The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1900-02-21
SMALLPOX IS EPIDEMIC,
Disease Prevalent in Many States in
the South and West.
ALLEGED CAUSE OF INFECTION.

A Pecullarfty OF the Epidemic is That
There Are Many Cases But Few
Deaths-One OF the Causes Assigned
For the Spread Of the Disease-rhe
Afflicted States and Territories.
new York CRY (spsclaD.-From almost
all sections OF the country but particular
ly from the Middle, Western ard Southern
States, come reports that smallpox is cpl
demic. The disease manifests some pc.
culiar features, too, for It Is much less Vlru
lent than usual, and in many cases delay
In combating 1t has resulted from It's being
at first taken for chicken pox. While there
are many cases there are few.deGths. The
epidemic seems to avoid the largo cities
and, passing over the centres OF popula'
tion, to strike into small country towns and
villages Chicago, for instance has nae
ieast TOO have been reported hroughou
Houthern Illlr ois, OF which only four hay'
resulted fatally. s..sr O.,
s Ageneraiiy accepted theory Is that.th.
disease has been brought from Oupa
Puerto Rico and the Philippines by return
s Ing soldiers. Much alarm now prevails ~
the infected distficts. where at fret the
warnings OF the physicians who recognizec
the symptoms were ;scofed at.
Commercial travellers fnd great dim
Guilty In getting about through some rura
communities owing to local guarantln
nnfnts nj @ aionr the Ganadl "a frontiet mall.
have been deIayed thfongh controvafsie:
between the Oanadldn and thu United
states postal aanEhorisl "a asyto which shal
undertake the funalgat lon OF the mail lsacks
Kentucky seena fo sbe the principal sui
ferer. In that Ssat8 thirty-Hye couptie.
are affected. and a;d dozen County Boards o.
Health have resl6h had Because they have NJ
money with which 70 light the plague. b.
DR.. J. NsHurty, OF the Indiana Stat
Board oiEae&sth, SIN q warning to the pub
lie, reports Sst Ehere are between 15oo and
1000 cases ID State OF Indiana, and tina,
the disease ii3 epidemic In four counties.
Before the Mlssissipp State Legislature
at Juckson, Secretary Hunter the State
| Board OF Health, ,in arguing Tor g M measure
! to establish compulsory acclnatien, sale
there had been 1870 cases sot .smallpo u
that city since last Septsmber, apd; x00t
cases and several deaths through0tt tb.
State In the same period ~, ,s.
Birmingham, cottsboros and Courtlsnd
Ala, report much emHilpox In tneA sur
rounding countrysid de, and In Chat ttanoogA
| Tenn. thirteen new cases recenttT appeer
ed In a single day. spo okana, fon
q few days ago repoftedS thirty ases
| but all recovering ). Kansas has
aauarantlne agalIstseveral conH Httss tnQ Ok
Iahoma Territory. and guardsstagss sbeel
stationed along the State line. fatnstt !.
Woodward, Oklahoma, have recenti 1asl
abandoned on account Of the tnfscti6n
Smallpox exists IN nearly every town 9
| the Cherokee Nation In Indian Territory
and the Cherokee National Board has Is
sued o proclamation urging compulsor!
vaccination upon all.
The disease seems to be spreading u
Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota and soutl
| Dakota, however, are almost free from 1t
A few isolated cases have appeared ii
Massachusetts,, but there the disease ap
pears to be we'll under control. Citizen
OF Pine Bluff, Ark, have organized to hgh
their Mayors proclamation ordering com
pulsory vaccination, while from Savannah
Ca, an appeal has been made to Surgeon
General Wymnn to have the Marine Hos
pital Service take charge OF the situation
in Georgia.