The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-07-15
Sixth and Robert Streets
NEWS OF THE CITY

sota.v The infection has been preva-
lent since 1898, and while compared to
the number of cases the deaths have
not aggregated any large proportion.
the prevalence of smallpox has worked
a great inconvenience and large ex-
pense to the people of the state.
Mild Type Explains the Spread
."The state board, assisted by the 10
cal authorities, has done everything in
its power to, curb the contagion, but
the mild type of the disease has put
our efforts to disadvantage. Had the
disease been of virulent type there
would have been such an arousal Of
public opinion that common safety
would have demanded restricted meas
ures that would have long ago ended
the spread of the disease.
"The smallpox that Minnesota peo-
pie have suffered from has been of a
character that does not seriously
brighten the public, and in some COM
munities it has been confused with
chickenpox 1t has been almost i'm
possible to arouse the public to the
seriousness of the situation, and while
there have been occasional Deaths the
public seems to be hardened to an APP
probation of the danger of an out
break that may cause many deaths.
We are hopeful, however, for the COM
will be free from, smallpox"
Reports of the state board of health
show that since the first case of small
pox was discovered in Minnesota, in
1898. UP to the close of 1903, no less
than 23,281- cases have been reported
to the state board of health, while
! doubtless there have been thousand
or more cases which have escaped
treatment by reputable physicians and
subsequent report to the state board.
How contagion Started
The first case in the conlagion, the
state report says, was brought to
Worthington, Mobiles county, by a man
who had just returned from Califor-
| MA and had stopped in Nebraska en-
route home. This was in May, 1893.
The eruption appearing on the body
| OF this man was diagnosed as chicken
| poX, and the man was not quaran-
| tined He recovered, but his wife and
| the physician who attended her both
died. Eight cases followed in the
| neighborhood as the result of the i'm
| portation of the disease.
| In January. 1899, a sleeping car por-
| ter returned home to st. Paul from a
| trip to the Pacific coast and came
down with smallpox Thirty-one cases
and one death resulted from this i'm
| ported case. An outbreak at Appleton
4 -, II.
/ lowed, and was traced to the visit Of
an Appleton man to Merriam Park
where he was exposed to the infection
/ from one of the residents of that sub
urb who had the disease from the
! porter.
In September, 1899. cases appeared
at st. Cloud and WiIlmar which the
| state board says were brought from
Great Falls, Mont. where contagion
existed, and it is believed that nearly
all the Minnesota cases can be indi-
rectly traced to an epidemic prevailing
in the Pacific coast states and which
probably came from the Asiatic coun-
| tries.
The Minnesota reports show that in
1889 there We're 257 cases. with II
deaths in the state: in 1900. 1871
cases and % deaths, in 1901, S,4SE
cases and 43 deaths; in 1902. $3.50
cases and 20 deaths, and in 1903, 4,50s
| new cases. With SO Deaths.