Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-02-17

Dr. George f. Brickett Of this cit,
sends the Journal the following inter
esting communication concerning hi
experiences with smallpox, many year
| ago.
| When | was in charge of the pos
hospital in Waverly hall on Winthro,
| street, in the fail of 1863 and of tn.
I Cony hospital on Western avenue il
1854, had good many cases of small
| pox and varioloid. / had a pest hous,
erected on Western avenue and as fas
as cases appeared at Waverly hall
mad them removed To the pest house
had everybody in and around the hos.
| pital Vacclnated. and quarantined the
| hospital and pest house. | had some
| loo cases. 1t did not spread outside
| and there was no scare
| Just one case for which l was re-
| sponsible, occurred outside. was
called one evening to see "a Mr.. Nor
cross who was very sick with collie.
remained some time. His daughter. a
young lady who had not been vaccina-
ted, was in the room most of the time.
! In two weeks she was taken sick with
the smallpox. and recovered. No
other cases followed. 1t is my opinion
that physicians attending smallpox
cases should not be allowed to do fam
| lily practice.
n Few years after this a case of
smallpox was discovered at Mrs.
Holmes boarding house on State street.
1t was at first diagnosed chicken pox.
l The n lad -
town on her way home down east from
a visit i'll Massachusetts. Several
cases of varioloid occurred in the house
| and one of smallpox in "a young lady
who had not been vaccinated. As soon as
| she was taken L took her in my sleigh
in the evening and carried her to Il
small dwelling in front of the poor
house. 1t stands there now. The dis
ease did not spread from Mrs. Holmes
| or from the poor house, and there was
no scare. Everything was conducted
quietly.
In 1851 the smallpox broke out stimuli
taneously in several families in Pat
ricktown. now Somerville. and in
Washington and Palermo; the young
people had attended a dance two weeks
before, at which was Il young man
who had the smallpox u month before
in New York. Patricktown had not
been vaccinated, so the field was ready
for the seed. Most everybody in the
plantation had it,, There were only a
few cases in Palermo and Washington,
one of which l was responsible for. l
was boarding at Weeks Mills where
young man by the name of Black
f.,lI 6r.. ,.,la, IN.
after making my visits to smallpox
patients. Il always changed my clothes
at a smoke house near Somerville, and
fumigated myself.) we were talking of
mesmerism. He was all unbeliever and
I was believer to Il certain extent
He said, "Try me- l did, and sue
ceeded. l closed his eyes so that he
could not open them without my con-
sent. In two weeks he broke out with
smallpox, the only case of mesmeric
smallpox on record. ] took him in my
sleigh to his brothers in Palermo, drove
into the yard and called his brother
Hiram out, and stated the case to him.
He arranged a room upstairs for him.
He had d regular run of it, but no
cases spread from him. 1 run the
gauntlet of more curses and imaginary
shot guns than there are hairs on your
head.
One case | had in Patricktown shows
what nature with a little assistance
will do. The Hodskins family. hus-
band and wife, son and daughter. We're
all sick with smallpox at the same time
in one room ON two beds. father and
son in one, mother and daughter in an
other. The room was 15X13. They had
for nurse and physician an old fellow
who had had the smallpox and knew
all about it. After they had been sick
about two weeks he got little fright
ened and sent for me. / found the
patients as already described. After
looking them all over / was satisfied
they would get well. so | told the man
he was doing well. ] asked him what
he was giving them. he said. half pint
of new rum day and what milk one
COW gave. also Indian meal Cruel.
Then he asked me il had anything to
recommend l said Double the rum
and get another cow" l saw him after
they got well and asked him If he fol-
lowed my directions. He said, Yes,
all but the cow