Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1908-01-23
Of Charges Directed Against
the City Physician in Con-
neCtion With Fumigating
Fees,
BOTH SIDES SCORE AT
MEETING OF BOARD
Board Passes Resolution Ex-
pressing Confidence in dag
nOSiS Made by Or, WyIder
Of Mil EmpIOye Case,

Grief of serious and grief of not
so serious nature came up in punches
before the city board Of health at a
meeting held yesterday afternoon in
the office of the city physician, Dr.. y.
II. earns, the meeting having baCl
called for the purpose of hearing
charges which had been preferred
against the city physician in come .
ton with recent smallpox cases ana
fumigating rulings and charges for
fumigating.
The full membership of the board
was present, as follows: Mayor NJ
Zee, DR.. earns, Dr. James II. WrOtn,
Dr.. John F. Pearce, Alderman Har -
son, Alderman Neustadt. The city at
torney WAS also present and DR.. NJ. x.
Wylder, who made one of the ,om-
plants.
In the case brought forward by Dr
Wylder, first before the city council
and again yesterday afternoon Def re
the board, the board of health white
approving the action of the city JHy-
stefan in quarantining what he cOnsd-
cred a suspicious case, upheld Dr.
Wyder in his diagnosis and passed a
resolution freeing him from all posi-
bic blame in his professional capacity.
The board also passed Il mott N
expressing it to be the sense of the
board that the bill for $15, rendered
to the patient in question by d"
earns, be RENTED.
DR.. Wylder, in presenting his cast
to the board, repeated the statements
made to the city council. He said
that early in November the patient,
an employe of the American Lumber
company. had come to him for advice
regarding an illness and severe
eruption, He had made an eXamina-
ton and pronounced 1t a specific dis
ease, He continued TO treat the man
who declined to believe he had con-
traeted the disease in question. w1e1
Dr. Wylder advised him to consult an
other physician, allowing him to make
his own choice. The atient consulted
DR.. Pearce, who stated to the boari
that while he did not make careful
examination. the patient looked at
that time as if he were recovering
from a case Of smallpox, the symp-
toms as given by the patient, indlcat-
ing that disease. DR.. Pearce, how
ever, advised the man to go at once to
DR.. earns, the city physician. d.
earns pronounced the disease small
pox. quarantined the man in his home
and kept him there for seventeen
days.
DR.. Pearce stated to the board yes
terday afternoon that there could ne
no doubt that the patient had the
specific disease as diagnosed by Dr.
Wylder.
Dr. earns insisted that if he did have
the disease in question he also had
smallpox, and that cases of mixed IN
lection were possible This staten ~
was contradicted by member of tnG
board who considered such mixed in
lection impossible.
Dr. Wylder introduced Il statement
from eight Albuquerque physicians
who had examined the case and who
agreed with his diagnosis. He also
produced the patient, who was eX-
hibited to the board. The patients
body is still a mass of sores in the
drying stage, and no doubt was OK
pressed by the physicians present Of
the correctness Of the diagnosis made
by DR.. Wylder. Or. Pearce held.
however, Dr.. Wroth agreeing, that
the city physician had been within h."
rights and his duty as a public Of
ficer in ordering quarantine in what
appeared to be a suspicious case, dur
ing a period of possible smallpox in
lection.
The affidavit made by the patient
sustaining the contention Of the city
physician was introduced and the pa
tient denied that he had made sew