Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-11-18
THE ERiA SCARE
Report Of the Investigation in Mt. Pleasant
BY Health Department.
Sanitary Conditions as Applied to
johnson School Building-Lo-
catien of the Cases.

Health Officer Woodward this afternoon
concluded his investigation of the dfpth-
iberia scare in Mount Pleasant and the adj
jacent suburbs. His report is as follows:
There have been since July 1, 1897, up
to and including the present date, 242 re-
ported cases Of diphtheria in the District.
OF these twenty have occurred in the sec
ton bounded by 18th street extended. Co
lumbia road, 10th street extended, Spring
road, 18th street extended and Florida ave-
nue., comprising the subdivisions of Mount
Pleasant, Holmead Manor, Columbia
Heights, etc. OF these twenty cases nine
occurred among the colored population and
the remainder among the whites. Four
cases were located in one house and three
in another One square or block contained
three cases and in the block adjoining there
was one case. Two blocks each contained
two cases, and in two instances adjoining
blocks each contained q single case.
Due to Direct Contact.
From the distribution of the above cases
In houses and blocks there appears to be
sufficient reason for believing that such
cases as have occurred have been due
to dirsct contact, owing to delayed isola-
ton outside Of school, quite as much as
to exposure, If any, within the school
room. In no case is there reason to be-
lfeve that the presence of diphtheria in
this section of the city is in any way due
to bad hygienic surroundings. There Is no
evidence to show such is the case, nor
has the experience of this department dur
ing the past two years indicated that such
surroundings favor the development of this
disease. The conclusions of the medical
sanitary inspector, after a careful survey
or the cases which occurred during the
above period, were that the development
OF dlphtheria Is promoted rather by luxu-
r1ous modes of life than by exposure to
prfvation and hardship.
The johnson School.
THE Johnson school building, to which
six cases of diphtheJaa are popularity attrib-
uted, is constructed upon similar plan to
that of large number of other school
buildings now in use, and in which diph-
iberia is not present. Even could the
spread Of the disease be attributed to bad
hygienic surroundings, there would, there
fore, be nothing to warrant the conclusion
that such surroundings as are found in the
Johnson school building would promote the
disease, as similar conditions have not done
so elsewhere. If there has been any spread
from this source it has probably been from
direct contact of infected pupils before
they have been sick enough to remain at
their homes. Exposure in this way In any
school can only be prevented by daily
medical inspection of the pupils.
To guard against any possibility that
those who have been in attendance while
infected ms y have spread the contagion
about the building, the premises were
thoroughly dsinfected the 18th and 18th
fnstants, and are believed to be as free
from contagion as it is possible to make
them. No cases among the pupils of this
building have been reported since No
vembeT 10.
There are now in quarantine In the en-
tire section described above, eleven cases,
four among the whites and seven among
the colored. OF the latter, three cases are
in one house. But In case has there
been any spread Of the disease in houses
occupied by Whites