The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1901-10-04
SMALLPOX.
Clerk Rooney Submits His
Report Relative to Recent
Outbreak to Board Of
Health.
MEASURES TO CHECK DISEASE
Vaccination Urged Upon the
People AS Most Effective
Obstacle to Spread.
MEASURES TO CHECK DISEASE


The following interesting report relative
to the recent outbreak Of smallpox In this
county was submitted yesterday to Or.
Henry Mitchell, secretary OF the State
Board of Health. by Clerk C. J. Rooney
Of the County Board of Health:
Indications OF an approaching outburst
were given IN December, 1900. when two
chtfdren were found to have smallpox At
Eleventh street. Hoboken.
These cases were followed, later in De-
cember, by four in Jersey City, reported
two to four days apart.
The relation between these latter was
fairly clear
The patients were removed to smallpox
hospital by direction of our Commissioner
Converse, who has by request of this
board taken charge of this matter and
personally has verified The diagnoses in
nearly every case
Quarantine, disinfection and vaccination
were resorted to at once by authorities
of Hoboken and Jersey City with the eff
feet of controlling the spread of smallpox
for time.
In March, 1901, more serious visitation
took place in Jersey City. Apparently the
contagion was brought there from the
South, by employees in the train service
Of the railroads.
On this occasion the disease spread
rapidly in spite of the most vigorous eff
forts, until the condition of affairs looked
quite serious. At this period smallpox
began to show itself in East Newark,
Town of Union, West New York, West
Hoboken, Bayonne. Weehawken and Har-
rison.
There were about twenty cases in East
Newark. Nearly all Of them were by DR..
Converse ordered removed to hospital
Mayor Kenny gave this board the services
of Sergeant Feeley and sufficient police
to effectively quarantine infected dwell
ings These measures with general vacci-
nation were successful in terminating the
outbreak in East Newark, at least for the
present.
t In the case Of Harrison the battle was
longer and more dubious. The local
Board was impeded in its action by con-
cealment of cases by families, resulting in
the creation of several foci of disease
Thus though cases were removed 10 hos
pital as far as possible, and though quar-
antines were set up and general and
special vaccination carried on very thoi-
oughly by the local board, yet the disease
was not conquered nor its spread finally
checked Even now (September, 1901,
there have been cases reported in Town
of Harrison as late as September IA,
1861
The disease seems at present (Septembes
80. 1s01) to be under control at last.
LII other towns and in Bayonne. the
spread of the contagion was ended with
the first case or SO.
There were in the county of Hudson
from March IS to September IS 1901, about
1870 cases of smallpox. AS nearly as this
Board could discover there were about 50
cases il Jersey City in population Of
2O6, 433SS.
Harrison had SO cases in a population
of about 1885.
East Newark adjoining Harrison had
,, about twenty cases in population OF
2,5O0.
OF TIE 1870 cases in Hudson county 115
we're taken to the hospital at Snake Hill:
Less than per cent. of the patients sent
to the hospital died The percentage of
deaths among those who remained ~
home was very much higher. DR.. George
W. King cared for the inmates Of the
hospital with DR.. Converse.
The experience obtained in the epidemic
under consideration indicates that with
prompt recognition Of the disease, and inn
mediate and stringent quarantine isola-
ton of patient at hospital, and thorough
vaccination, the spread of smallpox can
be surely controlled.
This Board is desirous of impressing
upon the people the Importance Of vac-
cination as the most effective method Of
preventing an epidemic of smallpox, and
Of mitigating its severity.
Respectfully yours,
c. j. ROONEY, Clerk