Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-12-18
Drinks Came High, But We Had
to Have Him.
THAT LITTLE BILL lTEMIzED
What il Castle Fight Il Suspicious Case o
Smallpox. Three slu,ilred Dollars
VIII Foot the !:ilt. And the
City Got on Light.

1t has been proven .h1t fighting men
IS costly and dangerous business.
Uncle Sam was out of packet about
million dollars 4 day While The lit
sle affair With Spain vas on. and d;lr-
ing that period. a good many lives were
lost, the majority Of them off the
field OF battle
But if fighting men is costly and
dangerous. still more S, is lighting
disease in the shape of an epidemic
Newport News. situated as she is. a
seaport city. has been wonderfully
fortunate in escaping the ravages Of
the mcrobe hosts. This city has had
practically no battle to fight with an
enemy Of this sort, and may thank her
lucky stars that she hasn't, if she
coesn't want to so broke
That single case Of Drinks Strothcr
suspected Of having smallpox, cost the
municipality in the neighborhood of
three hundred dollars, and there was
not an unreasonable charge made. so
tar as is known: certainly not in the
matter OF medical attention ana nurs-
ing. At this rate, with thirty-tiya
hundred victims OF smallpox, a com
munity could discount Uncle Sam in
the matter OF expense and possibly, in
mortality. too.
Ihe case Of Drinks Strother, curiOuslv
enough has never been definitely
diagnosed. That is to say, the doctors
never did agree upon the nature of the
HiseaSe There are TO this day several
physicians who saw the man. who are
still sure that the case was small-nox
There is an equal number who are
equally certain that it was nothing but
SFphlilS. ana doubtless there are Nitst
as many who are frank to confess. that
they d" not know what it was. This
uncertainty cost the city the three
hundred dollars
The man was isolated and under the
1reatm Of the city health officer DR..
nagby Just twenty days, for which
Tine inc doctor charged at the rate of
az day, which. considering the fact
that he gave up his private practice to
attend the suspect. and paid another
physician to take it for him. was n re-
muriabiy small charge, and might lust
as reasonably have been s, more TO the
DAY There are very few physicians in
The city who would care 10 take the case
al all. for it was the sort OF thn. that
medical men do not go out Of their way
70 PICK up. any more than ordinary
nortals. There is no physician who
wants to isolate himself from his pa
tlciitS loF Sucn Il length Of time. And
then there are any number or tlisa gree
Die features connected with the attend
itnce upon Il case OF this characters ia
say nothing Of the element of danger
by no means small. though probably
the least consideration in the minds or
me members Of the professions who are
constantly thrown into contact With
peril in one form or another
The next item az expense is that rcr
nursing, the bill for this being $40, or
- Il "ay also considered extremely
reasonable. Very few nurses ,vn,,l,1
take 4 case of suspected s,nall-pox fnr
less than three times thar amount
The medicines in the ease cost S1oS
The wood bill was s. even.
Groceries and provisions came RI
$500.
The lumber in the unpretentious
shack and the building thereof cosl
tie city. in round amount. about $50.
These Items make UP The sum total If
a-sS.9i which the negro barber Drinks
Strother, cost the city. and the city
owed Drinks Strother nothing. The debt
was On" which was due to society.
LINKS Str"ther was an expensive
luxury. flc came high. but some way
ol other, we had to have him.