The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1908-11-20
SEEMS TO BE
ABOUT OVER
Firm Grip on the Smallpox
Situation.
QUARANTINE is LIFTED
Several Houses Released from Quaran.
tine Yesterday and More win Be
Opened Today-only Few Cases
This Week Hopeful Outlook.


Developments OF the past week-if il
may be truthiully said that there have
been any-indicatc that the local health
authorities have firm grip on the small
pox situation, aud there i no likelihood
that the outbreak will not subside steadily
from now ON and be entirely stamped ont
within few weeks. All the persons who
were reported last week as VI with the
disease are making excellent rccovcries,
Quarantine was removed from three hous'
cs yesterday and in number OF other
eases the quarantine restrictions will be
removed within a lew days.
Since last Friday the number OF new
cases which have made their appearance
is exceedingly small and practically all OF
them are in families which were prev
iously under quarantine. e. III. Sander
son. an employe OF +. /. llildreth &
company, came down with the disease sun
day: Mrs. ADbie G. X. Dinsmore and her
son who live at 60 High street are also III
with smallpox in very mild form, and
George ii. Collins is confined TO his home
on the Eaton farm with a mild case.
These are the only eases which have been
reported to DIR. Henry Tucker, the local
health officer up to yesterday afternoon.
The fact that the disease apparently Is not
spreading seems TO indicate that the con
tagion in these mild cases is comparatively
slight: in fact. now that excellent quaran'
tine restrictions have been established,
there is no reason TO expect that any new
cases will appear after the middle of next
week.
4 reerettable feature of the situation is
that il has severely interfered with bust
ness at the local stores, but people are
now beginning to realize that the danger
in Brattleboro at present is much less
that il has been at any time within the
past several months; in fact, there Is alb
solutely no reason why the people living
in the surrounding towns should not come
to Brattleboro to trade the same as they
have been in the past.
The local health officers as well as the
physicians are very much pleased with the
prompt response which the public has
made to their recommendation to get vac
cinated, and they believe that this will be
a large factor in stamping out the disease
quickly. just how many people have had
their arms scratched during the past week
cannot. OF course be stated, but Judging
by the crowds which have thronged the
doctors offices it is safe to say that
nearly everybody in town has taken this
precaution. The propnetors OF factories;
stores and offices have generally adopted
the plan of requiring their employees to
get vaccinated or remain at home until
the epidemic is over, and shipments from
many of the business places are thorough
" disinfected. This protection has been
taken since Monday by the firm OF Il, l..
Hildreth & company, whose shop was
thoroughly fuimgated as soon as it was
learned that one of the firms employees
had been taken with the disease.
Whatever may be thought of the atti-
tude which the local newspaper contln-
gent has taken in regard to the epidemic,
It is only fair to say that conditions have
been stated Just as they are without sup
preston or evasion. In the first place the
newspaper men consider this course mat
ter of duty, and they believe that false
reports will destroy confidence more et,
fectually than true ones and In the end
prove the source of much more harm TO
the town.
Bv mutual agreement between the select
men and the Brattleboro physicians, two
experts were called here from New York
city to make an independent investigation
for the purpose of assuring and protecting
the public to the greatest possible extent.
These EXPERTS were chosen by DR.. j. D.
McGrath who has been frequently called
here to operate at the Brattleboro Memoir
ial hospital, and they arrived in Brattle-
boro on the late train Sunday night. They
were DR.. John j. Cronin and DR.. William
L. Somerset of the New York city. board
of health the former assistant chiet !. medi-
cal inspector and the latter chief diagnos-
tician. Both are experts in contagious
diseases and of unquestioned authority.
They began making an inspection OF the
local cases Immediately upon their arrival,
continuing the work until about midnight
and resuming it early Monday morning.
They were accompanied on their rounds
by several of the local physicians. Both
doctors pronounced the disease unmlstak-
ably smallpox, but said that its form was
extremely mild, due in all probability to
the general good health and physical CON
dition of Brattleboro people and Their
5 80 Monday morning Doctors Cronin and
Somerset met the local physicians, the
town officials and number of the busl-
ness men in the selectmens room where
brief conference took. place, Or. Somerset
read the statement he and his colleague
had prepared and Dr. Cronin gave the
local physicians some excellent advice IN
regard to methods of vaccination ana quar-
antine. The experts stated in substance
that the situation here might become ser
ions if allowed to go on as it had previous
TO last week. but It was their opinion that
# the rules already formulated by the local
health officer under the advice OF the state
board of health were strictly observed
they would bring a quick check to any
further spread of the disease. DR.. Somer,,
set stated that he had known. OF several
smallpox outbreaks similar to the one here
and that in none of them had the disease
developed into serious type. Both eX-
perts recommended that a place be Sc,
eured where new cases could be segregated
as fast as they appeared and that all
bouses where the disease had existed
should be thoroughly fumigated. They
we're also very strong in advising every
body to be vaccinated, saying that TINS
was the best prevention.
Last Sunday arrangements We're maue
for the purchase from DR.. H. I. Water
man of the farm on the old Guilford road,
,nown as the Keyes place. Since then
he work of remodeling the building tor
detention building has been progressing
rapidlv. The main building has been
aouipped with a steam heating plant ana
# will probably be ready for use should
here be anv occasion for using 1t, by TINS
afternoon. Papers were made. out yester-
Law for the transfer of the farm, Which
consists of about 90 acres near the Gull-
ford line. to the trustees of the Thompson
fund estate. The purchase price is s25oo.
Through an arrangement with the toWi,
authorities. the main building may, be used
If anv time as an isolation building, but
4 will probably stand in the names OF
The Thompson trustees. The work, OF f,t-
mo nm the building has been under the
of the Brattleboro Mutual AID
association.
In order to protect the schools against
, repetition of the present epidemic, tine