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

| It 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 twentv-four hours pre-
viously. The case was represented 10 be
yielding to treatment, and the department
physicians are indulging the hope of Wy
cher's ultimate recovery.
Excitement near Benning. which ran
high for 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 it 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 house near Kenilworth the
people Of Benning 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 lad a temporary Judgment, 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
Depart nent 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 ac-
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 rot reported to the health
officers at all and that thes department is
really doing little effectual work in the
way Of keeping the ma1ady in control. For
instance. II was known to this man that
Wycher had gone TO live in a house where
girl had recently died of the disease,
which had not been disinfected Knowing
this. the man had suspected the nature of
Nycher's disease from the start and
promptly reported 5t~Io-the -Qolice on the
arrival of the car. II was in this way
that knowledge of the case came promptly
to the Health Department of the District
From the official figures published by
the United States Marine Hospital Service
the prevalence of smallpox in New Or
leans and vicinity may be learned During
the period from January i to March Il the
number of cases reported in New Orleans
was 3s4, and the number of deaths was
107. This shows a relatively high mortality
of the disease. and Health officer Wood
ward, in commenting upon it, 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 st. Landry's Parish and 81
deaths. while in Shreveport there we're III
cases. with 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
intimated yesterday should have led TO
some sort of inspection Of the car, local or
Federal. before it left New Orleans
Among the precautions instituted by the
Health Department of the District is a
rigid inspection of all the cars coming to
the race track. especially those from the
South, and the matter of fumigating all
cars bringing freight from Louisiana is I'M
dor aln.i.-o an,