The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-06-14
THE DIPHTHERIA CASES.
DIR. Sanborn Says They Could Not
Have Come from the Hospital.

The Man who Spread the Disease Is Mr
Frank Campbell, Now in Pownal-It is
Thought His Family Did Not Take the
Disease from Him.
There continues to be considerable
excitement in Freeport, PownaI and Var
| mouth over the diphtheria which was said
to be spread by Mr.. Frank Campbell, who
has recently came from the insane hos
| pital at Augusta. A correspondent of
the PRESS wrote as follows yesterday,
| from Pownal:
| There are two cases of malignant diph-
4 liberia in town at family by the name
| of Campbell. This family live on the
/ place formerly owned yCorneliusThomas
| be traced to the Insane Asylum at Au-
| gusta, the same person bringing the
| germs of the disease here who brought
| it to Yarmouth, and there at Yarmouth
| two deaths have already occurred and
over seventy persons were exposed be-
! fore the true nature OF the malady was
| discovered and but for the timely inter-
vention of DR.. Burbank many more
| would probably have been exposed.
|
prevails generally in the three towns
where Campbell has spread the disease.
| One least of the doctors in Yarmouth,
| where the first cases occurred, have been
| inclined to believe that the disease may
| have been brought from the hospital.
| The matter was talked about somewhat
among the doctors Mt the medical con-
vya,, T. L.. i II IL
| Campbell's wife and child were taken
down with the disease only four. days
after Campbells return from the hos
| pital. 1t is thought that if he had
brought the contagion it could not have
developed in SO short "a time. and that
the Campbell family must have contract
ted the disease in some other way.
A gentlsman from Yarmouth said yes
terday that the first reports of the dis
temper were considerably exaggerated.
The wife and child of Mr.. Charles Rus
sell have died, but it IS stated on the
authority sof captain sHarding, of the
board of health, that the funeral of
neither was public in the sense that
there was any extensive Infection. Those
who came to the funeral remained in
their carriages outside the house, Will e
the minister, who also kept away from
the infection, offered prayer.
Mrs. Harrison Russell, a relative of
the family, who was exposd, has the dis
ease, but in light form. 1t is believed
that this is the extent of the trouble i n
Yarmouth. The schools are still closed,
but it is expected that they will be
opened soon.
After leaving Freeport. Cam pbell
went to visit with the Houston family
at Freeport, and spread the dlstemper
there Then Campbell went to Pownal,
as is related by the correspondent of the
PRESS.
DIR. Sanborn Makes Plain Statement.
Augusta, June IS. DIR. Bigelow T.
Sanborn, superintendent of the Maine In
sane Hospital, was interviewed by the
PRESS correspondent at 90 tonight,
When asked in regard to the statement
that Frank Campbell had carried diph-
iberia from the hospital to Yarmouth
and that Campbell slept in bed at the
hospital where diphtheria patient had
been, he said: Frank CmpabelI was
admitted January 1884, and was dis
charged May 90. Campbell was treated
for more than month before his de-
parture in one of the convalescent
wards, where there has never been
known to exist a case of diphtheria,
either in the entire pavilion or in fact in
the whole building, since it's erection
some II years ago. | know of no way
by which Campbell could be exposed to
the contamination of dlphtheria while
at the institution. During the past
winter we have had several cases of
diphtheria among our PATIENTS; but |
would add that they were immediately
removed to our intirmary, which is sit
u lated long distance from the walls of
the institution. The mattress, the bed
ding and the patients clothing have in
every instance been removed at once to
our steam disinfector and there disin-
fceted,. The rooms have been cleansed
and disinfected. by the use of corrosive
sulbimate. This process is followed on
the walls, ceiling and every part of the
room is washed in corrosive sublimate.
Afterwards this is followed by com
plete cleansing with soap and water,
followed subsequently by thorough
painting Then the rooms have been
left for some time without occupation.
Mr.. Campbell, however, never slept in
room that had been occupied by per-
the means to thoroughly disinfect the
clothing and bedding by the agency of
steam. and all works on sanitation and
disinfection regard steam as the most
effectual method of cleansing contagious
or infected articles All clothing, bed
ding, culinary articles and furniture,
and indeed everything which enters into
the occupation Of our infrmary, remains
there, and no possible contamination can
reach the institution from that building.
Campbell never suffered from any symp- |
toms of diphtheria while at the institu-
tion, having not even sore throat He
was not exposed to it any more than
anyone else.n