The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-12-26
PLAIN RECITAL
OF. FACTS BY THE
HEAL1HiO OFFICER.
Dr.. Jepson Addresses an Important
Communication to the Mayor
and Council.
VACCINATION is IMPRESSED
Upon the Public as the Only Safe
guard Against Smallpo1-His-
tory Of Recent Cases. XII:

| The city health officer, DR.. S. i. Jep-
| SON., hns prepared o statement for pre-
\ sentation to the mayor and council at
the next meeting Of the city legislators,
but%it was given out for publication
| last night in order that the warning
the doctor sounds may reach the public
at once. The health officer gives o de-
tailed account Of the recent cases of
smallpox In Wheeling, and concluding
strongly recommends that safety lies,
only In universal vaccination. The
statement Is MS follows:
/ HEALTH OFFICE.
WHEELING, w. Va, Dec. rs, 1900.
ITO the Honorable Mayor and City
Council.
GENTLEMEN:-I desire to present
to you q brief account of the cases Of
smallpox. treated during the present
year, that you may have the exact facts
and thus be In position to better
appreciate the difficulties In the control
OF q disease so unusually mild IN char
acter as some of these cases are.
On June 10, patient from central
Ohio was transferred from one Of our
hospitals to the municipal hospital; dis
charged July 9; no second case resulted.
/ On September 5, patient from WetZel
county was transferred from one OF our
hospitals to the municipal hospital; dis,
charged September rs; no second case
| resulted.
| This double experience caused me to
recommend that the committee on
health notify the hospital authorities Of
| tho pltN that Sroa ttHnsr nltfpnfS
from those institutions would be cared
for by the city, unless bond be given
to secure the cost OF maintenance and
treatment. Such action was taken.
On October l. a man was sent to the
municipal hospital from Nineteenth
street. The origin of this case is totally
unknown, but diliGent investigation
failed to connect it with either OF the
prior cases. Discharged October 20;
no other case resulted.
On November occurred the first
case among colored men. Six days Ia
ter another colored man came to the
city building with an eruption on his
face that he confessed was five days
old. During all this time the man had
been freQuenter of one or more Mar
ket square resorts, where colored men
congreSate. These first two cases among
colored men commenced at the same
time, and were no doubt due to q CON-
mon cause, namely, contact with some
Infected visitor. have from q police
officer an account Of c. strange colored
man, with face covered with blotches of
recent smallpox, who was seen in a
saloon conducted by @ colored man
about two weeks before there cases oc-
CURED. This affords probable origin
for our first recent cases.
On November 26 another colored man
was found with smallpox In q Market
square resort. This, which was our
sixth case, since June. was the first that
originated from prior Wheeling case,
and this by fault of no one. as the prior
case was totally unknown until fully a
week Of the disease had passed.
On November 80, a colored man came
to the city from Baltimore with an
eruption seven days old. This man had
not been in Wheeling for nearly 4
month, and hence the case originated
elsewhere.
On December 10 three cases appear
ed; on the 1lth four, and on the 18th
two, all colored, and all attached to, or
fTequenters OF. Market square place
conducted by q colored man. It seems
almost certain that all OF these cases
had common origin. and that this
origin was a newly imported infection
gone from the city, otherwise We would
expect other cases from day 10 day.
One OF this group, n barber, shaved
his patrons for ut least two days after
the eruption appeared on his face. An
other found at large on Market square
with distinct eruption. two others on
Twelfth street, and n fourth came to
DR.. Stsiiyards office. But two OF this
group OF nine had consulted q physl-
cian, and six had been at large for
from one to four days after the erup-
ton appeared. During this time hun
drcds of our people had doubtless en-
countered one or another OF these men.
What the harvest will be the next few
days will tell.
On December 10, case was reported,
the patient a white man. I found the
eruption was twelve days old. and the
patient was practically well. This case
commenced at about the same time as
the group OF colored cases. and the pa
tient confessed that he had visited q
certain, Market square resort few
weeks before. ! saw him. No other orI-
gin is known, unless this man came in
contact with our first walking case.
The, only, case OF later origin and the
only new case within eight days, was
reported to me on December 81. the pa
tient highly respected white man.
This Is the fifteenth case since Novem-
Der 2. and fear that It Is the first Of a
new crop from seed sown by some OF
the walking cases.
Every patient WIS promptly removed
to the hospital us soon MS known to
me, and the most rigid measures OF dis
infection and cleaning were enforced,
under the direction Of trained assist
ants.
Four OF the cases here reportcd vera
quite severe--one extremely so-the
othrs mild In type, a number requiring
no medicine. The present indications
are thnt allywill recover.
| present this brief report to show the
extreme difficulty OF controlling the
spread of this disease when It Is in
many cases 80 mild that tile patients
may freely mingle with the people on
the streets and in crowded resorts.
1 cannot close this report without
again impress!ng with renewed empha-
sis, the urgent necessity OF vaccination.
or the eighteen patients In our hospital
during the year Just closing, not one
was ever successfully vacclnated. Those
in our community who persist In their
neglect OF this simple, but certain pre-
| Vcntivo measure may soon have occn-
| sion for sad regret. While the fact that
but one new cnsc has occurred within
the past eight days Is very encourage
Ing, yet II should never be forgotten
that In universal vaccination alone lies
the safety Of our people and the pro-
lection OF our business interests. With
out this. the utmost vigilance OF your
| health officer can give no guarantee
against the sprend Of this disease.
Very respectfully.
| s. J.. JEPsON. NJ D.,