The Topeka state journal., 1905-02-01
City Board of Health Considers
Smallpox Situation.
Take No Steps to Close Senate
Chamber.
FUMIGATE THE ROOMS.
c. o. Hughes Boarding Place to
Be Thoroughly Disinfscted.
Another Case Reported on the
West Side.

The city board of health met last
night and issued orders to fumigate
the residence at 30S East Ninth street.
where A. o. Hughes, the employe of
the senate who was sent to the de-
tention hospital suffering from small
pox. has been boarding. The clothes
belonging to Hughes and other occu-
pants in the house were rumigated late
/ last evening, and today the house
itself was fumigated.
/ No quarantine will be established,
and no steps will be taken to close the
senate or fumigate the rooms.
| DR.. Plummer, a member OF the CITY
board of health, said this morning;
mo quarantine will be established
! We think it would be an injustice to tie
up the six people in the mouse Wheh
all the harm that can be done has been
done already. The employees at the
senate and the house have been as
much exposed through contact as the
inmates of the boarding house.
Hughes occupied bedroom by hlm-
self and was not In more intimate
contact with any one rhan the repre-
sentatives and senators and other leg
islative employees with whom his daily
work brought him into contact. 10
quarantine the house and senate is
practically an impossibility and could
be of little aid at this late date. The
six occupants of the house at 3OS
!
today, and / should advise that each
and every senator and representative,
as we'll as the employees OF both
branches of the legislature, should
take similar precautionary steps
Surely their common sense would die
tate such a step, even If medical ad-
vice were not forthcoming Though
Hughes case is a very mild form of
smallpox, the members OK the legisla-
ture stand a good chance of having
placed themselves liable of catching
the disease
DR.. Storrs. city physician, is i'll at
his home and was unable to attend the
meeting of the board of health He
had no further knowledge of the
policy to be pursued than that which
is already announced in the above
1t is stated that Hughes was ad-
vised by a drug clerk in the Copeland
County drug store to stay away from
the senate. but Hugh es failed to take
his advice. Hughes was in the drug
store Sunday and complained of not
feeling Well his face then was slightly
broken out and the clerk told him that
it might be a case of chickenpox and
advised him to remain in his room and
not go out Monday to his usual duties.
The boarding house where tdugheS
stayed is run by Oscar F. Eager.
Another case in which a large body
of people has been exposed to the
same dread disease has come to light.
Attendants at last Sundays services
at the Cumberland Presbyterian
church, Fifth and West streets, were
exposed to smallpox.
Mrs. L. NJ. Christy is the person
who suffered unknowingly from the
disease and unwittingly has contrib
uted to the danger and alarm of a
number of the people who attended
services with her at the same church
Mrs. Christy, who lives at 209, The
Drive, in Auburndale, felt i'll last Sat
urday and summoned in a doctor who
diagnosed the case as a chill. Feeling
ed church the following day. On
Monday she showed unmistakable
signs of smallpox and was quarantined
for that disease the same day.
1t is thought that the case orig
mated from Mrs. ]. k Thompson, of
2O5 The Drive, who is convalescent
from light attack of smallpox first
noticed some three weeks since.
The family of A F. Brown at POI
The Drive have been exposed. Mem
bers of the family were over at Mrs.
Christy's on Saturday, just two days
previous to the establishment of the
quarantine. This would come as a
hard fortune indeed as the Brown
family have just gone through a siege
of scarlet fever, the quarantine for
which has just been raised.
Physicians state that it takes from
seven to fourteen days for smallpox
to make its appearance. 1t will
therefore take that length of time be-
fore it can be definitely ascertained
whether the legislature and the mem
bers of the Cumberland Presbyterian
church who were exposed will feel
the brunt of an attack from the dread
disease.