Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-06-12
WHEN DOCTORS DISAGREE
What is to Become of the Unfortunate
 Patient.

l Win street are not yet through talk
 ing about row that took place in
 that neighborhood among a few
 prominent professional men, which
 wound up in something like joke
 op pr Mcdonald, who has always
 been a strong advocate of the city
 maintaining bacteriological insti- tution, so that all this confusion re-
 garding putting up signs and taking
 them down and keeping children
 home from school might be done away with, and besides, and this was more important than anything else. pr Mcdonald told the aldermen when
 he appeared before them some time since while he was acting as health officer. physicians would know at the first opportunity whether patient had piphtheria or not and could ap- ply the proper remedy right of. in- stead of waiting for day or two to make sure that he was right. Dr McDonald's contention and the inter- est taken in the appointment of q bacteriologist by others finally led to the selection of such an official in the person of Dr Charles Engelke of Leavenworth street.
 After this had been done the doc- tor breathed easier and went around telling what big thing 1t was for Waterbury. Dr Mcdonald was one of the best pleased men in the lot and made no bones of saying so. Things went along all right until week or so later when Dr Mcdonald got call to attendsa child in fam fly named Sullivan. at the corner of Baldwin and Rye streets. When he reached the place he noticed a sign on the building, and as soon as he entered the house the mother of tho child informed him that Dr Cooley had been attending the child and that it was by his order the diph- theria sign was posted, but somehow she had presentment that some.l body had blundered and she was no. satisfied until she had investigated further, hence the reason why he had been called in. The doctor looked at the child's tongue and assured the woman that she was right, adding that If that was a diphtheria case he should give up practice right off. Then the trouble started. When tho case was called to the attention of the health officer it appears that he claimed that Dr Cooley had taken culture from the childs throat and had it examined by the bacteriologist, who stated that 1t contained bacilla of diphtheria. This was adding fuel to the fire in earnest and after . good deal of sharp talk among those directly concerned it was finally de- cided to take another culture and send it to the state bacteriologist at Middletown. Dr Kilmartin took the culture and from the time it was forwarded to Middletown until is came back very little was done in the neighborhood but wonder which was right. Some went so far as to bet money on the result. The report came in due time and to the great surprise of those who were positive that no mistake had been made in the first place. 1t stated that the sam pie contained no bacilla of diphtheria. This made things worse. The first thing. the people wanted when they heard that it wasn't diphtheria was the removal of the sign, but the health authorities hesitated and at last the situation became so serious that the city attorney was consulted on the part of the board of health, while the other side also sought coun- sel, who stood ready to sue If the owner of the building would simply say the word. The situation was be. coming critical when somebody back. ed down and the sign disappeared.
 Now the neighbors and others want to know who Is the laugh on. While it is true that Dr Mcdonald beat the whole of them, bacteriologist and all. it is equally true that thers was built up big argument against his pet hobby, a bacteriolo- gist laboratory and a bac. teriologist on hand all the time to examine cultures taken to him by the local physicians. Many would like to know If the doctor has lost faith in that sort of thing and if not how does he account for tho difference of opinion fin this case. The only persons on Baldwin street who feel sore at Dr Mcdonald over the affair are the youngsters, who were planning for good vacation, but when they heard that the sign went down and that Dr Mcdonald was responsible for it their indigna. ton knew no bounds and 1t is safe to predict that. as the joker said, If the whole of them were dead to. morrow none of them would send for Dr Mcdonald.
 The doctors are a secretive body and as a consequence the story was kept inside a small circle, but too many of the laity knew about it. ani the thing created so much commotiou it was no more than natural that iu the end 1t should become public