Willmar tribune., 1909-10-20
The Aut0cracy of Boards
of Health.


New York is to be congratulated on
the fact that through the instru-
mentality of the Salvation Army
they rescued one, John Early, an
alleged victim Of leprosy, from the
clutches of the health board of
Washington, D. C.
The Washington health board had
sentenced John Early to perpetual
bondage in an old shack of a build
ing, called a pest house, and was
going to keep him there the rest of
his days in order to prevent the
spread of leprosy, as they said.
The health board of New York
disagreed with them on two points:
First, that the case was one of
leprosy; Second. as to the danger
of the spread Of leprosy, even
though it were case of genuine
leprosy.
Now, then, if the health board Of
Washington should retaliate upon
the health board of the city of New
York by by rescuing "Typhoid
Mary" from the New York health
board. importing her to Washing
ton and allowing her to exercise
her constitutional rights, viz. life,
freedom and the pursuit of happi-
ness, it would be a case Of dog eat
dog.
The health board of the city of
| New York has got an innocent,
strong, capable Irish woman, who
used to be a cook in a private
family. By evidence that appeals
only to bacteriologist, they con-
victed this poor woman Of being a
typhoid germ carrier. The Irish
woman is perfectly healthy herself,
has never had typhoid fever, and
yet they declare her to be a veri-
table walking typhoid germ cul-
ture, and she is doomed to perpetual
sentence in dingy old building
called the pest house. They are
proposing to keep her as long as
she lives, or at least as long as they
; choose to keep her.
She fought for her life at the
time of her arrest by the Health
Board, but they were too many fol
, her. She has no one to fight fo1
her on the outside, like John Early
had, and she must remain there a:
experimental material for the bac
, teriologists of the New York health
board to investigate.
5 If the Washington health boar(
could manage somehow to get :'Ty
' phoid Mary" in Washington. the!
would settle their score with th'
New York health board in the best
possible way. Two humans being
y would be released from a life sen
b tence, and two health boards woul'
! be thwarted in an unprovoked at
o tempt to carry their perniciou
e authority beyond the limits o
t ordinary decency.
If this health board bushes
IS keeps on much longer it will max
:, the history of the burn
y ing of witches comparatively tam
d reading. If man or woman ca
h be arrested on the findings Of
l. bacteriologist, isolated from societ
). without any trial or opportunit
h for defense, doomed to drag out
It miserable existence the rest {
d their lives, no one is safe, no man
1t liberty is worth the price of
bunch Of fire crackers.
y Not long ago a man had bee
e. pronounced incurable Of tubercul'
sis by the doctors. He lived
I'd New York City, and was workin
there in some factory. When the
at told him he had to die he returne
We home and had tent put up in h
a, back yard, had a cot placed in Il
n tent. and lay down there to di
y. surrounded by his family. He ask'
only the privilege of dying at HON
n where his wife and children cou
X attend to him.
xt He was denied that privileg
By order of the health board /