Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-11-06
SMALLPOX AT DEs MONIES.
City Physician Fears the Disease Will
Become Epidemic There.

| Des Moines, Nov. Recommending
last evening on the spread Of smallpox
| in the city, DR.. Schiltz, city physician
declared that unless more quarantine
| Is observed and enforced. the disease
will develop into an epidemic. Las
August there We're only six cases tr
| the city. At present there are foul
| or five times that number. Eight cases
We're reported Sunday, four Of them al
1918 and 1920 Fourth street. Another
case was reported by DR.. Evans, OF
Valley Junction, in family whose resi-
dence is only a few rods over the line
of the city. Two or three cases are
under quarantine on East Sixteenth
street, while two patients are situated
on Shaw street. Several patients have
been removed to the hospital, but
for a week as it has for ten days. the
hospital will be overcrowded and some
other provisions will have TO be made
to care for persons afflicted.
Il do not understand that it Is any
part Of my duty as city physician" said
DR.. Schiltz last evening, ITO visit places
where smallpox is reported. 1t is the
duty of the attending physicians to re-
port to the board of public health. It
then becomes my duty to order Quaran-
tine established and direct the health
officers to place placards on the build
ings If the council had retained my
services think could have prevented
the apparent spread of the disease, but.
situated as I am, do not understand
L am required to do anything other
than direct the isolation of persons
afflicted with the disease and see that
quarantine regulations are strictly en-
forced. The laxity of the health officers
in this respect is attested by their ne
glect to take the precautiOn to place a
placard on the residence of the family
reported by DR.. Evans. l notified them
Sunday and told them about the case
and directed them to quarantine the
family This has not yet been done.
/ can't follow the health officers about
to see they perform their duties. That
is the duty of the mayor. If the officers
do not perform the duties assigned
them they should be discharged. How
ever. the wife of Officer William
Springer has been quite i'll for ten days
and he has been compelled to remain
at home most of the time. Alex Graz
ham is devoting his time to scarlet
fever and diphtheria eases. This
leaves Officer Hollihan alone to keep
watch over twenty five or thirty cases
of smallpox. The mayor should rein
force the health department at once.
If he fails and other precautions are
not taken, l fear there will be an cpl
demic of smallpox in the city within
the next thirty days | most certainly
object to DR.. Smith going about claim
ing he is the city physician. He did
this at the hospital Saturday, not
knowing was. inside at the time. He
told the council the Clark family on
East Sixteenth street did not have
smallpox. Why. the fact is the girl
employed in DR.. Smiths family caught
the disease from some one at Clark S
grocery, and she is now a patient at
the hospital
An ordinance governing health regu-
lations makes it the duty of every phys
ician to report to the mayor at once
any case of smallpox, scarlet fever or
diphtheria coming under his profession
al observation. Failure to do this is
punishable by fine of from $40 to SIS.
In all cases where there is no physi-
clan in attendance it is made the duty
of any person having charge of, or be-
ing the head of family, or having
the care or custody of any boarding
or lodging house to give notice in like
manner to the mayor, with like penalty
for neglect to do so.