The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-01-16
HI RELIED UPON EXPERTS
On the Spot They Pronounced the
Disesse Small Pox.
AR.M ATE CHICKEN FOX DOCTOR. .
DR.. Lewis Declares Chicken Pox Peculiarly a
Disease Of Childhood Gives Brief
History Of the Presen, Epidemic
Of Small Pox.

self prOQ0eu IN LIT. f1eTflHS letleT III
your Sunday issue in defense of Wilson
county in the matter of the smallpox in
that county, and as the impression con-
veyed by him as to the nature of the
disease is not the true one, as see it,
beg to make statement of the facts in
the case from my point of view.
The present health administration IF
Wilson county never officially asked she
aid or advice of the State Board of
Health, or it's Secretary, in regard to
the eruptive disease which has been pre-
vailing in that county, until about two
weeks ago when / was requested to
have a smallpox expert of the United
States Government sent there. And this
request was made as the result of my
urging such a step upon the chairman
of the county sanitary committee, whom
j happened to meet upon the train. The
suggestion made by me referred to by
DIR. Herring that j did not see the cases
and my reply that / did not care to see
them. that / knew it was smallpox
without seeing them occurred in con-
versation resulting from a purely acct
dental meeting between US, and was not
considered seriously at all. | knew it
was smallpox without seeing it" be-
cause had confidence in the opinion of
Smallpox Inspector Tayloe who was
familiar with the disease from actual ex-
perience
The present epidemic of smallpox
which was probably introduced into this
country by railroad laborers returning
from Mexico, as well as by troops from
Porto Rico and Cuba, has been very re-
markable for its mildness, and in it's fire.
quent variation from the type laid down
in the textbooks. Until its peculiarities
became gKnown mistakes in diagnosis
WARE 60 be expected, but since wide pub
LEGATION of them by experts in the dis
ease has been repeatedly made there
has been little excuse for the well-in
formed.
The first case of smallpox in this
State was reported from Wilmington on
January 18th, 1898. Between that date
and May L. 1901. 5,367 cases have been
reported with 11S deaths In the spring
of 1899 case occurred in Wilson. The
Superintendent of Health at that time
having had no experience with the dis
case asked for help. DR.. O'Hagan. men,
Der of the State Board of Health, for
many years the acknowledged head of
the medical profession of the State, re-
sponded and pronounced the case small
pox. There We're two other cases under
that administration, and / take it that
the 81 ,566S3 mentioned by DIR. Herring
covered the care of the three cases and
the vaccination of nearly everybody in
the town of Wilson and number in the
county. The disease was thus stamped
out and did not recur, so far as l have
any information, until the spring of
1901. j was then notified, not by the
new county superintendent of health,
but by member of the State Board liv-
ing in Wilson, that in his judgment
smallpox was present in the county,
and he thought the inspector should be
sent there. As DIR. O'Haean was to pass
through Wilson on his way to Robson
county he was directed to stop off there
and investigate. He pronounced the dis
ease smallpox. In compliance With my
official request, Surgeon General Wy
man, of the United States Marine Hos
pital Service. sent one of the experts of
the service to Wilson. He made his in
spection on the 4th inst. and diagnosed
the disease as smallpox. About six
weeks ago DR.. J. p. Battle, Superntend-
ent of Nash. complained to me that
SMALLPOX was coming over into his
county from Wilson. where it was pre-
yailing without any precautions what
ever being taken to prevent its spread.
a little later a similar complaint came
from DIR. l.. L. Station, Superintendent
of Edgecombe. The same opinion is held.
/ think, by the superintendent of
Greene. Wayne and Johnston counties,
as it is by part of the medical profes-
sion OF Wilson.
On the other hand. the present Super
intenient of Wilson, DIR. Herring. and
some other physicians of Wilson, excel
lent gentlemen and physicians, and no
doubt sincere in their opinions, but of
no special reputation as smallpox ex-
perts, claim that the disease is chicken
pox. They seem to have overlooked tbs
fact that all the best authorities state
that chicken-pox is peculiarly disease
of childhood and very rare after puberty.
! ask tho reader to search carefully his
memory and see how many eases OF
chicken-pox occurring in a grown per-
son prior to the year 1898 when small
pox first made its appearance. lie can
recollect. | venture to say that rot
one in ten can recall single case. In
explaining the four admitted deaths by
saying that they We're not caused by the
cruptivc disease but by pneumonia in
three and childbirth in one, they seem
To be equally oblivious of The well
known fact that the fatality in small
pox IS generally due TO some eomplicat-
ing disease of the respiratory organs as
in measles death is not caused by :he
disease per Sc, but by the complicating
pneumonia or capillary bronchitis: and
that smallpox in pregnant women is al
most invariably fatal.
The greatest obstacle TO the proper
management of outbreaks OF small pox
in this and other States of the Union
has been the ''chicken-pox doctor"
While the superintendent in both eases
were right in their diagnosis IN strcnu