Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-08-14
Citizens of Shell Rock Line Up
Behind Their Favorite
Doctors
CHURCH GREATLY DISTURBED
Preacher May Resign - Petitions Sent
to the State Board of Health = Doc
tor Hanged in Effigy - Two State
Officers Threatened and People
Parade Streets in Their Excitement.
special to Times-Republican

we have a feud in Iowa, but the traV-
eler who wanders into this town can
find one being fought to the bitter
end, and it is now nearly twenty years
old. Words are flashed instead OF
knives and newspapers used instead OF
guns, but the whole town is more or
less involved, a church is divided over
it, preacher is likely. to resign, wo-
men parade the streets in triumphal
professions and the populace assist IN
burning the enemy In effigy. 1t is all
occasioned by the factious relations OF
two doctors, not war OF homeopathy
against the regular school but just the
sentiment that our" doctor is better
physician than your" doctor.
Readers of the daily papers will re-
call recent dispatches telling of a prom
inent physician being hanged in effigy
in this town and of a threatened at
tack on two members of the state
board of health temporarily here In the
performance of official duties. These
were merely manifestations of the
feud, the more recent er,lptions OF an
ancient volcano. The primal cause is
the intense admiration majority OF
the citizens have for one doctor ana
his methods and practices, and an an
tagonism fer any other doctor that
differs from him In any way, shape or
fashion. This favorite doctor has
bumped up against several other doc
tors, resident here or the other doctors
have bumped up against him, many
times during the past fifteen or twenty
years.
The writer some ten years ago had
bit of personal experience here, not
out Of place to now mention. On one
trip. within five minutes Of his arrival,
he was waited upon by committee OF
three prominent citizens, Their bust
ness was briefly stated. It was TO as
certain the name of the T.-R. cores
lpondent at Shell Rock, failing which
| they would sue the T. r. for libel. Tho
tcause, afterwards ascerta1ned, was an
innocent little three-line bit of neigh
borhood news, which the knowing ones
could read between lines but in which
outsiders saw nothing. AS athe
writer remembers, the trouble was
something to the effect, If he had pro-
per medical attendance.
A few years later there was "rup-
ton" in a nearby town because one
doctor pronounced an epidemic small
pox and the other doctor called> 1T
chicken pox. Then too there were sew
eraI cases of diptheria, according to
one physician; just ordinary sore
throat said the other doctor. In each
and all of these break outs good citi-
zens lined up behind the fallen out
doctors and in two cases the state
board OF health was called upon. The
Immediate cause of the latest flow of
red hot lava, hot stones and hot air,
preceded by days of deep runlbling
in the earth and the smell Of sulphur
was the following petition. 1t is here
given in full, with the names attached
to show that prominent. men and wom-
en- were in dead earnest. They felt
that for the good of the community
something must be done. The other
crowd. headed by the other doctor, felt
that it was nonsense to establish
quarantine, close the schools and kill
the trade Of the town over an epidem-
ic of some prevailing skin disease
Here is the petition as sent to the
State Board Of Health:
Petition Health Board.
Shell Rock. May 10, 1905.
DR.. F. w. Powers, Member State
Board of Health, First District, Water
! loo, Iowa:
Dear Sir: AS members Of the state
board o. health, we, the undersigned
citizens of Shell Rock, Iowa, apply to
you to relieve us from a condition
which has become intollerable in that
our city has been passing thru ar
eruptive disease which has appeared
| in numerous families almost condi-
| ton of epidemic. From the symptoms
of the disease we have reason to be-
lieve that this erupti1e fever is scarlei
fever-children have been known tc
\ have been In the school while peeling
off. We have reasons to believe thai
| children of the following named fam
lilies have been i'll Of the trouble:
Charles Town, M. E Hathaway, Har-
| vey Metzgar, also the wife of Henry
Stevenson, and we most respectfully
ask that investigation be made. an6
| that the. state board Of health take
proper steps to protect all from expos.
ure, who may not already be exposed
| It seems evident to US that the loca
health officer and board Of health eth.
err refuse or neglect to enforce the
rules ,lnd regulations of the state
board Of health otherwise the present
conditions could not exist.
We would ask further that proper
punishment be melted out to whomso.
ever is guilty for this condition of af.
fairs, that our homes may not be ex-
posed in the future as they have beer
in the past, not only as regards scarle
fever, but diphtherla and smallpox a!
we'll. We pray that you give this i'm.
mediate attention.
Mrs George f. ,raber.
Rev. j. g. Marvin.
Rev g. F. Reinking.
j. j. Sharp superintendent Of schools
Mytta I. Lyons, primary.
Erie Collins, grammar.
v. i. Olney. t
F. il. Sharp. :
]. F. Smith.
1 S. w. RenlingtoFL
Rev.. c. r. II. Moore
1 Charles Austin,
DR.. o. p. Thomr son.
w. H. McGregoi'.
State Board TO Act.
What followed the newspapers hav
| told ls. In addition steps have bee
taken to take away the right of prac
1 tice Of one doctor, and the action O
the state board So anxiously waited
| for. II unfavorable, the case will b
! takerl to the courts and fought to fin
| ish.
Church Involved.