The evening world., 1894-05-29
CAN'T PUNISH THE DOCTORS.
Fourth Ward Physicians Didn't
Intend to Conceal Small-Po1
seven New Gases Discovered by the
Health Authorities.

While the circumstances seem TO Ind
ate Thai, The physicians who attended
IN" concealed cases " small poS IN the
lower md o, tho Fourth Ward about
TWO weeks ago. ara GUILTY OF gross neg
ligeHr". au1 are In u great measure re-
sponsih.c fnr the spread OF the c~ontagiJn
In that neighnorhuui, lr Noty, ChIet OF
the Bureau ot Contagious Diseases, de-
clares that the Board Of Health IL pow
crlcrs in the matter OF Furnishing the of.
tenders.
The physicians. pr. Doty declares, are
only TECHNICALLY guilty Of a violation OF
the law. n therefore any attempt 10
crlminally prosecute them would I'm
douhtc Iy fail.
The several physicians who wer" sum
monoi before the IIonri II Health to
explain why they had fuilrd to report
smallpox Ease, f,r which tlcy had
prescribed stated In every instance that
they wer" uncertail as , iNe nature "t
Of the disease They all dr'ihrsi ma
they had only been called once before the
appearance # any rrIpllpu~. \ p'"Scrlp-
ton was left. which Was lilti AT some
nearby drug store hN sorr" rent 80 OF
the patient. a"l p"raHus no other WISH
VAS ever mad" rE any Physician t. the
Thr accus-d phy siclans also pleaded
that there was NJ object Tor them TO
hoard ~ H"Ith. "a n y" pie were N
varilb,y very p or AMI unable, as a rue,
~ even pay Tor II" u'"ii'IA- rir.''lh'i'
much ,rsS the rrpfass''nh, services.
This explanation WIH partially CorrObo-
ritei hS tHs discovery ~ ."v"'nI cunyd.
~le$cant ia,ian's VI. been treated
AMI nursed by M a. ~ the fanny
during the period ID infection, Without
tn. KIN tuyl.ly. ~ ,N.1 .haI fIntlaE In
The same tenement. In that way the
dise,s- WAS spread u numerous fliniiies
Had Ii not been for "A house tn-house
canvass. both dav and night, by Health
Inspectors, prompted by the prrsistency
with which cases developed in the lower
end OF the ward. there wouli undoubt"d-
~ have been an alarming outbreak OF
the disease. and scores OF patients
where there are nov comparatively few.
Notwithstanding tn" especial rrecau-
tions exercised by the health officials.
cases continue to crop ont III the vlcin-
ity OF Cherry I'm " IN. the Squalil
nenen down alonG the riv"r.iront
towards Battery PARK. Hut the disease.
DR.. Doty feels assur'd will not heCotlh
epidemic, and there neel he no fear, OF
a considerable spread. az the ward is
kept under the closest surveillance by
an Increased corps of inspectors.
Yesterday there We're only i've cases
found. one of the patients. Minnie
Kugcr. twcnty-one years OH, Of Sc james
street, walked into the Bureau OF Con.
tagious Diseases during the afternoon
and said she feared she hnd smallpox.
An ambulance very Oppprtunely nap
pened to he passing and the patient was
removed to the Reception Hospital.
Very luckily the crowds OF people who
visit the Bureau daily to have their
children v~accinatod had thinned down
TO a half dozen or less, none OF whom.
II was found. had come in contact viii
the infected visitor. However. the build
Ing was dislnfected as soon as the pa
tient was removed.
Other cases sen: to North Brother Isl
and were Charles EngIehardt, thirty-si>
years old. OF 232 Park Row, who was
taken from Bellevue Hospital, whore III
had gOnr FOR treatment: 'ohn LANerv
twenty-five years old. OF 81 Oak street
and Joseph Lampson. .twcnty-I!N" year,
old. from the Kew York D~ispensary. an
Amerigo C~aponinGro. nineteen years old
OF 81 Madison street.
Ralph Mirror, two years old. OF 33
West Thirty-siXth street, and Thoma'
Columbus. fifteen years old, OF ~ Gal
street. were also reported suffering I
smallpox this morning. They were re
moved to North Brother Island.