Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-01-31
SITUATION ALARMING
Smallpox Never Had Such a Hold
on the State Before.
200 CASES REPORTED THIS MONTH
Number is Rapidly Increasing Because
of the General Carelessness in Treat
ment of the Disease and Failure to
Observe Quarantine Regulations.


Les Moines, Jan. 90.-Smallpox
never had such hold in Iowa as it
has now. During the past month near
ly 200 cases have been reported to
the state board of health from about
half as many places in Iowa. The
numuer of cases is rapidly increasing
ana promises to be much larger than
at present because of the general care
lessness in the treatment of cases and
the failure to strictly observe quaran-
tin regulations. Persons have been
allowed to go from place to place af-
ter exposure and before the time when
the disease would appear, thus expos
ing many others and new localities to
the danger of Infection.
Fail to Recognize 1t.
In many small towns the local ply
sicians have either failed to recognize
the disease OF have been unwilling to
quarantine against it for fear it would
hurt the business of the town, raising
a hue and cry and frightening people
away. The state board of medical eX-
aminers is preparing to take steps to
secure better compliance with the
law from these doctors. The board
has power to revoke their certificates
to practice for incompetency, and
some of them will be cited before the
next meeting of the board to show
cause why they should not be disqual1-
| fled from practicing because. of incom-
potency in failing to recognize small
| pox. IL they willfully fail to quaran
tine against 1t and report it to the
state board of health, physicians are
Liable to punishment under another
section of the law.
Disease Light.
Thus far the disease has been very
| Aght and very few deaths have oc-
Cured. The state board of health is
sending out literature. to public
schools, to local health officers and
boards and others, stating what the
law is, how to recognize the disease,
urging vaccination as the best safe
guaru against it and insisting upon
the strictest compliance with the
| quarantine law. Members of the
board have visited various localities
to advise with local authorities. The
board has no funds with which to pay
any of the expenses of fighting small
pox. DR.. Kennedy, the secretary, is
| frequently called, as an eX-
pert in his professional ca
pacity. He has been Sec
rotary of the state board of health for
eighteen years. Previous to that time
he was a surgeon in the regular army
and is considered one of the best ex-
perts on smallpox in Iowa. He says
there is no dangeriof infection from
nurses and physicians if the proper
precautions are taken.
ihu'v'uudt Eases.
lug cases lepoIteu 70 the state
poaru OF nealtn are as IolioWs, and
lney die wen sIdlteieu over al parts
y. ny seo1o
I1Iahat c;4.
Webster City $500.
hands,' Calhoun county ..........
1 Eaen township, Carroll county SOS l.
WESTON ....'.... ....Several
, aullenDurs .... ...s....... .....,.
H Sns a -. SO. .....,........ ..-
| D Dss . Molles :. '''...s.t.,...-...ls
1auIuuon - - ''''t'''.- $1,000. l
pupuque :. .....,.............. !
H ar +onnshin Mah..;,a !
nS5.'.I " "ueihp y fSieiia9ha county 10
M Mr. aIne - $1,000 ''..'..... !
4 Vinton
/ Victor
lDavennort
Viz inwnsh;n s.c 49,. co,,nt,,
Portland townshin Plymn,,th conntv !
washington township Pottawattamie
county 4
| Franklin townshint Monona oo,,nty
!. Lincoln townshin caIbo,,n oo,,,,+,,
Percy !
e eathaed Center ... !. I