Evening star., 1899-03-07
SMALLPOxlN PUBLIC SCHOOL
Oolored Pupil in the Randall Building
Afflicted With the Disease.
District Health officer Takes Imme-
diate Measures to Minimize Dam
ger-vaccinatfOn Urged.

The startling discovery was made by the
health Office experts today that child at
tending the Randall School, 1st and
streets southwest, has been suffering from
smallpox for the past several days. The
child, Selma Nickens, colored. eleven years
of age, resides at 3l1 G street southwest,
next door to 3O7 street, there being no
intervening house, and house 3O7 is the one
from which seven persons out of eleven re-
siding there have been recently removed
to the hospital suffering from the disease.
The afflicted child has been regularly at
tending the Randall School, and yesterday.
when one of the health office employees was
sent to the building to obtain certain in
formation respecting another pupil, the
teacher of the school attended by the
Nlckens child called his attention to the
fact that her pupil was then broken out
with eruptions on the face. The health
office man stated that he is not a smallpox
expert, but suggested that in view of the
suspicious character of the eruptlons
the girl be at once sent home, when he
would at once report the matter to DR.. VIM.
G.. Woodward, the District health officer
The teacher did as the man suggested, and
this morning an expert of the health de-
partment declared, upon examining the
child that it was suffering from smallpox
and had been afflicted for several days.
Immediate Precautions Taken.
DR.. Woodward at once directed that the
school building be closed, and not only the
room in which the sick child studied, but
every other room in the building, be thor
oughly disinfected and every pupil vaccinat-
ed falling to exhibit evidence of recent vac
cination. The teachers and children at
tending of the entire school building will be
kept by the health officer under close OBJ
servation, although it is not probable that
they will be placed in quarantine 1t is said
that there is evidence tending TO show that
the Nickens child contracted the disease
from the infected house 30I G street, and
hardly from any one in the school, although
a boy from another infected house, 716 1st
street southwest, had been attending the
Randall School. although receiving instruc-
tion in a room on the third floor in the
northwest corner of the building while the
Nickens child attended school in room on
the second floor in the southeast corner of
the building. The school building was
thoroughly dsinfected recently because C
the presence therein of the boy from the
1St street house.
Vaccination of School Children,
The discovery of the Nickens case in the
opinion, the Importance and value of thor
ough vaccination of school children, and
he is also of the opinion that the case as
strongly emphasizes the Importance and
value of such instruction of teachers as
solute necessity of Immediately reporting
any and every case of suspicious illness
among pupils 1t is understood that the
Randall School will be reopened only after
the period of incubation, sixteen days. fol-
lowing the Nickens case has expired The
afflicted child has been removed to the hos
pital.
The discovery of the case in the Randall
School creates a rather serious condition in
the opinion of DR.. Woodward, although If
oil hn too how ,r,I L., l.
have been successfully vaccnated before
contact with the Nickens child the danger
of the outbreak of the disease among them
VIII be reduced to minimum. The health
officer trusts, however, that this case will
have the effect of causing parents and the
school authorities to see that the school
children are promptly and successfully vac
cinated and it is not improbable that the
Commissioners will take such steps as will
rigidly enforce the law requiring all chill
dren attending the public schools to be sue
ceSsfully Vaccinated.
The male department of the workhouse
and the colored dormitory of the Central
Union Mission We're released from ouaran-
tine yesterday, being no longer considered
dangerous. More than hundred men and
boys were released from the former institu-
tion today.
Additional Case of Smallpox.
An additional case of smallpox was re-
ported to the health officer this afternoon,
the patient being James Towel, colored,
sixteen years of age residing at 395 G
street southwest. The boy applied to the
Emergency Hospital for tea tment, when
it was discovered that he was suffering
from the disease. The health department
was Immediately notified, and the boy was
removed to the hospital, making
thlrty-one patients under treatment there,
all of whom are reported to be doing well.
1t is supposed the boy contracted the dis
ease from some of the South Washington
cases.