The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-06-05
MIR. SPRA CU.E
MAY RECOVER
Though iii With Anthrax, a Sc
rious Ma1ady 1t IS Hope
fiji He Will Get Well.
BUNCH LARGE AS HENS EGG
Operation Performed Which May
save the Life Of the Patient.
Married Richmond Girl.

The gratifying intelligence comes from
boston that Mr.. George 81 sprasue' WIZ
few months ago married Miss Piz1lh''
AZ Iris city, ana who Is Ill with anthrax
vii, probably recover. The Boston Her
a,d saws OF this interesting case:
The medical fraternity and the heaien
of1,oinls Of Lynn are araiously await
ING the report OF Professor Ernst, OF f1ar-
vord on the serum submitted to MIN
,or ANALYSIS, taken from the person OF
ceorse .. sprague. well known pusi-
ness man OF Lynn. who IS beheVeo ~
10 a victim OF anthrax. DR.. i II.
t,h,eo,ne who attended the patient at
tha beginning Of his illness, and Dr.
x George H Gray, who was subsequently
4 ca,led In. are Of the opinion tina " Is
anthrax, as are also other phi! iclans
who have examined the baclill TAKEN
from the patient and now in possession
Vi Of Professor Ernst.
Mr.. Sprague. who Is treasurer OF 'he'
sprasue and Breed Coal Company, OF
Lynn, and president of the Burnham
Coal Company, of Boston, first ehpe.l.
G enced the development OF the disease
i on Friday last. when pimple appeared
4 on the lower right jaw. 1t irrltated MIN
a great deal and though he tried to re-
sist the temptation. he could not refrain
from scratching it. He finally opened
it, and on Saturday it began to give
him some pain. In the evening he called
upon his family physician, DIR. Cilicoine,
who did not regard 1t as serious.
Sunday morning Mr.. sprague showed
signs Of fever and DR.. Chicoine, who
was called In. became somewhat
alarmed and DR.. Gray was called in
consultation. They took some smear
preparation from the patient, and pre-
pared 1t for microscopical examination
at the Lynn Hospital, and found unmls-
taxable evidence of the existence of an
thrax Three hours later another smear
proved that the bacilli had Increased
alarmingly.
BUNCH LARGE AS HENS EGG.
About 1880 o'clock Sunday afternoon
the physicians decided that an operation
was the only thing that would prevent
/ the spread OF the disease, and this was
performed. a bunch as large as q hens
egg being removed from the patients
jaw. Since that time the patient has
been resting comfortably. and the Mt
tending physicians believe he will re-
cover.
How Mr.. Sprague came to be infected
4 with the disease Is a mystery. and the
& doctors are trying to trace 1t to Its
source. 1t has been attributed to the
bite of an insect, to the handling Of in
55sfeeted money. asd to other causes, but
all OF 1t is pure speculation. Mr..
3 Srrague is a. great lover Of golf, and O..
Thursday evening was on the links OF
the Salem Country Club. 1t was on the
following day that he noticed the irri-
tation. and the theory has been ad-
vanced that Mr.. Sprague. while playing
gclf might have been bitten by all In
sect which was infected with the dis
case. and communicated 1t to his VIC
tim. This theory Is not regarded as q
probable solution of the cause, and tho
physicians are looking elsewhere for it..
They regard 1t as more likely that.
in scratching the pimple and causing
1t to bleed, the germs OF the disease
were communicated through the cut,
but that does not explain how Mr..
Sprague happened to have the germs
! secreted about his finger nails. Some
have attempted to account for this by
attributing 1t to the handling of money
by the patient, who, as treasurer of the
sprague and Breed Company, handles
most Of the money Of that concern.
Anthrax is a tropical disease. and
physicians say 1t comes primarily from
South America, being brought into
this country I'M skins shipped from
4 eouth American countries. The dis
ease Is one OF the most malignant with
which physicans have to deal. and
several deaths have taken place in Lynn
among leather workers and others from
this cause. There were six cases in Lynn
lat year, and during the past three years
there have been eighteen CAGES.
TWO RECENT DEATHS IN LYNN.
They originated in Morocco shop Mt
West Lynn. which handles large quanti-
ties of South American skins. The last
victims or 1t were two brothers. One
was a leather worker, the other was en-
rloyed In the river works of the General
Electric Company. The leather worker
was the first to be taken III, and two
days after he died his brother was taken
sick and also died. The latter 1t was
afterward learned, wore the clothing and
used the razor of his dead brother and
X Is presumed the disease was conveyed
to him in this manner !.
4, The State Board Of Health for some
time has been considering the best means
OF controlling the Importation of the dis
ease into this country through the skins
which are shipped here, and during the
present session of the Legislature legis-
lation bearing upon this subject was in
troduced.
llr. Chicoine stated to the Boston Her.
aid reporter last evening that he was
reasonably sure that Mr. Sprague WAS
suffering from anthrax. though he would
not state definitely until he had heard
from Professor Ernst. As illustrating
how the disease spreads, DR., Chicoine
stated that when he first saw Mr..
Eprague Saturday evening the swelling
was about the size Of hazel nut, ON
Sunday morning 1t was as large as an
English walnut. and when the growth
WAS removed II was as large as hens
fgg.