The evening world., 1894-05-29
CAN'T PUNISH THE DOCTORS.
Fourth Ward Physicians Didn't
Intend to Conceal Small-Poz.
Seven New Cases Discovered by the
Health Authorities.

While the circumstance seem 10 inii.
cate that tho physicians who attended
the CJnCealp1 cases ~ smallpox In tHc
lower end OF the Fourth Ward about
two weeks ago. are guilty Of gross neg
ligence. aud are IN n great measure re-
spunsiLle FOR the spread OF the contaRion
In that neighbprhool. DIR. Duty, CHIEF of
the Bureau Of Contagious Diseases. dc
clarcs that the Board OF Health is pow
crle4a In the matter OF plnisninS the Of
| tenders.
The physicians. Or Doty declares, arc
only TECHNICALLY guilty Of n violation of
the law, and therefore any attempt to
crim!nally prosecute them would un-
duubtedIy fan.
The several physicians who were sum
moned before the Board Of Health to
explain why they had failed to report
smallpox cases for which they had
prescribed stated in every instance that
they were uncertain as 10 the nature OF
OF the disease. They all declared that
they had only been called once before the
appearance ~ any eruptions. 4 prescrip-
ton Vas left, which was filled at some
nearby drug store by some relative. OF
the patient, ard perhaps no other visit
was ever made by any physician to the
The accused physicians also pleaded
that there was no object for them to
a.,empt to S?nc'a, the ne f rs n,e 'r waTe Inc inc
to tS' eyen pay ror thS medicine prescribed,
much les' the professional services.
This explanation was partially corrobo-
rated by ths discovery Of several Conva-
lescent patients who had been treated
and nnrsed by. members OF the family
the knowledge of even. other families in
he same tenement. In that way the
disease was spread to numerous families.
Had 1t not peer for a houss.toIhouse
Inspectors, prompted by the persistency
with which cases developed In the lower
end of tho ward. there would u~ndoubted-
y have been an charming outbreak OF
the disease. and scores of patients
where there are now comparatively few.
Notwithstanding the especial precau-
cases continue to crop out in the viein;;
tenements down along the river-front
towards Battery Park; But the disease,
epidemic. and there need be no fear OF
any considerable spread, AS the ward Is
kept under the closest surveillance by
an increased corps of inspectors.
found. One OF tho patients, Mimi,
kuger. t~wenty-one years old. Of Sc Jane,
tasious Diseases during the afternoon
and said she feared she had smallpox
An ambulance very opportunely hap
pened to be passing and the patient wa
Very luckily the crowds of people wht
visit the Bureau daily to have tibet
children .~vaccinated. a thinned dowr
to n half dozen or less. none OF whom
x was found, had come In contact. witt
the infected visitor. However. the uild
INK was iisInfected as soon as the pa
tient vas removed.
Other cases sent to North Brother Isl
and were Charles Englehardt. thirty-si'
years old. OF 232 Park Row. who wa
taken from Bellevue Hospital. where h
had gone for treatment: John Lavery
twenty-five years old, OF 81 oak street
|, old, from the New York D~ispensary. an,
Amerigo Caponingro. nineteen years old
Of 81 Madison street.
: Ralph Mirror. two years old, OF 80
= West Thirty-sixth street. and Thoma
: Columbus. fifteen years old, of 80 Ga
street, were also reported suffering fror
j. smallpox this morning. They were re
moved TO North Brother Island.