The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1900-02-27

| Owing to the fact that one OF Inc lndia
girls employed in Mount Holly was i
with typhoid fever, the authorities a Car
Isle, who have charge of the girls, sen
the school physician to this place to looI
into the case. Soon after his return thu
following letter was received by the per
sons who have girls in their homes:
CARLISLE, PA, Feb. 81, 700
Dear Friend: / enclose copy OF my ply
siciaD's report to me after his visit to Mrs
/ Brapson's. where one of our girls is seri
ously i'll with typhoid fever. On account
of the conditions stated must withdraw
/ from your town altogether. / am sorry to
be compelled to do this for / have thought
our Mount Holly district one of the best
ON the list
Very truly yours,
r. Fl. PRATT,
Major and Sup't.
The physicians statement referred to is
as follows:
HOSPITAL, February IA, 1900.
Major r. Fl. Pratt, Sup't.
Sir: I consider Mount Holly, N. j., a
very unsanitary place creek, which at
certain seasons becomes like river, runs
through the town, and it is always reek-
ling in filth. At Mrs. Bransons there are
four cesspools, one within % feet and
three within rs feet of the well. These
she owns herself and l did not examine
the neighbors'. While one girl is lying
at the point of death from this exposure,
| to send others there would be criminal and
I cannot recommend such action.
Respectfully,
T. H. OWEN,
School Physician
That such an outrageous state of affairs
existed right here in our midst was news
not only to our citizens, but to our ply
sicians, and the attention of the Board of
Health was called to the matter. As a
result of their investigation DR.. R. II.
Parsons, Health Inspector, wrote letter
to the superintendent of the Indian school
at Carlisle THE News requested DR..
Parsons to allow it to be published and he
has given it to US. 1t reads:
MOUNT HOLLY, N. j., February %, 1900.
Major r. II. Pratt,
Dear Sir: Your letter of the 10Th
with the enclosed letter of DR.. Diven,
was shown to me with the request that
reply to it. In my opinion the Doc
tors conclusion that Mount Holly is
"a very unsanitary place" is not found
ed on facts, but in spite of them. The
creek which runs through the town never
becomes like a river" but always runs
away from the town. This stream is not
the one from which the town water is
taken. The one used for that purpose is
known as the upper creek" and the in
take" is at least mile from the centre OF
the town. While the Doctors statements
in regard to the condition of affairs at one
place is nearly correct, it is an exceptional
condition as is shown by the fact that
Mount Holly has three miles of sewers in
use.
The use of we'll water is also very I'M
common, as the average quantity of
town water" used daily is about BOO, 900
gallons. Mrs. Branson lives in the older
part of Mount Holly and there are no
other Indian girls in that neighborhood;
The published report of the State Board
of Health for the years '06, 81 and 9S,
and the unpublished report for SO show
only one death each year from typhoid
fever, total of four deaths in four years.
One of those deaths occurred in the hos
pital, the patient coming from another
part of the county, where he had contract
ed the disease.
The girl who is now sick in our hospital
is the only case of typhoid fever in town
at present, and this was also true at the
time of your physicians visit. The health
of other of your girls who have lived in
our town you know more about than do,
but think your own. opinion, based on
this knowledge, that mount Holly dis
trict is one of the best on our list" is no
doubt correct one.
Very truly yours,
R. II. PARSONS,
Physician of the Board of Health.
The above correspondence is self-ex-
planatory and there is little comment to
be made upon any portion of it save, per-
haps, the unjust and damaging report
made by the Carlisle physician. Every
one knows that since the change was made
in the 'sintake" at our water works our
water supply has been OF the best. Ii
there are any doubts on that point the
only thing necessary is to read the analy-
sis of the water made by the state chem
list. But this would probably have no
weight with the Carlisle doctor, who evil
IDENTIFY preferred to jump at a conclusion
after taking cursory glance at the prem
ises
Several Mount Holly families have been
getting girls from the Indian school at
Carlisle and it is safe to say they have had
as good homes and as careful treatment as
they have ever had anywhere. Under
the statement Cor more properly speak
ing, the misstatement) of this physician,
the superintendent of the Indian school
has no alternative but to cross Mount Holly
| from his list. This, of course, will cause
| inconvenience to the families, but that is
the least trouble. To have the town rest
under the stigma cast upon it by this false
report is not only serious but it is an out
rage. There are absolutely no facts on
which to base such report as that rem
dered to the superintendent of the Car
Isle school, 1t looks as if the physician
who came here did not get very well ac-
quainted with the character of our water.
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