Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1901-04-04

cation was received from j. H. LeySOn
who in detail charged the health officer
Dr. J. H: Alexander, with neglect Of duty
and scored him severely for his conduct
in connection with a scarlet fever case.
At the conclusion of the reading of the
complaint Alderman Elderkin asked:
Does your honor know anything about
this matter? This accusation is made by
good citizen. 1t may be that your honor
has already suspended them. If the ac
cusations are correct certainly something
should be DONE
The mayor responded that he knew but
little of the matter On the morning of
the funeral of the Davis child DR.. Me-
Nevin asked him by telephone if any
thing had been done in connection with
the fumsation of the house. Upon re-
ceiving the telephone the mayor hunted
UP the sanitary policeman and told him
to go out there and see what was needed
and the policeman said that he would
do so. Whether DR.. Alexander saw fit to
disinfect the house or not while the body
was there the mayor could not say.
Alderman Elderkin wanted to know if
it was not the judgment Of the mayor
that the health officer himself should
have attended to the case. He said that
such a matter would be very serious If
there had been several cases of scarlet
fever in the city and they had all been
neglected in the same manner AS the
communication was from reputable citi-
zen all he wanted to know was II 1t
would not be best to suspend the health
officer pending an investigation.
The mayor said that Mr.. Leyson might
be honest in all he said but that it
would be best to make an investigation
and refer the matter to committee.
II believe that this is case where
we should protect our own officers said
Alderman Macarthur II have seen the
time when Alderman Elderkin was nor
SO awfully anxious to suspend, pending
investigation, as he seems to be now.
Alderman E,lderkin acknowledged the
truth Of the statement but SAID that the
present case was most serious matter.
Alderman Bryant said that he dld not
care what committee it was referred to
but he wanted it referred to a committee
that would meet and the health commit
tee would not meet. He believed Il
| would be best to refer it to the judiciary
| committee
A motion to refer it to the judiciary
committe was carried. The communi-
cation from Mr. Leyson in full is as fol-
| lows:
To the Honorable Mayor and City
Council:
am constrained to enter the follow
| ing complaint against the health de-
| partment, with hope and expectation
that it will impress the future health
| officers with the Importance of giving
| their department the attention that the
| health of the city demands, and guard
| the. city against the most fragrant neg
| lect that the present health officer is
| guilty of.
NV intimate acquaintance and friend
ship for the family Of Mr.. A. j. Davis
| prompted me to go up to his house
| during the illness Of his little daughter
| of scarlet fever, and was there at the
| time of her death. 1 called the atten-
! ton of DR.. McNevin, the family ply
| stefan, to the Importance of dislnfect-
| ing the house as soon as possible. He
| told me that he would see the health
| officer the first thing in the morning
| the child having died about IL O'Clock
! Saturday night, March 16. AS the sani-
tary policeman did not report as early
as he was expected, I called up DR.. McA
| Nevin by telephone and he told me that
he had seen the healt.l officer and that
he had promised to give the house at
| tention. Later in the day 1 telephoned
to DR.. McNevin again as the sanitary
| policeman had not come. In reply he
| informed me that it might be three or
| four o'clock in the afternoon before he
could get there. He did not come at
| all that day. Monday morning l call
| ed DR.. McNevin up and again told
| him that the house had got no atten-
ton from the health department and
| entered bitter complaint to him be-
cause of such neglect. AS though
was complaining against him, the doc
tor said he had done all he could and
had even asked the health officer as a
personal favor to himself to give Mr.
Davis house attention. and seemed sur
prised at his failure to do so. l then
by telephone, traced DR.. Alexander to
the ST. James hospital and called him
to the phone. In respectful way
told him of my request of DR.. McNevin tc
see him about having the house dis
infected and wanted to know why II
had not been done. In the most cur
way DR.. Alexander told me that he was
not obliged to give the house attention
till after the funeral.
AS he had neglected to put up tn,
usual notice quarantining the house,
realized the difficulty of keeping friends
out as very often the bond of friend
| shin shown under such afflictOn il
| stronger than the fear of contag iOn
When l found l could get no attention
from the health officer l at once tele
phoned to the city hall and called TO
the mayor. He had already learned O
the conditions at Mr.. Davis house an,
had gone in search of the sanitary police
man. and when he got back to the cit
hall called me up over the telephone an
told me what he had done, saying tina
the man would be right over. He the
expressed his sympathy for Mr.. and Mr.!
, Davis. When the sanitary policema
came he was going to disinfect with SUI
phur to which I objected as it woul
| aaa,,:la in tho hallsa LcS;dass LII,