The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-05-18

her and turn her over to them. III must
confess that l wa $ not In a very happy;
( frame Of mind when II went to- Dr.. Ops
penhimer's office that morning After
telling him what had occurred, y II stated
from all the circumstances connected
with the case. I was placed in& one BofS
the most embarrassing situatiQnsi OF my
life, endeavorng To be courteous and
ethical to the city hacteriologist, hq'd,
[ been instrumental In keeping. a. patient
who had q mild, 1uncompl!c ated case ~
diphtheria, In splendid health, VINO wa
agreeable to the rules prescribed for
quarantine, in confinement over three
weeks, the time designated for severe
cases, and 1t seemed as il this e4ofs
affairs mus tinue Indefinitely. Il didn' =
believe any one was infallible, th.tH some
stake had been Internationally made
in this instance, and. rs there was no
law compelling me to have these ex-3
aminations made thought i would swat
out my own throat, send the culture to DE-
Levy as the woman's, and his report that
1t was healthy and there was nothing In
Z It to Indicate the presence Of dtphtherin5
would be the means OF liberia ting the pA 2
tient without embarrassing him, as ~
considered tia matter enlrely be tweenS
DR.. Oppenhimer and myself.
Greatly Surprised.
cit was certainly never intended as. d a.
joke and never spoken of as such until
the following card was received:
III Cl1l. II. O6-S00) 3sS38
Il ARCHAEOLOGICAL Laboratory 81
., Richmond Board of Heal th, IL 3ss
City Hall, Room TO- Fourth Floor.
3 Phone $685.. April II. 1906 IL
Dear Doctor.-The culture submitted "a
by you yesterday from Bette Watkins, f!!s
shows the presence} Of bacllli Of diph-s5 7
iberia. Nh "a n ID
Qlvery4 case Of diphtherla must be ssS
reported In writing to the Board Of n
Health. After disappearance of$mein-g-
brane, send swabs at intervals until
case lis reported no longer con ta- SS5
gious.) s .35s @ 5s45 Il XII
UNDERSTANDABLE Diphtheria hacil-
4 Ii still present. Very truly yours, 58s ss
(signed) p. G.. LEW, M. D..
City Bacteriologlst. M
This so disappointed me that I went8to (
DR.. Oppehimer and asked him to relieve
me from Observation-Disclosures on the wo-53
man. and she was discharged, the doctone
Insisting that should go to bed insteada
and bo treated, which l objected to. tells
ing him that didn't believe mat dlphthe-Fi
ria could exist without the foundation OF
a membrane any mora than smallpox, and &
scarlet fever could without the dlstnctivett
eruptlons 81 the diseases, and, althoufhf,
this woman had been out several times,l
yet she had never, so far as had heard,R
communicated the disease to any one; that Z
Il had no fear OF the bacllli IN my own 4
throat. us they seemed to be lot Of very
quiet and we'll behaved little fellows, lat-b
tending strictly to their own business and
I to have no desire to trespass where theS4
were not wanted. Why, II we stopped to z
think of tho innumerabe caravans OF has
fcllli microbes, etc. that are said TO hd Il
tpreying on our ytuls, mad house would y
have to be erected at every corner.
have too much to do 70 consider them (,
until they bother me- ana propose 10 let
them severely alone.
II would state that had two confer-
ences with DR. Levy and Vent TO Ms
office also, but he WAS absent