The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1910-12-14
REVI York.



CONTINUED IRON Pahe one,
which sWeIled tRe figures greatly.
secret ifSestigat ion was held. Iii.S
Espectors guilty Of padding their re-
l ports With the names of men long
dead and Others WHO were myths We're
found guilty and fined NO week pay
apiece 4.
None Lost His dob.
f. But none OF the guilty men was dis
missed from tie service. They never!
repeated the performance, for the (
since. - ~ : q ~
up and the me- deal ieSa ifiiners showed
an astonishing zeal In looking after
the health of little sufferers from hot
weather Investigation showed that
many Of the infants were leSld IDENTIFY
taking the fresh air cure. AT least,
| the addresses given as their homes
we're vacant lots. The: medical IN
lspectors who perpetrated this fraud
were fined but none was dismissed.
The vaccination fraud was a result
Of orders issued by high officials OF
the Department who desired to make
record that would show In figures,
About twenty physicians were sent
out with instructions for, each TO re-
port the names, at the fewest. OF T.
hundred persons. a day yvaccinated by
him. In some districts this was com.
paratipely easy: In others 1t was a.
physical imposslbility, +.
Took The Easiest Way.
II is easier to gather names from
tombstones than 1t is to give battle
to an angry mother, who protests
against the Vaccination Of her off,
spring. II is easier TO thumb the
l7pages OF directory than to climb
tenement house stairs. So a simple
way was found to obey the hundred.
lnames-a.day order. (,
| or course twouldnt do to have
them all single. So these inspectors
married dead men to mystical wives
lioined dead women with astral .hus.
bands, created families Of children
for the couples so Joined together,
gave them homes and reported the
Hot as vacclnated.
IL made an excellent. showing In the
department reports. and the fraud
went on until a blunder revealed It. 4
An inspectors report showed a
large number OF families living in a.
section which, 10 the, knowledge of
somebody in the department Office,
was vacant ground. A quiet invests
cation, was begun. It soon becailfe
evident that all the reports must be
reviewed. The results were astonish.
ling aud the flnlng of the guilty inspec.
tors followed. z
Visited Phantom Babies.
The sick babies reports were COM
piled In similar fashion. In the hot
weather the department was giving
figures showing the. number of visits
made to ailing infants. many OF whom
existed only In the Imagination OF the
men making the reports. Those
physicians Grew 500 a month apiece
for doing nothing, except write a hun.
dred names "a day. Their records
leclipsed those Of the vaccinate squad.
who We're doing real work. n 8 Z y
But while, the department officials
thus fortified themselves and the city
against smallpox, another physician
received Official orders to constitute
himself a living germ purveyor He
was in the division Of child hygiene
land was visiting schools. He receiv.
ed orders TO serve with the bureau OF
contagious diseases in addition. That
is. he was expected to visit scarlet
fever and diphtheria patients and go
from themEto school rooms to exam
Inc children for adenoid growths. en-
llarged tonsils and other minor ills.
| This physician protested that to do
such thing was criminal. But his
protest was dlsregarded. Thereupon.
he resigned &
This physician has been subpoenaed
70 appear before Commissioner Eos.
dick next week.