The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-04-30
THE LOUISVILLE METHOD
DIR. FERGUSON FOUND NO QUARAN-
TINES ENFORCED THERE.
sixty-Fiye Cases Of Smallpox In Pest
house Tuesday Visit
to Houses.

Is from the LOUISVILLE Dispatch, winch says,
THE great State OF Indiana can quit hold
ing its breath. The great danger the HoOs-
iers supposed they were in. owing TO the
PROXIMITY of Louisville. does not exist. and
their peaceful pursuits OF buying gold bricks
and cornering the green goods output with
out being scared half to death by the fear
or acquiring Kentucky smallpox.
The State Board Of Health Of Indiana
goes into spaSms about Kentucky about eV-
cry so often. That luminous body regards
the Bluegrass State as the incubator of all
known pestilences and few that have not
Yet been classified. Whenever a HOosier
gets the toothache or a case Of grimibus
remorsorium the State Board of Health
rises UP on its hind legs, calls in the re-
pOrters and announces that another cpl
demic has been started out on a swing
tuckians. Whenever the board hears that
Louisville dog has the fleas II gets into a
terrible state OF alarm and proceeds TO
quarantine against the Commonwealth.
Then il investigates and finds there is moth
Ing, the matter. The Indiana board had a
bad attack Of the scares not long ago. 1t
heard smallpox was killing hundreds Of peo-
pie daily. After filling several miles of
newspaper space the HoOsier Solomons con-
Guided 10 ind out what the facts were and
the board sent DIR. Charles Z. Ferguson
down here from indianapolis. He had a
conference with Health officer Allen yes
terday and went home bearing the news
that the smallpox epidemic had been
stopped and that Indiana was certain TO
stay on the map while longer"
Now comes the Indiana side of the case
in the report Of DR.. Ferguson, which was
returned yesterday by DR.. Davis, president
of the board. The report states that the
situation at Louisville is not perfectly salts
factory, and the results of the examina-
ton and investigation are summed up. Up
to April %, inclusive, 401 cases of smallpox
were reported to the health office at Louis
willie. All cases had been removed to the
pesthouse and six of the patients had died.
Those discharged as recovered numbered $50,
while sixty-fve were in the pesthouse on the
date mentioned. On the four days from
April % TO April %. inclusive, twenty-nine
cases were reported. The disease has not
been confined to any one part of the city. but
has been generally distributed. Many cases
are undoubtedly being concealed, both by
negroes and whites, on account OF the fear
of being sent to the pesthouse This was
determined from conversations with many
citizens and with friends and relatives OF
those who have the disease.
The plan of the Louisville health authori-
ties is to burn all infected articles OF bed
ding and to disinfect the room in which the
patient was. The vaccination OF exposed
persons does not seem 10 be enforced, the re-
port says, as families were found who had
been exposed, but not vaccinated- NO quar-
antine is required Of exposed persons for the
possible period Of incubation, nor are In
fected residences quarantined. Friends or
the patients come and go at Will and other
tenants of the house or block in which the
case develops attend to their business as
usual DR.. Ferguson made visits to six dif-
ferent homes of patients who were IN the
pesthouse at the time and In no case was
any difficulty experienced In gaming an en-
trance, he says.
HOUSES NOT GUARANTEED.
The houses visited were Otto Fecht, Han
cock street, no number on the house, which
was a two-story building occupied by four
foroiIiac with cttrrorudinPC had All rooms
are reached by a common stairway and
there was no difficulty in effecting an en-
trance, no evidence of quarantine and no
officers on guard. The patient had been
removed to the pesthouse the night before
but there had been no disinfection, vacclna-
ton or isolation up to the time OF Dr. Fer
gusons visit, twelve hours Afterwards
The next house visited was that OF famf
lily named Pattinger, colored, at 5O2 FOurt
teenth street. Three patients had been sent
to the pesthouse from TINS Ianlly, pul no
quarantine had been established.
Another case visited was the FAMILY OF
Henry Grundy, colored, at 54 Fourteenth
street. TWO cases had been sent from TINS
house. DIR. Ferguson says: THE house was
dilapidated and it is Impossible 10 describe
the filthy conditions existing and Impossible
to tell how many people live in this house.
The report goes on to say that in one room
a colored woman was found washing a bed
stead, after the bedding had been burned.
In one corner OF the room woman, with
child. The other child of this same woman
was sent TO The pesthOuse the night before.
The house Of Henry Klump, white. at az
Fifteenth street, was found TO be brick
house In good condition. The father, son
and grandson had been sent to the pest
house from his home, and the hose was
not Quarantined and had not been.
One of the most aggravated cases was
that Of II. Gugel, a baker at Gil East Green
street. One patient had lived upstairs. On
the ground floor was a bakery and confec-
tionery and the store was open and buSi-
ness was being transacted The building
had not been dislnfected nor had the ped
ding been burned, although the case had
been removed the day before. Dr. Fer
guson purchased some cakes at this bakery
and. while he was there, little girl came
in and purchased some candy. The woman
in charge told him that the health onlcer
had taken the man out during the night be-
fore so that the neighbors would not know
anything of II.
The last case visited by DR.. Ferguson was
that of the home of family named Hun
kin, white, at S4 Brook street. Inc mouse
was a three-story tenement house and con-
tanned four families. An entire family or
five, occupying the third floor. had been
taken to the pesthouse the day oe1ore' put
there was no quarantine.
NO QUARANTINE AGAINST LOUIS
WILLIE.
DR.. Davis did not decide to take any &C
tive measures at present. as he does
not believe the conditions sufficient to
order a quarantine against Louisville at
the present time DR.. Hurry, discussing the
report said: 1.-THE removal of smallpox
cases to the pesthouse, the destruction of
bedding and vaccination, even If most thor
oughly done. are not sufficient to effectively
control the disease. Exposed persons should
be quarantined a period of fourteen days
and infected houses should be Immediately
disinfected and cleaned. a place OF bust
ness, where there has been a case of small
pox should be Immediately closed and
should not be opened again until all pre-
cautions have been taken. Cases of small
pox have been traced back TO Louisville
from Indianapolis, North Vernon, Madi-
son. Jacksonville and New Albany. The
disease exists in Louisville abundantly and
is generally distributed. Many persons who
are most probably infected are not quar-
antined. Louisville is evidently good,
easy place TO secure a case OF smallpox.
The reports made to the Indiana Board
by the officials of the southern part OF
the State were TO the effect that the dis
ease existed ir Louisville and is not being
properly controlled or cared for and the
board feels that these reports have been