Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-02-20
MATERA STILL ALIVE,
But the, Attack of Typhus Has AS
sumed a More Malignant Form.
HARD TO ENFORCE QUARANTINE,
Because the Italians Refuse to Believe in the
Dread Disease.
SEARCH FOR THE OTHER INMIGRANTS

Angelo Matera, the italian who is con-
fined to little back room at No. 1135 Penn
avenue with typhus, was worse yesterday.
The unfortunate was in stupor all day and
the greatest difficulty was experienced in
feeding him He is being nursed by his
cousin, Mr.. Blase, who lives in the house.
All connection between the sick room and
the other apartments has been closed. The
floor and the walls of the room have been
sprinkled with disintectants to prevent, if
possible. the spreading of the dreaded dis
ease, and the nurse is compelled to enter
the sickroom bv way of a fire escape.
1t has been difficult to quarantine the
sick man, as the Italians who live in the
house contended that the man was suffering
only from cold and they refused to believe
that he had been stricken with typhus.
They argued that because he had been
passenger on the infected ship Massalia, he
had not necessarily contracted the disease.
His Wife Sent Back to Italy.
Investigation has developed the fact that
Matera's wife and several of his companions
were stricken with the disease OF
board the ship and that they were re-
turned to their foreign homes by the
New York authorities. This condition has
convinced the authorities that Matera could
hardly have escaped contracting the disease
and at their instance the occupants of the
house have been shut off from the sick room
and the place is being renovated and
cleaned up.
'The patient is verv sick man, Dr.
Mover, the attending physician, said last
night. 81 am not yet able to say whether
he will recover OF not. L have peen watch
ing the case closely and it will require at
least another day to determine whether OF
not he will pull through. Matera was be-
fore lis sickness powerful man and was in
good condition to stand a severe attack of
sickness, but he is growing weaker every
day."
The small sores that develop on the body
of typhus patient have not yet shown up
in the case of Matera. He is continually
burning up with high fever, however, and
when he occasionally awa6es from the
stupor he talks lncoherently
Still Looking for the Other Passengers.
Superintendent Baker and his assistants
are still at work looking for other eases
which, it is believed, came to Pittsburg
with Matera They have been unable to
locate anv other case. The italian and
Hungarian quarters in the city have been
JuSpcClcu, DuI uOlulHS VI IHtCICoL HAS uE-
veloped by the inquiry. Matera still con-
tends that he came alone from New York.
The presence of typhus in Pittsburg has
revived the talk Of a citv hospital for malig-
nant and infectious diseases. The city
authorities, however, say they will make no
move in the direction of such an institution
at this time. They say the law protects the
city against the sending of such cases here.
and they believe that any expense incurred
by the city in the treatment of Matera can
be collected either from the Government, or
the authorities of New York who allowed
the sick men TO land under the circum-
stances.
Immigrant Inspector Layton said vester-
day that the case of typhus demonstrated the
need of a city hospital, for just such cases.
None of the city hospitals will admit per-
son suffering from any malignant disease
and when stranger is taken sick here, no
matter how much money he may nave, he
must walk the street, in that way spreading
the disease, or else go to some other city for
shelter and treatment.