The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-03-23
REFUSES TO CLOSE
SUNDAY SCHOOL
Rev. DR.. Ram say Declines
Request of Chief Health
Officer DR.. E. G. Levy
GENERAL EPIDEMIC
OF MEASLES HERE
Report of 215 Gases to Health
Department Since Feb
ruary.
Is.

The report that a prominent Rich.
mond minister recently refused to
close his Sundoy school at the request
of DIR. Z. c. Levy, chief health officer.
whose request was made naccount OF
tire rrreatened measles epidemic, has
caused considerable comment in official
and other circles.
Or. Levy refused TO divulge the
name of the minister, but The Vtr-9
gilman learns that it was Rev DIR.
d. NJ. Ramsay, pastor of Grace Street
Baptist church. Or. Ramsay was not
at home when The Firginian reporter
called there but II Is understood that
while not closing his school he adj
vised against the attendance OF the
smaller children.
Since that time, according to the
records of the city health office, sew
eral cases of measles have been res
ported among the children who at.
tended that school.
The request to close the school was
made Saturday, March IL. when 1t was
learned that the disease had developed
among some OF the scholars. The min-
listers courteousiy refused, insisting
that the session of the Sunday school
be held as usual.
The general measles epidemic which
was forecast some time ago the health
department has produced since Feb
ruary II Just 215 cases of The disease
aud DIR. Levy and his trained assistants
are doing all in their power to limit Il
by taking every possible precaution.
At the request of the department.
two Sunday schools have been discon-
tinued. one private school has been.
closed while work has been suspend-
ed in four grades in the city's public
schools. These public schools--West
End Monroe and Moore--were closed
by the department of public education.
which Dr. Levy declares has rendered.
valuable assistance and cooperation.
Work of Department
t Richmond's health department.,
leading all other esitiex. recently di9-
covered that the measles eptGerltc rus
ours in cycles. Charts which cover the
course of the disease during the LIANT
twenty or thirty years indicate clear
ly that the disease practically misses
every third year. while IL Is shown.
that two mild years are almost fn-
variably followed by year of heavy
mortality.
The charts show that In 1857. one
1of the dangerous years. twenty-fou-
cases died. the mortality rate being
SIT per cent. to the 100000.
In 1890 the number OF deaths was
twenty five. the rate being 3e.I per
cent. In 1904, the heaviest OF reGent
years. the number of deaths reported
was thirty-five. with rate of go
per cent.
According to the figures and lines
of the charts this year will be Year
of epidemic, and this ract was an~s
nounced by the department before =
single case developed in Rlchmond.
such announcement being the first
ever made by any health department..
and the number Of cases subsequently,
reported verifies in full the predictions
OF the department.
When Dangerous.
The disease Is al Its most danger
Gus stage between the ninth and
fourteenth days according to DR..
Levy, since during that time the
patient can infect others. After tho
fourteenth day the patient Is usually
in bed. and consequently is removed
from contact with other people.
Whenever a case is reported the de-
partment follows Ii up until the erup-s
ton has entirely disappeared. The
origin Of that particular case n
SOUGHT, and more important. the
habits of the patient are studied In
order to discover those to be notified.
IL the child had been attending school.
that school Is ordered closed during
the period OF infection, and by thus
taking every precaution the departs
ment Is doing all in iss power to keep
down the high death rate. to which
according II the charts. Rfchmond
win be subjected this year.