The Paducah sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1898-1906, 1903-01-26
County will Not be Guaranteed,
Differences Being Settled.
Board Of Health Comes Out on Top
President Matthew'S State
ments.
M U OH LIEF FELT

The threatened quarantine of No
Craoken county and Paducsh seems to
be q thing of the past. As forecast in
the Sun Saturday. County Judge Light
foot was visited by committee, and
agreed to aid the board of health to
stamp out the disease, which means
that a rigid quarantine will be main
tanned until the disease, whether it is
smallpox or NOT, is stamped out.
The people in the infected districts
have been coming TO the city or going
wherever they chose, ON the strength
of the presumption that the county
judge and one doctor knew that it was
not smallpox and half q dozen other
doctors, including members Of the
county board of health, didn't know
anything about it. The general opin-
ion seems to be that the people of Pa
ducsh, nor of any other section Of the
state, want to be brought in contact
with q disease that has been pro-
nounced smallpox by the proper au-
thorities and a majority of the doctors
examining 1t, and that a quarantine
ought to be enforced on suspicion, II
for no other reason.
Yesterdays Courier-Journsl, in dis
cussing the matter said:;
| According to the health authors
ties of the state and those Of McOrack-
en- county and Psducah, the spread of
that disease to its present proportions
is due TO the stand taken by County
Judge Lightfoot, Of McCracken ooun-
ty. He has held all along that the dis
ease is not smallpox and has refused
to take any action in aiding the Zeal
health authorities to enforce the law.
On the other hand they declare he
has done all ~. his power to undo the
work they have done toward trying
70 stamp out the disease. They &C.
cuse him Of telling people TO tear
down the yellow flags posted by the
health officials in Paducah aud else
where in that vicinity and not to obey
any local regulations adopted for iso-
ldting the smallpox patients. The To-
cal health authorities report to the
state board that they have no funds
because Judge Lightfoot advises
against the Fiscal court voting them
for the work.
kilograms were received by DR.. J.
N. Mccormack, secretary of the state
board of health, late yesterday after
noon asking that the state board wait
until Monday before taking action, as
it waJ believed Judge Lightfoot would
finally consent to help the local health
authorities in stamping out the dis
ease.
Complaints, said Dr. Mathews.
president of the board of health, speak
ing of the McOracken county situation
last night, "have been received dur
ing the past day or SO from Campton,
Wolfe county, cambridge, Christian
county. West Liberty, Owen county
and u number of points in Bullitt
county to say nothing of numerous
complaints from Paducah itself. The
fact that smallpox patients have not
been properly handled in Paduoah
and have not been prevented from
moving about is doubtless at the bot
tom of these complaints. When small
pox patients are not restriqed the
disease is bound to spread with fright
frl rapidity. don't know what Judge
Lightfoot thought that disease was,
never heard his DIAGNOSIS, but he per-
sisted that it wasn't smallpox.
"Now the state board of health
would especially dislike to place a
quarantine against this county, as il
would embarrass one of the most pros
porous cities in the state. But we
have used every effort TO quiet the
Judge and get him to aid us in Riding
the county and city of Paducah of
this pest. We are told that he will do
nothing to aid us, but instead uses
very abusive language against ali the
health authorities. OF course we care