Morning appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1877-1906, 1905-04-19

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OFFICIAL REPORT or.
Or. s. L. LEE.
The Mysterious Maiady at Tonopah is
viruIent Pieure-Pneumonla.
Carson City, Nevada, April Is, 1905.
Honorable John Sparks,
Governor Of Nevada.
SIR
In compliance with your request of
the 14th instant, l started to Tonopah.
Nevada, on the morning of the 18th
TO investigate the sanitary conditions
Of that town, and, 80 far as possible,
ascertain the cause or causes Of the
disease prevailing there as an cpl
demic.
I arrived on the night of the 18th.
and ut six o'clock A. NJ. took a
transcript from the records Of Mr..
Wanacot, the coroner, who Is the only
undertaken in Tonopah. He makes af-
fidavit that he buried all the bodies
inferred there, and furnished caskets
for all who died and were transported
to other points. This record shows
that the deaths from all causes during
the month of January amounted to
nine, in February, two, in March,
twenty-three. From April LIST to the
10th inclusive, twenty two, making
total Of fifty six, of whom fifty-four
were males and two females. OF the
foregoing one died of smallpox, one
suicide, one following an amputatiOn,
one (female) from operation, one kill
ed by handcar; one killed on the des-
ert ten miles from TonOpah; one from
Bright's disease; two from heart dis
ease, the remaining forty seven hav-
ing died from the disease that has
causer such excitement in this locality
as well as throughout the coast
From the above total one should be
eliminated, as death occurred at Ka-
witch, but the burial took place in
Tonopah, thus reducing the number
to forty-five deaths from this disease
since December 81, 1904, in an esti-
mated population Of five thousand.
My next step was, If possible, to
diagnose or name the disease. Every
opportunity was afforded me by the
local profession, and general courtesy
extended to me.
In the Miners Union, Railroad, City
and County and Lane Hospitals, and
at private residences, l visited some
twenty-six cases, among which mum
Der every stage Of the disease was
= represented: j. e., from the twelfth
hour after invasion to the GONZALES
cent, or to death, one having died on
the night of my arrival.
Having examined some forty cases
of this type of disease in this same
camp during an epidemic in the month
Of January, 1902, had no hesitanc.
in pronouncing the disease pleuro
pneumonia However, fully realizing
that the fears of the public woult
never be allayed through my opinion
unsupported by others, called meet
ing of the resident physicians at tn
Mizpah Club at six o'clock P. NJ of tn
10th. Fortunately an autopsy wa
made upon one OF the typical cases a
1880 P. M. of the same day, at whic
the physicians were generally pres
ent.
! would say in passing that l nav
never seen a more clever body of phi!
sicians in city of five or eight thot
sand people than are now practicin
in Tonopah. Such a compliment
their mental equipment naturally su
gests that they are pathologists {
no mean order.
Having thoroughly examined II
morbid organisms, the cause of deaf
in this instance, was declared, unaI
mously to be pleuro pneumonia; ar
as above stated, the case being simil;
to all others that had resulted in dea
it was unanimously held that the el
demic was one OF pleuropneumoni
due to pneumococci and streptococ
infection invading the pleural cayi
and pericardium. Death occurs fro
heart failure, from INSTRUMENTATION.
Lowered vitality resulting from
coholic excuses, poorly yentilat
cabins, great expenditure of vital {
ergy, followed by suddenly lower
temperature, general unsanitary {
vironments. etc, etc, were unQuestil
ably responsible for the high dea