The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-06-24

One new case of smallpox was reported
to the Health Department yesterday. 1t
was John E. Scott, who was removed from
the quarantined house, 1909 Seventh street
southeast to the hospital. Scott contract
ed the disease from his brother, who was
removed from the same house June L.
There are now nineteen smallpox patents
in the hospital and fifteen persons are held
as suspects in the detention camp.
In speaking of the recent spread OF the
disease in the District, Dr. William c.
Woodward. the Health officer. yesterday
attributed it largely to two causes. One
of them was the importation OF patients
from Virginia and Maryland and The other
was the efforts of those having the disease
to conceal it from the knowledge of the
health officers. DR.. Woodward explained
| that the malady was confined almost ex-
clusively to the lower class OF negroes.
They do not seem to fear 1t themselves
and he thinks they care little whether the
| contagion spreads or not.
Dr. Woodward related the experience OF
one Of the inspectors who went to inves-
| tigate the cases in one OF the families
| where several children were ill with the
| disease. The inspector took the names Of
three sick children and some five other
persons in the house. In answer to
question the mother declared positively
! that she had named all in the house. Sub
| seqpently the fact developed that two 9TH
er children were carefully hidden in the
back yard at the time of the mothers as
| sertion that all were accounted for.
| This effort to conceal the disease DR..
Woodward thinks the most hopeless feature
of the situation, and he is of the opinion
that smallpox is constantly present among
the poorer negroes OF the District. In
most cases the attacks are mild, and often
| run their course without causing the pei
| son having the disease to go to bed. 1t is
communicated by persons going about
| while they are broken out with smallpox,
and there Is small chance to stop its prog
ress SO long as ignorant people are care
| less and Indifferent to its consequences.
| With reference to the existence of small
pox in Virginia towns near by. DR.. Wood
ward said he believed that the malady was
prevailing to a greater or less extent there.
Those towns have no health officials, many
of them, and no money to inaug'Irate
| crusade against smallpox. Hence, the doc
tor thought, the river and bay towns OF
Virginia are supply stations for 1.-THE Dis
trict.
In reply to a question DR.. Woodward
said that one of the ways to extirpate the
disease would be to inaugurate compulsory
vaccination. This, he explained, could be
done only by special proclamation by the
Commissioners. AS explained by the
Health Officer, the law governing the mat
ter Of compulsory vaccination is contained
IL the act NJ Congress approved March 8.
1897. ito prevent the spread of contagious
diseases in the District Of Columbia Sec
ton "a of that act provides:
That 1t shall be the duty of every per-
son in said District to be successfully vac
cinated or to be vaccinated sufficient
number of times to make 1t evident that
successful vaccination is impossible, when
ever the Commissioners OF said District
shall, by proclamation. declare such action
on the part Of every person, within a rea-
sonable time. to be stated In said procla-
nation. necessary for the public health:
Provided. That this section shall not ap-
ply to persons who prove to the satisfaction
of said Health Officer that they have been
successfully vaccinated or repeatedly vac
cinated. as aforesaid. within five years from
the date of said proclamation, or that they
have had smallpox or varioloid."
subsequent section of the same act
provides that the Commissioners may au-
thorize houseto- house inspections to be
made. when. in their judgment, the cir
cumstances warrant it. So that the Com
missoners are empowered by law not only
to proclaim compulsory vaccination, but to
enforce it il such action should be thought
necessary.
Dr. Woodward stated that such procla-
nation was issued few years ago and
that the Health Office alone vaccinated
about 5 600 persons. The disease was much
more prevalent then, he said, than it is
now, but the enforced vaccination of that
many people completely put a stop to the
spread Of smallpox for more than year.