Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1901-12-26
About Small Pox.

we publish the following timely ar
ticle by member Of the state board
OF health: 0
Some time ago / was asked by
your president to prepare d history
of the present smallpox epidemic in
Minnesota for this meeting. ! prom
ised to do so, not because [ thought
you wonld he interested in such, as a
local condition, but because the his
tory OF this epidemic is in all proba-
bility the history of each and every
epidemic in province or state of Can
ada Or the United States during the
past five years.
In March, 1899, a porter from a
Great Northern Railway train, was
found i'll with small pox in st. Paul,
after his return from the Pacific coast.
His Injection occurred at some point
between St. Paul and the Pacific
coast, probably at Seattle. At the
time his case was diagnosticated as
small pox, he remarked. In such case
there is plenty more OF the same
thing in the place that I mefrom."
From exposures to this case, there
followed thirty-one cases OF small
pox in St. Paul, with hut one death.
The outbreak was well handled by
the very efficient health commission.
er OF that city, Dr.. J. Ohage. ! did
not see any Of, these cases,
In May, 1899, a gentleman, aged
about fifty years, returned from Cal
ifornia to his home at Worthington,
Minnesota. On. his, way home he
stopped in Nebraska for a few days.
There, was quite little small pox
in that sta te at certain points during
the winter OF 1898 and 1899. This
gentleman had, after his return to
Worthington, an eruption so mild in
type that no physician was called, /
understand. believe some parties
thought he had chicken pox. In due
time the wife was taken i'll. At first
her disease was thought to be meas
les;but in a few days twas recognize
ed as small pox OF severe type. Al
ter but few days illness, she died.
The physician called to attend this
lady, latter her disease was recognized
as small pox went into voluntary
quarantine with this injected family,
for the.good Of the community. He
was not immune to the disease and
in consequence became injected and
! died. - " .:.. z . u
In all there were at this place eight
cases OF small pox from this Injection
with two deaths. The disease occur
red in varying degrees in these cases,
from thevery mild type in the father
and grandmother to the continent
form in the mother and attending
physician. II. T..
Late in Juhe, 1899, was called to
East Grand Forks to give an opin-
ion as to the nature of the disease
from which man was suffering. NV
diagnosis was small pox. The man
was quite i'll, though not dangerous
ly so,and in about the fourth or fifth
day OF the eruption. was asked by
a physician to see boy in Grand
Forks i'll with an eruptive disease. I
again made the diagnosis OF small
pox. The eruption in this case was
remarkable continent and the patti
ent dangerously i'll. When my dag
nosis was given out, certain physi-
clans of prominence disputed it's cor
rectness.I stated that if two of them
excellent men would visit the boy in
their owny ycity.. Grand Forks) and
would still say that the disease was
not small pox, 1 would hold my opin-
ion in allegiance and watch develop
ments. They visited the case and
still gave their opinion that it was
not small pox. I there upon repeat
ed my opinion that the boy had small
pox and that he would soon die, and
stated that would be interested to
know the cause OF death that would
be given on the death certificate. I
further stated that the East Grand
Forks case should be quarantined as
Tor small pox. The Grand Forks.
patient died in less than thirty-six
hours from the time the last negative
diagnosis was made by the two resi-
dent physicians referred to. Before his
death. however, the health officer Of
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