The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-02-03
SMALLPOX SCARE
AMONG STUDENTS
Two Stricken and Others at Med
ical College Will Be Vac
cillated at Once.
a PHYSICIANS BLUNDER
Diagnosed Original Case as
Chicken Pox-Made No Re-
port to Health Board.
PHYSICIANS BLUNDER

diagnosing a violent case OF small.
pox as chicken-poS, and then falling fc
report 1t to the Board OF Health, as
required By the regulations. loca!
physicians blunder a::aost made l;
necessary yesterday to issue general
order closing The Medical College OF
Virginia, two students OF which aas
now afflicted with the disease.
Chief Health Officer Leavy an
uounced however, that the work OF the
institution would not be interrupted,
as he had obtained from the faculty
the promise that every student will
be vaccinated at once. Two students,
who board at No. 513 North Twelfth
Street. and the colored cook were the
victims, one OF the young men having
been sent to the smallpox hospital.
Practically every person within. -FOUR
blocks of the place was vaccinate'i,
and it is believed now that the spread
ns been checked.
n Sent to Pest-House.
When the suspicious. case was report
ed to Dr.. Levy late Friday afternoon,
Dr. Freeman. the medical inspector.
was Immediately detailed to make an
investigation. DR.. W. ]. West, the
dyagnosticlan Of the department, was
proper hospital. It was subsequently
found that another. student and the
cook had been stricken. None OF the
three had ever been vacclnated. Six
persons in the house. who had been
z vaccfnated escaped all harm.
In tracing the disease DIR. Levy dis
covered that 1t had been brought to the
city about the middle of December by
a young woman from Caroline county.
who has since recovered. a friend or
the Caroline woman carried it to the
Twelfth Street boatding-house,- the Wis
ltor and the cook being treated by the
same physician. They had not protect
ed themselves by the simple method
known to all people.
Rigid Vaccination Ordered.
From time to time DR.. Levy has been
sending circular letters to all the pub
lie institutions. department stores and
factories. urging vaccination, especial
" in the winter months, when the
Importance of 1t is most apparent. One
gf these letters went to the Medical
college OF virginia The faculty IN
take charge OF the matter. He repeat
eddy urged the young men to comply,
but many of them did not. Dr.. Levy
said last night that he did not regard
the college. as tho students would
still be going around the city the risk
being the same. Tho faculty agreed,
however, to require every man In the
Institution to be vaccinated. and those
refusing to do SO will probably be sent
away. This work will be closely scru.
lnlzed, immediate report being made
to DR.. Levy of any smallpox sy!np-
Chickcn-Pox Rnrc In Adults.
The fact which is most surprising
TO the Health Department is that a
physician should turn In diagnosis
OF chicken-pox for an adult, when tina,
of itself is curiosity.
In an address delivered before the
conference of sanitary officers of the
Il State of New York in Buffalo in Octo-
Der, by DR.. John T. Wheeler, director
of the division of communicable dis
eases, this statement was made:
:tWhcn you get a cnsc of nn cruptivc
disease In I'M adult. and YOU cnn figure
the diaEnosl, down so thnt II stands be-
tween chickcnpOx on the one hand aud
smallpox on the other. call 1t, smallpox.
and you will be right every timc.n
DR.. Wheeler added that one OF the
leading experts OF New York had once
called him up over the telephone 800
miles away, to say that he had found
one adult with chickenpoS, the thing
being SO rare that it attracted world
wide attention.
Should be Warning.
DR.. Levy says that WINE he secs no
reason for general alarm, the fact that
the disease has been located here
should b. q sufficient warning to the
people to protect themselves by vacci-
nation. The Health Department does
this WorksEree bg tween the hours of
and le,tA. al, and also supplies virus