The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-02-10
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
ren Guaranteed.
TObey Street Home Inmates
Having Hard Luck.
Superintendent of Health InsistSUpon
More Stringent PRECAUTIONS.

The Tobey Street Home Is in hard luck
There are said To he something over 100
children there who should attend public
schools, but they are quarantined be-
cause OF diphtheria. Yet here IS only
one case of diphtheria there today, SO far
"a the city health board knows, and, or
dinarily, one case would not keep all the
other children from school, but Superin-
tendent Of Health Chaplin says he is not
satisfied that proper precautions have
been taken at the home to prevent the
contagion. BY that he means that he
does not believe that the cases have been
thoroughly isolated and the children ex-
amine1 as carefully as he would have them.
An examination might be made TO-DAY
which would mot show diphtheria, while
in three days sever} II cases might develop.
To be sure, the home has a fine hospital,
bat somehow DIR. Chaplin feels that the
patients have eiih her beSn n let out too soon,
or not put in soon enough. AT any rate,
he does net dare to let them go TO school.
At the same time he dislikes 10 criticise
the home managers, whom he believes
TO be honestly intentioned, and he highly
commends Matron Esterbrooks.
Asked whom he would blame, DIR.
Chaplin replied, 81 don't know; 1 think /
"'eFs oteff, R'N hA#hAAhHN'9 -
TIE doctor was asked il the Home had
had an unusual number of cases, compared
with similar institutions. h he would
not aver, but he thought there had been
more cases than there should have been.
The first case reported in 1895 was on
April IL From that time until the end
of the year there were Is cases that were
made sure of through the taking of throat
cultures and a few more in which the cul-
lures were not taken-maybe a half dozen
The cases dragged along during the rest
OF the spring and summer until October
IL, or thereabouts. The quarantine was
not raised, however, until after Thanks
giving, because the doctor wished to
make sure that 1t was safe. Everything
went well until Dec. %, when two cases
appeared, evidently from without. The
embargo went Oh again ana has remained
on ever ince.
1t will be seen that the children could
only have received two or three weeks
schooling since the beginning of last term,
and, accoding TO the school authorities,
very few of them got in more than five
weeks during 1895.
Truant Officer Whlttemore has been
making some inquiries and he was sur
prised TO learn how man children, be-
tween eight and thirteen years of age, are
in danger of growing up in ignorance OH
account Of the protracted quarantine,
which bids fair to last for a much longer
time.
The Home managers must have become
somewhat discouraged at the prospect, for
they have already asked that a special
school re appropriated to their use, claim
ing that one of the now unoccupied
schools would be just the thing. They
have informally asked, also, for the use OF
the Olneyville evening school. They wish
to occupy it as soon as the evening school
term closes, on March 6. until the end of
the school year. Whether this would be
relished by the parents of the evening
scholars who will return in the fall is a
question which is puzzling the commit
tee, to whom a formal application may be
forwarded. DIR. Chaplin says he sees no
reason why such a plan Is not feasible.
The school could easily he disinfected af-
ter the Home children left it and all dam
ger removed. He would not hesitate to
send his children there afterward.
1t has been suggested that the Home is
in an unhealrhful condition. This Is not
SO. DIR. Chaplin says IT is an old building,
but thoroughly built INT In good sani-
tary condition. How the diphtheria got
in there he cannot tell. 1t was stated that
there had been scarlet fever there, but
the reports do not show it.
1t IL understood that the managers OF
the Hon have under consideration i'm
portant improvements, and alterations
which would cost about $1,000. 1t is also
stated ttat they are looking for a large
house down country TO which to take their
children next sumnier while repairs and
renovation are going on.
The death rate at the home is not large,
only three dying last year, while in some
other institutions many more Rave died.
"As l said," concluded DIR. Chaplin,
al don't like to criticise, but there are
the facts"