News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1902-03-12

h takes Correspondents to do for
CritiCizing Smallpox Cases
at CenterViIIe.
Editor of News and Citizen -

ten articles r1d1cul1ng the ldea thai
4 there was smallpox in that place and
calling it chickenpox instead, thereby
trying to create the impression that
the attending physicians and health
officer did not know their business
but that three or four of the Center
vile people mot all, mind YOU had
ideas and opinions on the subject
Notwithstanding the narrowness o.
detrimental scope and lack ofspecia,
training, that the public ought to
accept as superior to that of the ply.
sicians.
Now, what are the true facts of the
case? Jan. 10th last DR.. Genge called
me to Centerville to see a case in con-
sultation with him. While there,
Herbert Bachum, a well developed
boy fifteen years of age, came in to
consult me with regard to an erup-
ton of the skin. His clothing was
removed and a thorough examina-
ton made at once, the disease having
every appearance of smallpox. DR..
Genge's attention was called to the
case and we decided to quarantine
at once and see him again the next
day, which we did, and both were
thoroughly convinced that it was a
case Of smallpox and expressed our
selves accordingly. Mind you, the
mother insisted that the bov had
previously had chickenpox and called
our attention to some pits which he
had to show for it. He had been vac
cinated two years ago, but it had
not worked, or at least he did not
have a good scar to show for it.
The school which the boy attended
was closed, the State Board OF Health
notified and within few days all
but one or two of those who had
been exposed were vaccinated the
Others having been vacCinated at
some previous time. Particular pains
were taken to tell everyone not to be
alarmed, as the case was a mild one
and there had been two or three hun
dred cases of the disease in the state
with hardly any deaths.
The State Board of Health wrote
me for an accurate description of the
case, which | gave them, when they
replied as follows; Your letter re-
ceived. We do not question your di-
agnosis. Insist on everyone, who
has been exposed, being vaccinated,
Be particularly careful about fumi-
eating and cleaning up"
Jan. oath, Clarence Holbrook,
boy, man grown, who occupied the
same seat in school with Herbert
Bachum, was taken sick with the
disease, typical in every respect, but
mild. He had been vaccinated, but
not quick enough to head it off. His
mother, who is a thoroughly reliable
woman, says thatin the latter stages
of the disease she could hardly stay
in the house on account of a peculiar
disagreeable odor which came from
his skin. Get any such odor as that
from chickenpox? Not a bit of it.
All the authorities in Christendom,
good, bad and indifferent, are agreed
that smallpox is the only skin disease
from which that peculiar odor can
come. The same authorities are
agreed that the eruption of chicken
pox never occurs in the palms of the
hands, but that smallpox does. In
both of these cases there was a well
marked eruption almost exactly in
the center of the palm.
Later, varioloid appeared in An
drew Cleveland's family. A little
later his eighteen-year old son, al
most six feet tall, weighing probably
from 10 to $50 pounds, was taken
i'll with a decidedly more marked case
than any of the others. He was
taken with a chill and considerable
pain in the back, and on my visit
found to have temperature of 1882
degrees, pulse of 100, the eruption
covering nearly every inch of his body
and his face swollen quite badly
True, he had been vaccinated two
years before, but in some people the
vaccina ton will run out in a year or
so, while in others it will last for
a lifetime Medical men vaccinate
themselves every time they are likely
to be exposed. To illustrate this
point: There is a standing order
from the Surgeon General of the U.
S. Navy that the crew of every man
of-war from the captain down shall
be vaccinated every time they go into
an infected port, no matter whether
they were vaccinated one month, one
year or ten years before.
The correspondents say that so far
no one but children have had the So
called disease. Are these three young
men children? Look up the defni-
ton of a child and see. Their average
weight is at least 40 lbs. and their
average height at least five #. eight
inches. Pretty big children, aren't
they? And how about the woman