New-York tribune., 1901-07-30
THEY Do NOT FEAR PLAGUE
LOCAL PHYSICIANS DISAGREE WITH
THE PREDICTIONS OF DIR.
WALTER KEAIPSTER

Members Of the Board of Health and physicians
generally in this city were much interested yes
terday in the plague predictions of Dr. Walter
kempster. of Milwaukee. Wis, as published ex-
some time abroad studying. the origin and spread
OF plaques and scourges. under the Harrison Ad-
ministraton. gives added weight TO his statement
But local physicians yesterday expressed the opin-
ion that there was ground for alarm
so we're going to have a siege of plague" said
DR.. George B. Fowler, of No IS East Fffty-eighth-
St, president of the County Medical Society. when
visited by Tribune reporter at the Union League
Club Smiling. DIR. Fowler contirued:
Let tell you. in the first place, that there
is not the slightest ground for alarm The state
ments predicting a siege of the bubonic plague
hystericaL thoughtess and entirely unfounded
The health officers are in position for any
stray cases which may reach our shores. AS for a
scourge-it's not worth talking about
81 cannot understand why DIR. Kempster should
make the statements he does In your interview
Such utterances are likely to produce panic. and
will certainly cause unnecessary alarm If
tinued. they might affect the prosperity OF
the country through it's commercial interests.
Health officers and physicians should keep posted
as to possible spread OF diseases.
ut Is the business OF sanitary authorities in
every city and State to keep informed as to the
prospective invasion of contagious diseases They
should employ the means which the Law has grant
ed them in order TO control it. The informa
ton which they secure should be kept 10 them
selves. and not made public property through the
newspapers II do good. and only causes
needless fright"
DR.. A H. Doty Health officer OF the PORT told a
Tribune reporter yesterday that he hsd fear OF
the bubonic plague spreading here. He said that
while the plague might be destructive people in
India. the conditions different here In India
people slept with and vermin. In the last
three years the plague had been in Rio Jaueiro.
Lisbon and San Francisco. but there had been no
devastation at any of those places.
DR.. Doty declared he had fear whatever OF
the plague gaining any fOothold here. and he did
not think any practical sanitarian had. II
possible for the plague to get here in mild FORM
because in its early stages passenger might be
suffering from IL and the symptoms of the disease
would not be apparent The only way in which
the disease could be kept out of the country alto
gether was by OBTAINING every ship at Quarantine
ten days after its arrival. and that would. OF
course, be impracticable- The plague had been In
San Francisco for year. and that city had not
been devastated. 1t had been prevalent in the
Chinese quarter there where not only were sani-
tary precautions neglected, but disease was con-
cealed from the Health Department.
DIR. Frank p. Foster. Editor Of "Ths Medical
Journal said at his home, No. 16 East Thirty
ffrst-st. that the plague would have made greater
headway In San Francisco than 1t did II Dr. Kin
youn had not been pretty courageous. There was
I'VE have a good man here. DIR. DOty,' remarked
DR.. Foster ''and there good men in the Marine
Hospital Service who can be relied upon We need
worry about the plague coming here any more
than we did about our houses being smashed by
the Spanish fleet"