Waterbury Democrat., 1902-03-21
COFFEY IS DEAD.
First Death From Smallpox
 Occurred at 1880 To-Day
HOUSE TO HOUSE INSPECTION

1 AhC W VI h " llA 1DG AOhllhVACNd ACT morrow Morning-Authoritie Are Determined to Stamp Out Smallpox The Question of Vaccination Is Being Pretty Thoroughly Discussed People Who Left Quarantined House Sent Back,
 Smallpox won it's first signal victory
 to-day. when John Coffey, one of the I patients removed to the isolation hos
 pital from the Salvation Army shelter
 on South Main street. succumbed to
 the malady at 30 o'clock this after
 noon. Coffey had a malignant type
 of the disease and every physician
 who saw him had no hope he would I live through it. Indeed, it is regard | ed as almost miraculous that he could l have lived during the past few days
 pr kilmartin was at his bedside when ! he breathed his last. The body will l be buried by the board of health, San l itary Inspector Moses and Health Off,
 cer Kilmartin acting as funeral direc- | tors. Mir Coifey was about forty | years old and had lived in Waterbury | for several years. Until a couple Of years ago he was employed at Rene dict & Burnham's. Since that time
 he has had no steady job He was | well acquainted about town and leaves many relatives here. Those
 who knew him speak of him as fel- | low who never made much trouble for
 anybody. He was noted for his even l 6icnncifio,, ,1d -. kind in general. He made a plucky l fight, but the sickness proved too
 much for him. The presence of death
 among the patients at the hospital
 caused quite stir there. and also at.
 the shelter where the news was re- 1 ceived with much regret.
 The authorities are keeping q close
 watch upon the smallpox. situation
 and are losing no opportunity to check
 a spread of the disease. The board | of health met yesterday afternoon and outlined q plan for the medical inspec-
 ton which will be carried out in all
 suspected residences about the city. l The following physicians were ap- pointed to act as inspectors: Dr
 Chipman, Dr Maloney, Dr Monagan, Dr Freney, Dr Dwyer and Dr McLar- ney. The town will be divided into :, districts and each physician given l territory to cover. All will report to Dr Frost It is understood that the
 work will be begun tomorrow morn l ing. If the physicians find any sus- 1 picious cases they will report at once
 to Dr Frost; if not, reports will be sub, mitted at stated times until the whole ground has been gone over.
 l The Rev Father Senesae5of St Ann's parish is cooperating with the author
 ities and has consented to lend the health board such assistance as lies in his power. It is understood that the inspection will be thorough and that by the time it is completed the author l ities will be i'll possession of informa- ton which will be valuable ill vari-
 ous ways. Any suspected building, no matter where it is situated or to whom it belongs, will be visited It is hoped 1 that everybody will take the proper view of this effort to locate the dis ease and receive the inspectors cheer fully. It is something which no one in particular can be blamed for and on this account no family should feel ashamed to have the place they occupy 1 looked over and any sick persons l there may be in the house examined.
 If there is nothing wrong, so much the | better, and if there should be it would
 seem that the people directly con-
 cerned would be more anxious to know 1 it than others.
 It was voted that President Lawlor
 be authorized to take full charge of
 the house to house inspection, the
 supplying of provisions to the quaran- | I:. T q the school children.
 l Two families who had been missing | from the quarantined building on low 1 CT Baldwin street since the place was put under guard returned to their homes yesterday afternoon.
 It is a pity that anybody should ob-
 ject to complying with an order
 which the medical profession the world over regards as the only safe
 guard we have against an epidemic of
 smallpox. The parents of some of the school children claim that they have no faith i'll inoculation and de- clare that they will not allow their
 children to be vaccinated. The school
 officials say that those who refuse to
 submit to the operation will not be
 permitted to attend school. This isn't
 right People who do not know any
 thing about the disease or the pre- ventive should be guided by those
 who do. It is safe to state that the
 parties who are finding fault about
 having their children vaccinated don't
 think any more about them than those
 who are yielding to it gracefully. It
 is a general order intended to protect all and everybody should comply
 with it. It is something nobody likes to do, but once the fact becomes es-
 tablished that the public good de-
 mands it, then no good citizen should oppose it. In the near future the law will be compulsory all over the Unit
 ed States and we might as well take
 time by the forelock and do it now
 If the factories, stores and other places refuse to employ unyaccinated persons and the schools keep out chil-
 dren who have not been inoculated, all others will find themselves in an uncomfortable position. The man who says he does not intend to be
 vaccinated because he considers him. self proof against the disease may be
 deceiying himself and in any case he is a pretty selfish fellow and shows plainly that he is looking out for his own hide only. People do lots of things
 for the good of others, even when they
 know the hardships will never be any special benefit to themselves.