The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-01-27
STOP A FUNERAL
Health Officers Prevent Services
of Little Ellen Horn.
An Example of Cruel and Use
less laundering.
WHO is TO BLAME /?
Doctors Say That Child Had
Diphtberia.
Case Was Not Reported or Put
in Quarantine.
WHO is TO BLAME ?


Horn, who lives in Clay street near
Seventeenth, was subjected to very
grievous experience Tuesday. The fu-
neral of Mr.. Horns little daughter. Ell
len Beryl, was set for IL o'clock a. m.
and just before the services were to be
held, two officers of, the health depart
ment drove up with orders from the city
physician to permit no public funeral.
No services at all were held. No min
lister was present. The little casket was
carried out to the hearse by Mr.. Horn
himself.
The city physicians order was given
because it had been reported to him
that the child died of diphtheria, though
no case of diphtheria had been reported
to the health department in the family.
Mr.. Horn holds DR.. Agnes Mckee Wal
lace responsible, and says he will take
legal proceedings against her. The I'M
fortunate occurrence, however, seems to
be the result of divided responsibility,
coupled with some unexplained delay on
the part of the health department In
notifying the family that no public fu-
neral should be held People in the
neighborhood are considerably aroused
by the incident, and some pretty severe
things are being said about those who
were concerned in the case.
It seems that the little girl was taken
sick December 16. DR.. Westerfield was
called in and pronounced 1t a case of
tonsilitis. After treating the child for
a week, he went to Florida. On De-
cember 26 Mr.. Horns little baby was
slightly i'll. and he called in DR.. Wal
lace. DR.. Wallace treated the baby,
and seeing the little girl lying on the
bed made the remark that the little girl
looked very sick and seemed to be re-
covering from diphtheria. The little
girl got better until about January 10,
when she suffered a relapse On jan
uary IT DIR. Wallace was called in and
diagnosed the little girls trouble as
the after effects of diphtheria. and not
infectious. On January 81 the child
was so much worse that DR.. Stewart
was called in consultation. DR.. Stew
art agreed with DIR. Wallace that the
cause of the sickness was the after
effects of diphtheria. The child died
Sunday morning. For fear that the
house might have been infected with
diphtheria. DR.. Wallace on Monday af-
ternoon notified the board of health not
to permit public funeral, but it seems
that this notice was not served on the
family until just before the funeral on
Tuesday.
It is probable that the board of health
will make an investigation of the case
to determine. If possible. who was re-
sponsible for failing to report the case
and see that it was properly quaran-
tined. During the whole term of the
little girls sickness people came and
went freely at the house. and Mr.. Horn
continued clerking at the store where
he is employed. Euclid school, where
an older girl attended, has not been
fumigated, and people are alarmed for
fear that there may be a spread of the
epidemic.
DR.. Wallace said this morning: 81 do
not care to enter into a discussion of
the case, unless the board of health
decides to make an investigation. /
will simply say that 1 was not the
physician in the case until the child
had entirely recovered from the in
fictitious stage of diphtheria- Her death
was due to weak heart action, causing
a congestion of the lungs, the direct
result of an attack of diphtheria.''
DR.. Westerfield has not yet returned
from Florida Some claim that it was
his mistake in a diagnosis that caused
| the mistake.
Mr.. Horn said today: az am not go
| ing to let this matter drop. I believe
that my little girls death was due to
overdoses of strychnine, administered
| to promote heart action. I viii see
| lawyers, and put the case in their
| hands.
Little Ella Beryl took sick on the
| 18th of December with what DR.. Wester-
field, after minute examination, pro-
nounced tonsilitiS and treated her for
| just one week for this disease. When
he started for Florida, he told me she
was better and would be well in a few
days under reasonable care by giving
the medicine which he would leave for
her We gave her the medicine and
the best of care and she continued to
improve. On Saturday evening, De-
cember 26, our little boy, year old.
took sick from the cutting of his teeth.
and we called in Dr. Wallace TO attend
him, and she saw the little girl and
made some remark about ner not look
ing well, but did not say what she
thought was the cause as she made no
examination of her in any way-> either
at that time or at any time later. we
continued to give the medicine left by
DR.. Westerfield until about the 18th of
! January and she was now able to play
around in the house, able to eat three
good meals a day, at least, and seemed
to US fairly well, and continued SO un-
| til the evening of January 10 when she
| took a cold and seemed to not be so
we'll 1 went to see DR.. Wallace on the
morning of the 18th and asked her to
| come toss see the child, but after talking
the case over she said she could send
medicine that would do just as well as
for her to go.
| Il got the medicine which was to in
crease and stimulate the heart and
| gave it according to directions. The
| again sent for DR.. Wallace to come
She came about 8 o'clock and looked at
| the child, took her temperature, ETC.
/ ana saiu ting emu Was s.s.~- ---ss --'s,,
| a relapse of diphtheria and ordered her
nut TO IJtti and Kept tl.c-e Until enc
said for her to get up. She called twice
a day to see the patient but made no
| examination of the throat or even look
| ed at it, but kept right on with the
medicine for the heart only. 1t ran
! thus until Thursday and 1 arranged to
! have DR.. Stewart come out in consul
| tation which he did in the evening Al
| ter an exanina ton of her he SAID she
may or may not have had diDhtheria,
! but that she was dangerously i'll and
/ only the best of care could even give
/ her a poor chance of recovery. We did
all for her that we possibly could but
| she grew weaker until Sunday morning
/ and very quietly passed away
Il had three doctors to wait on her.
They either knew that she did not have
i the diphtheria and therefore 1t was not
| necessary to quarantine the house. or
they failed to give me the beneat Of