St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1893-02-09
SANTA 1IoN AT SOUTH HALL.
A Letter in Retaliation of Certain Rumor

The following letter explains itself,
bearing as it does upon a subject OF
special interest to all our people;
EDITOR CALEDoNlAN.--ln view of the
fact that fallacious and misleading
rumors are current in this and surround
ing towns, in regard to the sanitary con-
dition of the ST. Johnsbury Academy, l
wish to comply with request to give
the real status of affairs through the
medium of your paper.
September 10, 1892 Twas called to see
Mr.. Dwight, a student at South Hall,
found temperature 104 and every indica-
ton that he had been suffering from ty-
phoid fever for about week. The next
day he was removed to the Club House ad-
jacent, in which reside d. Grant and
family and Mr.. Lockwood and family.
Dwights nurse, Mr. Bragg, and aunt,
Miss Griswold, boarded with Mr.. Lock-
wood Dwight ran through regular
course of typhoid, and at its termination
was taken with chills, which ! diagnosed
as malarial, he having contracted that
disease near his home, Constantinople.
This finally yielded to anti-malaral
treatment and he made good recovery.
Dwight began to have symptoms Of
typhoid about a week after his arrival in
st. Johnsbury so that he must have con-
tracted the fever elsewhere seems newt
able.
In this connection it may be Of interest
to note, that Dwight spent the summer
at Montpelier with his uncle, Dr. Board
man. who had typhoid few months
previously.
Two weeks after Mr. Dwights illness
began, his roommate, Mr.. Goodhue,
came to me with headache, fever, etc.
We Immediately notified his parents,
and they requested he be sent home. A
few hours later Prof Dakin gave him
over to the care Of his father at Bellows
Falls. These two cases constitute all the
typhoid fever in any off the buildings ofSt
Johnsbury Academy, and only one of
them ran through the disease here, also
there were none in the family of Mr..
Grant with three children, and Mr.. Lock-
wood with three children, where Dwight
was sick
1t has come to my attention lately
that some have claimed Miss Annie
Grant had typhoid This is decided
mistake. Miss Grant had dysentery, a
typical case. Moreover, carried this
same patient through typhoid some ten
years ago which should settle that point.
And is it not strange, il the st. Johns
bury Academy is in such an unsanitary
condition, we cannot find case Of ty-
phoid originating there
Dwight did not get it there and Good
hue, without doubt, got it by sleeping
with Dwight-just as Dujardin Beaumetz,
the eminent French physician, claims is
often the case
There have been no cases in the Club
House, and since October, when Dwights
typhoid terminated, now nearly 4
months, no new cases at the Academy,
while all the time it has been cropping
out in the village
Certainly it speaks volumes for the
thorough disinfection practced-
that the plumbing wasnot at fault seems
to go without saying However, compe-
tent persons have examined the plumb
ing twice without detecting anything
wrong.
Still another point. OF the numerous
students who come in on trains and
spend on an average six hours daily at
the Academy not one has contracted the
disease.
We trust these facts will be sufficient
to allay the fears of any who have heard
the grossly exaggerated reports about
typhoid fever.
Principal Putney has invited all to
come and see for themselves, and if
parents could see as have, the tender
solctude and watchful care Mr.. Putney
has exercised over those entrusted to his
care, they would be relieved of great
anxiety.
Sincerely yours,
JAMES X. NELSON, M. D.
st. Johnsbury, VT, Feb. 7, 1893.