
man whose opinion in q case is always
considered final. The family history shows
q strong hereditary disposition to severe
erup.iye diseases, which is only another
link to the completion Of the chain to prove
that my diagnosis was correct"
DR.. Kloeber contemplates Withdrawing
from the King County Medical Society IN
consequence of its undertaking to diagnose
DR.. Lessey's case without seeing the pa
tent.
The Northern Pacino overland tran leaving
Seattle as 2 p m, on and afer September LIT,
viii rum solid via Garrison, Butte and Logan,
Montana Union will make close connections Is
Garrison with overland trains leaving seattle 6
6:io a m. for Butte, Anaconda, Deer Lodge and
all trains for east bound passengers % Montana
Union p0infk