The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-01-29
Kerbs Wertheim & Schiller, Makers, New York
Louis q. DesChler, Distributor

to Mrs. McChessney, the wife of a newspa-
per man. She and her little son and daugh-
ter all contracted the disease, as did several
friends who visited the family. Her son
During the first epidemic Dr. Wishard had
charge of the pesthouse. AS high as thirty
Several of them died Besides acting as
physician and nurse, 1T often became ms
duty to act as undertaken and sexton. He
had Tor an assistant an ola cOlOred man.
who was immune. When a patient died
the cOlOred man drove the covered wagon
in which the bodies were hauled to the
cemeteries. Arriving there, DR.. Wlshard
and the driver lowered the collins into
graves which had previously been prepared
and performed the last sad rites, afterwards
filling in the earth. The physician recalled
that on one dark night he and the colored
man were driving across the Fail creek
bridge. 1t was terribly stormy. Suddenly,
when they were midway of the bridge, the
wind blew the wagon over against the
beams. 1t whisked off Dr. Wishards hat,
driver to jump, and himself scrambled out
of the rear of the wagon which lodged
against the iron bows that supported the
cover. Going between them and the tim
bers of the bridge, he pushed the wagon
back to equilibrium, after which the drive
to the graveyard was resumed.
DR.. Wishard was asked last night what
he thought about the request of the Board
of Health to the public to remain away
from the churches, theaters ana other pup
lie aSSemblageS. He said that while he did
not believe there was any cause for panic
or for any fear of an extended epidemic,
he believed this was a wise precaution. In
on having an excellent Board of Health. 1t
may well assume a spirit of nonchalance
of the board, and DR.. Il. D. Clark, secre-
tary, to look after affairs in this emergen-
cy. The board is particularly to be con-
graduated on having secretary VINO
knows his business and who is utterly fear
less in the discharge Of his duty"
Dr. Wishard was asked what he thought
hot in
against vaccination He said that while 1T
true that there had been some bad re-
suits from vaccination, they were due to
carelessness in detail on the part OF the
physicians who performed the vaccination.
In modern surgery, where proper precau-
tons are taken, care being observed to thor
oughly clean the skin first with soap and
water and antiseptics, little danger from
this cause is to be apprehended. Or. WISH
ard prefers the little glass tubes, hermeu-
Cally sealed, the ends of which are broken
off and the virus from which is blown by
rubber tube scarcely larger than knitting
needle upon the abraded surface OF the SKIN.
This precludes the using of points formerly
Used on other cases, the touch or the
physicians fingers or the presence of any
foreign and deleterious fundamentally to
the bleeding surface. Outlines danger oc-
ours after the vaccination has been per-
formed through uncleaniy acts OF the pa
tent DIR. Wishard believes that with the
great precautions that are taken, the sterll-
Zation of the virus and precautions OF that
sort, there is practically no danger or the
tuberculosis, specific diseases or other things
that are to be avoided, through vaccination.
He says that in all his experience with
large number Of cases of vaccination that
have come under his observation he mas
not observed a case that had any serious
permanent results. and but few with tenn
pCrary bad results. There have been cases
Of very sore arms, but these have passed
away without any serious danger. He re-
cites a case that came under his notice while
he was superintendent of the hospital. One
day a patient of the physician who did not
believe in vaccination and the contagious
character of the disease was sent to the hos
pitaI A nurse and a relative of DR.. Wish
ard were in the receiving, room and went
across the hall to notify him that man
suffering with the itch wished to see him.
They were following him back across the
hall but when he reached the door of the
receiving room he at once saw that the man
vas suffering with smallpox. He called
back to the nurse and his relative to keep
back as the man had the smallpox. His
relative had been thoroughly vaccinated. but
contracted the disease: She had the variio-
loid and recovered without any i'll or dis
tressing effects. BY his own personal OBJ
servation, DR.. Wishard IS convinced that
vaccination IS the thing, He urges that the
wishes of the Board of Health be regarded.