The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-01-09
SMALLPOX SPREADS
NEARLY 400 NEW CASES WERE
REPORTED DURING THE
PAST WEEK
CONDITION BECOMES SERIOUS
Prevalence of the Disease Is Claimed
to Be Due TO Laxity in En-
forcing Sanitary
Laws. .t.

Smallpox conditions in this state have
recently assumed an aspect that is re-
garded by the state department of health
as very serious If not positively alarm
ing
The report of the department for the
week closing Jan. shows that in the
course of that time there were reported
379 new cases, which is the largest num-
Der ever recorded in any Similar period
in the entire history of TIE department,
the largest number previously reported
in any one week having been less than
S00
In the week closing Dec 80 there were
261 new cases and one death reported
The prevalence of the disease at this
time is not ascribed by the officers Of
the health department to any unusual
condition. but rather to those difficulties
with which the department is constantly
required to contend, failure on the part
Of the local health officers to enforce the
quarantine and sanitary laws and regula-
tions, a disposition on the part of those
affected and their friends to conceal the
true nature of the disease under the
names of Cuban Itch and chicken
pox,' and a willingness on the part of
some country physicians to lend them
selves to this sort of deception.
The subject of smallpox and means and
methods for it's suppression will form an
important feature of the sanitary con-
ference, to be held at the state capitol
next Tuesday and Wednesday, although
that is not the primary object of the
conference. Oscar G. Peterson, clerk os
the state board Of health, now has I'm
preparation a large map Of the. state,
showing the districts where smallpox
exists, and this map will be exhibited at
the conference
There were reported from Minneapolis
in the week just closed twenty-five cases,
the largest number in any one locality
during that period. Considerable alarm
has been felt among the residents of that
city, particularly as in several instances
persons who were affected were found to
have been moving about the streets and
in other public places, where many
others had necessarily been exposed to
the infection. One man called at the
Office of the city comptroller in the city
hall, to inquire the way to the hospital.
The city Of Duluth has eighteen cases,
and Hibbing, which is also in ST. Louis
county, has four cases. There have been
two cases reported from Saltwater, and
three from May township, in the same
county, and from Winona there have
been eight cases reported
Clay county has the largest number
or any one county, the total being AZ
cases, 20 of which are iii Georgetown
township, 1 in Alliance township, 4 in
FELTON, township, in Goose Prairie town
ship, I in Hagan township, in the viii
lage Of Hawley, and l in Hawley town
ship. Jackson county has IS cases at
the village of Jackson, and 1 at Park Rap
ids. Kittson county has in Davis town
ship, IL in Deerwood township, at the
village Of Hallock and 10 in Spring Brook
township. In Bemidji, Beltrami county,
there are 10 cases, and Carver county
has 80 cases distributed in small num-
bers throughout the county. In Pipe
stone county there are IS cases at the viii
lage of Trosky, 10 in the city Of Pipe
stone, in Grange township, in Elmer
township, and at the village of Edger-
ton.