The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-03-29

II was reported at the Health Depart
ment late yesterday afternoon that John
Wycher the smallpox patient brought to
! Washington from New Orleans. was In bet
/ ter condition than twenty-four hours pre-
! yiously. The case was represented to be
! yielding to treatment, and the department
| physicians are indulging the hope of Wy
! chers ultimate recovery.
Excitement near Benning which ran
! high for a time. was also allayed last night,
owing to the prompt action Of the Health
/ Department and the confident assurances
| given to the people that there was little
| cause for apprehending a spread Of the
/ disease in that quarter When il was first
announced that a man suffering from
smallpox had been taken from the car at
the station and had been assisted through
the town 10 4 house near KeniwOrth the
! people Of BenDiDg were thoroughly fright
ened Visions of impending epidemic arose
in their minds. and not few timid ones
were ready TO decamp. But the quick ar
rival of the health inspectors, the removal
Of the patient to the pest house. the Off
cial quarantine of the Brooks house, where
the man had a temporary lodgment, and
the thorough disinfection OF the car before
its removal quieted the fears Of the citizens
/ OF Benning
There is danger of course. that the
| Brooks family, where Wycher stopped for
/ few hours, may contract the disease.
but the house is quarantined, its inmates
viii be carefully watched and at the first
indication Of approaching illness they will
/ be removed TO the detention camp or the
smallpox hospital. Thirteen men also who
We're in the car with Wycher have been
taken TO the detention camp. and will re-
main there for the necessary time under
the eyes Of the physicians Of the Health
Department The rumOr that two Of the
men who had been aboard OF the car had
escaped cannot be verified and the Health
Department is beginning to doubt its &C
curacy.
One Of the men who came in the car
from New Orleans has informed the Health
Officer that smallpox is practically cpl
demic in that city and in various parts of
the State Of Louisiana. He is Of the opin-
ion that the disease is much more wide
spread than official figures would indi-
cate He ventured the assertion that
many cases were not reported to the health
officers at all and that the department is
AtdllA ttlAE NIUE tuttNAdl VOTE III me
way Of keeping the maIddy In contfol. For
instance. il was known to this man that
Wycher had gone TO live in a house where
a girl had recently died Of the disease,
which had not been disinfected knowing
this. the man had suspected the nature OF
Wycher's disease from the start and
promptly reported 4t~jo-.the palice on. -lhe
arrival Of the car. Il was in this way
that knowledge Of the case came promptly
to The Health Department Of the District.
From the official figures published 10y
the United States Marine Hospital Service
the prevalence of smallpox in New Or
leans and vicinity may be learned. During
the period from January ] to March II the
number OF cases reported In New Orleans
was 3S4. and the number Of deaths was
lOI. This shows a relatively high mortality
Of the disease. and Health officer Wood
ward in commenting upon il, said that
the figures served 10 back up the state
ments Of the informant on the car which
brought Wycher here that the disease is
more prevalent than is officially known to
the New Orleans Health Department
During the same period 7S2 deaths-were
reported in 81. Landrys Parish and y
deaths while in Shreveport there were III
cases. with 9 deaths The total for the
State during the period mentioned was
1910. and III deaths.
These figures indicate that conditions
were bad where Wycher and his compan-
ions came from. and as Dr. Woodward
iutimated yesterday, should have led 10
some sort Of inspection Of the car. local or
Federal. before il left New Orleans
Among he precautions Instituted by The
Health Department of the District is d
rigid inspection Of all the cars coming TO
the race track. especially those from the
South and the matter Of fumiEating all
cars bringing freight from Louisiana is un-
der advisemeUt