The Big Stone post. (Big Stone Gap, Va.) 1890-1892, 1891-04-24
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THE SMALL P0X SCARE.
An Illustration Of the Damage that Ke-
suits from q Report that never
Should have been Put in
Circulation.

Circulation.
Some three or four weeks ago the ply
stefan attending the railroad hands DIS
covered two suspicious cases of disease
among crew of five Or six hands, VINO
occupied box car fitted up with hunks.
He concluded the men had variooid. The
cor was fumigated and removed, and the
patients put in a shanty, some five or SIX
miles from the city If their cases were
sufficiently suspicious to arouse apprehen-
sions Of small pox, they should have been
isolated, guard employed to prevent per-
sons from coming in contact with them,
and here the matter should have ended,
without needless publicity, certainly until
there was conclusive evidence that the
men had small pox and that there was
danger Of its spread.
But the entire city has been agitatcd
by the active circulation of the report,
and by handblls, purporting to be issued
"by order of the city council" urging
everybody to apply cat once" to one of
our physicians to be vaccnatcd.
The result has been that the report has
spread in every direction, gaining in pro-
portions as it went and CARRYING constcr-
nation with it, Judge Maury got let
ter from friend in Abingdon urging him
to fly to that place for refuge and safety.
a dispatch was received from Nashville
asking if it was safe to come to the Gap;
at Bristol it was reported we had nine
malignant cases, and Lee county has been
up in arms to stop even the railroad trains
from passing through.
Now, so far as known, there has not
been q single case even Of varioloid in
Wise county, and it is still doubtful if the
cases in Lee county were small poX.
There has certainly been no case at the
Cap. The man who was taken at Bristol
had not been working iii Wise county as
reported, and besides, he had been i'll
Bristol ten days, occupying dirty attic,
had been working at different places; and,
one statement is that he came from New
York and not Big Stone Gap.
It is quite certain that this city has
been damaged to the extent of many
thousands of dollars. People have been
deferred from coming here, and it is known
that party of capitalists who were
on their way here to make investments,
heard the report and turned back.
There is no danger of the spread of the
disease anywhere at this season. Should
case occur in the heart of the city ord-
nary precautions would prevent contagion.
There is hardly large city in the United
States in which there are not some cases
the year round Yet, it is kept under con-
troll even in the most densely populated
districts.
No one living in u city feels alarm at
the presence OF case square or two
away. Yet here the city has allowed
itself to be excited by the appearance Of
two cases, supposed to be variolod, five
miles away.
History and Symptoms OF Small Fox.
Though the origin of small pox is in
volved in Obscurity, it seems quite certain
that it was first imported into Europe from
Asia, where it was known from remote an
tiquity. 1t is one OF the most contagious
of diseases, and the fact that persons have
once had it does not always exempt them
from its recurrence. While the symptoms
are preceded by period of incubation
NdTyluS lfOUl tci " loQItccit uulI(lS
which the patient may or may not COM
plain, in case of direct incubation from
impure vaccine matter or otherwise, it is
considerably shorter The patient then
has severe rigor followed by the first
fever, in which the temperature rises to
103 or l04 degrees,o or even higher. A quick
pulse with thirst and constipation, intense
headache, accompanied with vomiting
pain in the back are among the most and
characteristic Of the initial symptoms.
Sometimes the disease is ushered in by
commissions. Some writer's on the subject
hold that the more violent the invasion,
the more fatal the attack is likely to prove.
These symptoms continue for about two
DAYS, and during their course there may
be occasionally noticed on various parts
Of the body, especially on the lower part
Of the abdomen and inner sides of the
thighs, diffuse redness accompanied by
slight spots, like those that appear i'll
scarlet fever. On the the third day the
eruption makes its appearance, and is
generally seen first on the face, particu-
larly about the forehead and roots of the
hair in the form of sutfused rcdneSs and
on the surface may be felt elevated points
or bumps more Or less thickly set together.
The eruption is accompanied by intense
heat and itching and spreads over the
body.
The proper treatment consists in placing
the patient on soft bed in n well vcnti-
lated but darkened room, the best food
being milk soups and the lighter dishes
The skin should be sponged occasionally
with tepid water and the mouth and throat
washed with q solution Of chlorate of
potash and in severe cases stimulants
may be used. The patient should be
carefully watched as delerium is likely to
occur.
Circumstances Modify.
Globe emocrat.)
In town up North an ex-Judge is cashier OF a bank