The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1898-03-23
IT is WIDESPREAD.
STATUS OF THE SMALL
POX EPIDEMIC.
Stringent = Asures will Have
to be Adopted at Pelham
and Spartanburg.
TT IS NOT cRIcKENPox.

1T IS NOT CHICKENPOX.
DR.. James Evans, of Florence,
secretary Of the state board of health,
and Dr. j A White, of Pelham
Mills. are in the city, having come
to consult Governor Ellerbe about the
smallpox situation at Pelham.
Dr.. White has the epidemic at Pei.
ham we'll under control, there being
only about 20 cases in the town.
Nearly everybody in the town who
has not had the disease has been vac.
cinated aod there is no danger of
further spread there. But out in the
country the epidemic has full sway,
there being about 800 cases in the
Pelham neighborhood.
The disease is of such mild type
that it is hard to con6ne those who
have it, hence it's widespread.
After consultation with Drs Evans
and White, Governor Ellerbe made
three appointments
S. T Green. A r Richardson and
Peter Bacot each received commits.
sion appointing him sanitary In
spector in Spartanburg and Green
vile counties in the State of South
Carolina at Pelham Mills and vicini-
ty, under aud by the authority of the
statute in such case made and pro-
vided, to be vested with all the pow.
ers and duties prescribed by law. said
appointment having been made upon
the recommendation Of the chairman
of the state board of health, the ap-
pointment to continue in force until
revoked"
They will visit every bouse within
a radius of several miles of Pelham
and make careful inspection Ev-
erybody who has not been vaccinated
will be vaccinated or compelled to
leave the State. There can be no
temporizipg. If this epidemic is not
crushed out. it will spread all over
the State. and in warm weather may
become most dangerous type
That has been the case in Alabama
where there were thousands and thou
sands Of new cases, as many as 70
new ones being reported daily The
negroes who had tie disease, which
was of mild type, would walk the
streets when covered with pustules,
and the disease was spread far and
wide.
Finding themselves helpless to stop
the progress of the epidemic. the
state health authorities called on the
national health authorities to take
charge
DR.. Magruder and some competent
assistants went to Alabama and by
adopting vigorous methods have got
the epidemic under control.
DIR Evans is satisfied the epidemic
in this state is smallpox and not
chickenpox He admits it is small
pox of very mild type, but insists
that it is smallpox just the same He
says chickeupox rarely ever attacks
child over FIVE years old.
Re dismissed with smile one ex-
pert's theory that the disease was
impe,igo and not smallpox.
He called attention to the fact that
not single person in South Carolina
who has been vaccinated has been
attacked with the disease except one
man, and his vaccination had taken
place thirty years before. He said
if the disease were chickenpox, vacci-
nation FOR smallpox would not render
one immune from it, therefore the
fact that nobody who has been vac
cinated has had the disease is proof
that it is not chickenpox, but small
pox.
The only other place in South Caro-.
lima where there is smallpox is
Spartanburg. In letter DR. Evans
had just received from DR. Blake. of
| Spartanhurg, 1t is stated that there
are only three cases in the city
proper, but there are several
cases among the employs of the
Arkwright and Beaumont mills. The
operatives in those mills refused to be
vaccinated, saying they would rather
have the disease
The mill authorities do not wish
to attempt to coerce their operatives
into being vaccinated unless it be-
cones necessary, for the operatives
threaten to leave before they will
submit to vaccination.-CoIumbla
Evening Record.
Capt L D. Childs, if his health
will permit, will be the prohi0itionist