Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-10-25
ANTl-TOXlNE DID IT.
Grand Results from Its Use in Diph-
liberia at Fort Kent.
Or. W. Johnson Returns and Reports the Dis.
cas- Thoroughly Stamped Out.

From the north hills of Maine, from the
waves of the boundary river, comes the
praise song of a people who testify to the
weeks ago yesterday, the people of the
| vicinity of Fort. Kent, way up in the
Aroostook county, on the northern border
of the State were stricken with fearful
epidemic of diphtheria. The information
had come to this city and DR.. Young, Sec
rotary of the State Board of Health, acted
at once.
He enlisted the services of DR.. w. John
son of this city, and the morning Pullman
of that Sunday, saw the last named gen.
tleman on his way to the afflicted county.
Travelling all day, he reached Caribou at
night, and, the next morning. he drove.
by team, the remaining AZ miles to Fort
Kent. Caribou is the northern terminus
of the railroad and the distance between
over a good road. Dr. Johnson made the
distance in one day.
He found things in state of chaos as
far as the local board of health was con-
cerned. They could not cope with the
epidemic. 1t was fast getting away from
them. There were 70 cases at the time
and there had been 25 deaths. The visit
Health saw at once that two cases must
go the way that had been taken by the
other %, but he took his coat off and
went to work with a will.
He turned to anti-toxine as the lever
by which he hoped to turn the tide. Did
it work? Well, the two cases that DR..
Johnson said must die, died, but since
then there has not been a death, and
wnen the doctor came away there We're
but two cases in Fort Kent To use the
doctors own words: at was not any
merit of mine that brought this about
but rather anti-toXine.''
The people in that section had no re-
spect for the law as laid down by the To-
cal board of health; they did just as they
wanted to, and great was the fruit there
Of They travelled among their neigh
bors. extending sympathy and coincidence
in the distress of disease and in death,
and thought they were doing their duty
by their fellow men. DR.. Johnson saw
at once that this must be overcome. and
he proceeded in the only effectual way to
put stop to it,
There was one woman up there who had
rather more of the travelling about to do
than most of the other people. She is
known in that section as woman jockey.
and as she gave the physicians more trou-
BILE than the others, DR.. Johnson deter
mined to make an example of her. for as
the doctor told the, people who had to do
with the case, IF these people will not
obey the law, they must be made to re-
spect it, 1t is evident that 'these peo-
pie" came to the conclusion that DIR.
johnson did not'intend to stay up in that
section all winter, for they gave him no
further trouble. -
The local board of health and the Sc
lectmen of the town took hold of the
work with a will. The chairman of the
board of health, A. G. Fenalson, took his
team and drove around with DR.. johnson
to visit those who were suffering, and to
judge from the amount of work they did.
they must have been on the road a
greater part of the time. DR.. Sirois. the
local health officer, Joined drives with the
representative of the State board as also
did DR.. Archambeault. I. B. Burgoyne,
member of the board of health, Select
man Therfault, Customs Officer John Ma
deau and Rev. FIR. Burque, gave Or. John
son material assistance in his work.
Anti-toXine was the remedy and it was
administered to every patient that showed
the least indication of diphtheria infec-
ton. Dr. johnson found that the remedy
had been injected at the thigh but the de-
sired effect as not Immediately reached,
and SO he caused the injection to be made
in the side in the region of the bowels.
He seldom had to repeat the Dose. In
some instances the dose was repeated in
"a hours, but those cases were very few.
In all the doctors used five dozens of bot
ties of the remedy 1000 units to the bot
tle They used from $50 to 1000 units to
patient. In cases where the disease, or
sore throat, first showed, the remedy was
used and in "a hours the patient would be
up and around the house.
There are no cases at New Canada or
Wallagrass, the only two cases were
those at Fort heHT Wnen LIZ. johnson
came away. Distinction is still being
carried on by the local board of health
in the most thorough manner and there
is no reason to suppose that the disease
has any hold anywhere in that section at
the present day.
What would have happened if the State
Board of Health had not sent it's repre-
sentative to that section, is hard to tell
now, for the epidemic had got way be-
yond the control of the physicians, the
board of health and everything else but
the State board. The energetic manner
in which DIR. Johnson pursued his work,
with it's attendant results. is a great vic
tory for the State Board of Health and
the remedy, anti-toxine. and credit to
DR.. johnson himself.
| Alton C. Grant, well-knoWn
Moosehead guide, was in the city, yes
terday. Mr.. Grant says that he never
| knew sportsmen to be SO numerous as
| 4. Of foo