The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1894-04-14
Entire Family of Nine Persons in
Three Small Rooms.
PITIABLE SIGHT TOLOOK AT
Small Pox Hospital in Chicago win Re
ceive No More Pstien,s-Bealth De
partment Can Do Nothing.

CHICAGO, April 9.-Stricken with small
pox and refused admission to the pest
house, the wife and three of the children
of Joseph Laskowski, of III Washtenaw
avenue, are quarantined in the squalid
rooms at their home, where the attend.
Ing physicians say that it is almost i'm
possible for them to recover.
The husband and four other children
are avoided by the neighbors and re.
fused even admittance TO the markets
of that vicinity, lest the knowledge of
their presence might drive their patrons
away. Not even for the 10.months-old
baby that for several days has be en-
lying at the point Of death can drop
of milk be procure d. Milkmen say If
they were seen stopping at the home of
the unfortunate family all their custo-
mers would learn of it and they would
have to go out of business.
The attending physician, DR.. Henry
Harms, found the family actually suffer
ing for food. The husband had lost his
employment as soon as it became known
there was smallpox at his home AL
most the last cent has been spent for
medicines. Those of the family that
have not yet been stricken with the dis
ease are not properly nourished, and
for this reason, it is feared, may yet
fall victims to the malady, despite the
fact that they have been vaccinated
during the past week.
Since 1t became known that smallpox
had made its appearance at the house
no person has entered the place except
DR.. Harms and an official from the
health department, who comes every
other day to fumigate the premises.
For the entire family of nine persons
there are only three rooms. In one of
these are the mother and the three
children that are sick. In another are
the father and the other four children.
The third room is used as a kitchen,
dining-room and Mushroom. The doctor
declares that he never saw a more pit
liable sight in his life than in that poor
home. The rooms must be kept warm
for the protection of the patients, and
the air in them is so sitting that the
physician says he finds it almost impos-
sible to remain long enough to attend
to the sick. The mother is too i'll to
care for the house or attend properly to
the children.
The first of the family to be stricken
was girl six years old. The parents,
being poor, did not at first call in a
physician, so they did not suspect the
child had smallpox until her body was
so covered with blotches that it was
unmistakable. Then DR.. Harms, was
sent for. He Immediately notified the
health department. That was two
weeks ago. He was told, he says, the
case would be attended to as soon as
possible. A day having passed and the
child still not removed to the pesthouse,
the doctor again notified the health de-
partment. An excuse was furnished
him for the delay in attending to the
case, and in the meantime a man was
sent to the house. He fumigated the
place and put up sign. Then the suf-
fering of the family began. The little
girl had become dangerously sick and
younger brother had also fallen i'll with
the disease.
DR.. Harms says he became persistent
in his demands on the health depart
ment and was given a final answer. He
was told there was no room in the pest
house and that it would be impossible
to care for the children. All the de-
partment could do was TO put up sign
on the house.
In such surroundings DR.. Harms found
it impossible to prevent contamination,
and thus the baby, and afterward the
mother, fell victims to the dread afiic-
tion.